PSCI 3440
RUSSIAN AND CENTRAL
ASIAN POLITICS
ASSIGNMENTS
NOTE: Both assignments must be submitted to the corresponding dropbox in elearning. See further instructions below.
Assignment #1: Getting acquainted with indicators. Due Sunday, February 21 at 11:59 pm.100 points (10% of course grade).
This assignment will acquaint you with useful indicators for various ways to measure a country's status. Your task is to learn what each indictor measures and to use them to examine one country from the post-Soviet space. The indicators are:
Your assignment:
Post-Soviet countries (the list excludes the Baltic states):
Assignment #2: What should American foreign policy toward Russia be? Due Sunday, April 18 at 11:59 pm. 150 points (15% of course grade).
Read the following policy reports:
Julian Barnes and David Sanger, "Russia deploys hypersonic weapon, potentially renewing arms race," New York TImes (December 27, 2019). NOTE: contact me if you cannot access this article.
Sarah Koch, "Dissuasion in cyberspace: the limitations of classical deterrence theory," Small Wars Journal (October 21, 2020).
Use them to write a paper on the following question:
What should American foreign policy toward Russia be?
You may agree with some, all or none of the authors. (Their policy papers are assigned to provide you with varying positions in current policy debates in Washington, so agreeing with them all will be difficult.) How you frame your response is up to you. You may frame it in normative terms, in strategic interests terms, or any way you see fit. In all cases, however, you must address at least the following:
Be specific as much as possible and avoid banal statements. Acknowledge difficulties and demonstrate why your approach is both justified and realistic.
Write no less than four full pages and nor more than six. Review the policy on academic integrity and plagiarism on the course policies page. There is a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism in this class (that is, I do not give second chances). See (and follow) other instructions below.
Grading Scale
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Moldova
Russia
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
A
BA
B
CB
C
DC
D
E
140-150
132-139
125-131
117-124
110-116
102-109
90-101
<90
Instructions for both writing assignments.