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The module will be delivered by a series of workshops spread over an intensive 3 day programme (this will contribute to 21 hours of contact time). The intention is to deliver information and explain the context of the material under examination in lecture format with discussion points built in to the lecture material. Following the face-to-face workshops, learners will undertake additional work, via e-learning, over a 6 week period. This will contribute to a further 50 hours of study. This will consist of interactive tasks via Blackboard and tutorial support. 229 hours are to be used in self-directed study assisted by a detailed module handbook and Blackboard material. Self-directed study will include preparation for assessment work.

This course is divided into three parts. It starts with an introduction to current Russian Politics under President Putin, examining how the state works and political decisions are being made in areas such as security and foreign policy, before exploring issues such as the role of the oligarchs, media and civil society in Russia. This part of the course is designed to increase participants' knowledge about the ideas, influences and forces that have shaped the new Russia. The second part of the course provides an overview of Russia`s role in dealing with the current insecurity and instability in the Russian and post-Soviet space, with reference to the North Caucasus and Chechnya, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. In the last part of this course, participants will explore Russia's role in the European and global security order. Examples of the themes covered include Russia`s relations with NATO, as well as Russia`s role in international crises, among them the Arab Spring, Syria, and Iran. The course finishes with an analysis of Russia's ability to play a more constructive stabilising role in European and global security systems.

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL of 1,500 WORDS weighted at 25%. (Learning Outcomes 2, 3)
AN ESSAY of 4,000 WORDS weighted at 75% (Learning Outcomes 1-5)

The essay will provide the opportunity to demonstrate all five learning outcomes through a focused question that in each case will require knowledge of the practical implications of the subject matter at hand. The essay will require you to demonstrate the reading of relevant texts and the use of other appropriate materials to develop an analysis of the relevant issue. The essay will also require you to write clearly and analytically about the issues raised in the essay question relevant to your working practice.

A pass is awarded only when all of the assessment is complete and the work meets the learning objectives of the module.
A merit performance in the module will be indicated by an exemplary performance in meeting the learning objectives of the module.
A distinction performance in the module will be indicated by excellence in meeting the learning objectives of the module

To undertake this module, learners must be employed within the British Armed Forces and would normally hold an undergraduate award or equivalent. Learners should also have attended the relevant 3 day attendance training event as part of the University's Tri-Services Short Course Programme.

Adomeit, H. (2012) Putin`s 'Eurasian Union': Russia's Integration Project and Policies on Post-Soviet Space, CEIS, Neighbourhood Policy Paper,
available at:
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?lng=en&id=153117
Averre, D. ed (2010) The EU, Russia and the Shared Neighbourhood: Security Governance and Energy, Abingdon: Taylor & Francis.
Cooley, A. (2012) Great Games, Local Rules: The New Power Contest in Central Asia, New York: Oxford University Press.
Galeotti, M. ed (2010) The Politics of Security in Modern Russia, Farnham, Ashgate.
Laruelle, M. (2012) Russian Eurasianism: An Ideology of Empire, Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press.
Sakwa, R. (2011) The Crisis of Russian Democracy: The Dual State, Factionalism and the Medvedev Succession, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schmemann, A. & Welt, C. eds (2012) Dividing Lines in Russian Politics and Foreign Policy, PONARS Eurasia, Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Policy Perspectives,available at:
http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/ponars/PolicyPersDividingLines.pdf
Mendras, Marie (2012) Russian Politics: The Paradox of a Weak State, New York: Columbia University Press.
Monaghan, A. (2012) The End of the Putin Era, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, available at: www.carnegieendowment.org/files/end_of_putin.pdf
Nichol, J. (2012) Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests, CRS Report for Congress, available at:
www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33407.pdf
Remington, T (2012) Politics in Russia, Boston: Pearson.
Treisman, D. (2011) The Return: Russia`s Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev, New York: Free Press.
Trenin, D. (2011) Post-Imperium: A Eurasian Story, Washington, D.C. : Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
White, S. (2011) Understanding Russian Politics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
White, S. and Moore, C. eds (2012) Post-Soviet Politics, London: Sage.