HIST 205 - Russian History 1801-2000

Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory (or Other) Hours: 0

General Education Code(s): 23WG
Prerequisite(s): At least one of the following: HIST 100 or HIST 105 or HIST 125 or HIST 130
Corequisite(s): None
Restriction(s): None

This course is a brief overview of the changes in Russia from the Age of Empire to a socialist-communist nation and its republic status of the past decade. Once the greatest empire on earth, the Russian Empire went through profound changes in the nineteenth century that led to the fall of the tsars and the rise of the “cult of personality” in the twentieth century. The course will explore those changes and take up the issues surrounding “superpower” status in the post WWII era that would ultimately lead to the economic, political, and social restructuring of the former Soviet Union into the Russian Republic. The course will look at past personalities such as Lenin and Stalin and discuss the economic, social, and political structure of this enormous landmass over the past two centuries.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Course: The General Education requirement for World History & Global Awareness is satisfied by HIST 205. To meet this General Education requirement, students will be able to:

demonstrate knowledge of a broad outline of world history and/or the development of the distinctive features of at least one civilization or culture in relation to other regions of the world; and
demonstrate an understanding of the structures, systems, and interrelationship among civilizations and cultures within historical and/or contemporary contexts, and their impact on wellbeing and sustainability.

Course-specific SLOs for HIST 205 include:

Acquire a detailed knowledge of selected themes and periods in Russian History
Develop skills of reading for historical significance
Be able to read fiction for historical insights
Begin to make connections between historical periods to identify what is common and what is different
Develop skills to distinguish between the more significant and less significant factors causing and resulting from particular historical events
Develop opinions grounded in factual evidence from the readings and lectures
Develop the ability to express themselves in both oral and written form
Begin to develop the skill to read film critically for historical purposes