2023/2024

Russian-British Relations: Five Centuries of Fascinating History

Type: Optional course (faculty)

Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages

When: 3 module

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Olga A. Kolykhalova

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 36

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course “Russian-British Relations: Five Centuries of Fascinating History (with an emphasis on the 20th and 21st centuries)” introduces students to current aspects of Russian-British relations, which have a rich history of cooperation and alliance, rivalry and confrontation, two countries' convergence and impossible alliances. For all the differences between the two countries, they have experienced similar processes, implying the collapse of empires, the decline of their role and weight in world politics, and the search for their proper place in the modern world. Russian-British history has never been limited to political, economic ties, imperial conflicts, but there has always been a certain mystical thread between two peoples so different and not always friendly towards each other. The roots of these sympathies are deep and diverse, which led at certain periods of history not only to the spread of Anglomania but also to Anglophilia. The course is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in the development of Russian-British relationships in all their diversity and complexity. The course features lectures and seminars, which enable students to analyse plentiful information through involvement in discussions of different sources covering various standpoints on history, culture, economy and politics along with presentations, quizzes, etc. Designed to emphasize independent thought, it also envisages various research projects conducted in small groups on a wide range of topics related to its subject matter.