Entry requirements

Enrolment in the Master's Programme in Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Learning outcomes

After the course the student should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• describe the field of Russian and Eurasian Studies in terms of its history;
• identify and account for the main disciplinary fields that have contributed to knowledge-building in Russian and Eurasian Studies;
• discuss analytically the relation between ontology, epistemology, method, and knowledge production within discrete disciplines;
• in a well-informed way, describe and problematise synthetic and integrated forms of research that cross strict disciplinary borders, such as multi-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, inter-disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and problem-oriented research;

Competence and skills

• identify the main characteristics of epistemology, method, and object of study in major disciplines contributing to the field of Russian and Eurasian Studies;
• discuss the relation between research problem, research design, and results within disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research;
• conduct research in the field of Russian and Eurasian studies within disciplinary bounds and across them;

Judgment and approach

• identify different objects/problems of study in Russian and Eurasian Studies and analyse their connection to different disciplinary epistemologies and methods;
• reflect independently on the role that epistemology and method play in the construction of research questions and research design;
• connect epistemology, research method, and results to societal needs and priorities;
• reflect on and analyse the implications that epistemology and method have on research ethics.

Content

The course situates the field of Russian and Eurasian Studies in its complex history, and notions such as Area-Studies, multi-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, inter-disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and problem-oriented research. The course provides students with the necessary analytical tools to understand and reflect on knowledge production within Russian and Eurasian Studies that crosses strict disciplinary borders. It introduces the students to the role of epistemology in research within and beyond disciplines that have been most commonly associated with Russian and Eurasian Studies (such as History, Political Science, Economics, Literary Studies, Media Studies, etc.). The course emphasizes the connection between ontology, epistemology, and method, in the creation of knowledge in the cross-disciplinary field of Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Instruction

The course comprises of lectures, and seminars.

Assessment

The course is examined by attendance and active participation in seminar discussion, oral presentations, and a written assignment.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator or a decision by the department's working group for study matters.