Syllabus
1. The Origin of Russian Statehood : Environmental, Ethnic and Historical Background
2. Kievan Rus' : Rise and Fall of the First East Slavic State
3. Christianization of Kievan Rus‘ : Civilizational Choice or Historical Inevitability
4. The Mongol Invasion of Rus’: Its Сultural and Social Impact
5. Medieval Novgorod : A Historical Alternative Which Сould Have Never Come True
6. Muscovy : the Growth and the Expansion
7. The Thru Faith : The Orthodox Church in Old Russia
8. The Third Rome and Its Inhabitants : Political and Historical Thought in Muscovite Russia
9. Tsar of All Russia : Myths vs. Reality Under Ivan the Terrible
10. The First Russian Civil War : On the Verge of Collapse
11. The First Century of the Romanov Dynasty : New Horizons or Restoration of Old Regime
12. Towns and Peasantry : Feudalism in Russia
13. Peter the Great : The Despotic Reformer and The Birth of Empire
Annotation
The course explores social and cultural development in Russia from the very beginning of Russian statehood in 9th century to the early 18th century and summarizes different approaches to its interpretation. We will focus predominantly on key aspects of Russian national and cultural identity, their emergence and evolution through nearly eight centuries of Old and Medieval Russian history.
Beginning with the origins of the first Russian state, we will proceed to the golden age of Kievan Rus’, and then, to controversial history of Muscovite Russia. In the frame of the course we will try to analyze a wide range of various factors, from geographic setting and climate to specific patterns of social and cultural behavior, which produced a major impact on Russian mentality.
We will also observe the influence of crucial historical challenges such as Mongol invasion, the extinction of the Rurikids, the splitting of the Orthodox Church etc., on political, social and cultural development of the state. A particular attention will be paid to the development of historical and political thought, the exceptional role of the Orthodox Church, the phenomenon of Russian serfdom and so on.
The purpose of the course is to provide students with general idea of Russian identity, its peculiarities and its origins. In conclusion, we will attempt to draw some parallels with modern political and state practice in Russia as certain identity issues dating back to Medieval ages prove to be still alive.
The course is designed for all students who are interested in Russian history and cultural development; it is also suitable for students with little or no previous knowledge of East European region.