| Spring 2000 Copeland Hall 246 | Dr. Petya Nitzova |
| Class meets: MWF 12:30-1:20 p.m. | Dale Hall Tower 413 |
| E-mail: pnitzova@ou.edu | Tel: 325-6347 |
| Office hours: MF 11:30-12:20 and by appointment |
OVERVIEW
This course examines major developments in Eastern Europe in the post World War II period. It focuses on the revolutions of 1989 and the current process of transition to new political, economic, and national institutions. The course is divided into two parts. The first one provides the background crucial to understanding recent events. It discusses problems faced by Communist regimes in the several decades of their rule and the reasons for their collapse. Soviet role in the politics of the Eastern Bloc are analyzed as well as the impact of Gorbachev's reforms. The second part of the course examines the attempts of the nations of Eastern Europe to establish multi-party democracy and free market economy. The conflicts in former Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Kosovo) and the challenges they pose to foreign policy in the post Cold War era are the main foci of the last four weeks.
Students will gain understanding of totalitarianism and the possibility
of its transformation into more democratic political structures.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
The following required books are available for purchase at the university bookstore:
Class meetings will be conducted in a lecture-discussion format with emphasis on discussion when appropriate to the topic and readings for that session. The readings for every meeting should therefore be read before class. All members of the class are expected to participate in class discussions, and from time to time, members of the class will be asked to assist with discussions, either individually or in small groups. You are required to ATTEND class, frequent absences nearly always result in poor performance in the course.
The two EXAMS will be closed-book and based on the required readings and the lecture material. The last exam will cover only the subject matter of the second part of the course. Every member of the class is expected to take the same exam at the same time as everyone else. In the interest of fairness, make-up exams will be given ONLY in case of a verified serious illness or the verified death of a spouse, parent, or sibling.
Two PAPERS of approximately 6 pages each will be required. The first one is a book report on Slavenka Drakulic’s Café Europa: Life After Communism. The second one is a research paper on your choice of the Bosnian or Kosovo crisis. Consult this syllabus for dead lines. Any delays after the due time will result in reducing your grade with half a letter grade per day of delay.
The weight of each of these components in the final grade will be as follows:
first exam 20%
book report 15%
research paper 20%
final exam 25%
participation 20%
The participation grade is based on a combination of regular attendance and informed participation in class discussion. Final letter grades will be assigned according to a standard ten-point scale (A = 90 to 100; B = 80 to 89, etc.)
To be eligible for course credit, all two exams must be taken and the book review and research paper completed and turned in. Failure to take any of the examinations or to turn in any of the written assignments will result in failing the course. INCOMPLETES will be given only upon request and for good cause. Incompletes will not be given if the student has missed so much of the course that it is in the practical sense impossible to make up the work. If an incomplete is given, the student will be asked to sign an agreement specifying the work to be completed and the date the work will be due.
Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her potential should contact me personally as soon as possible so that we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunity. University rules against plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct will be honored and enforced (See the OU Student Code). The general rules about plagiarism refer also to material found on the internet.
LECTURE TOPICS AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Week one (Jan. 10, 12,14) Introduction. Eastern Europe: Nations and States
Roskin, The Rebirth of Eastern Europe, pp. 1-24
Week two (Jan. 19, 21) Failed Democratization, 1919-1945
Jan. 17 – Martin Luther King Holiday
Roskin, The Rebirth of Eastern Europe, pp. 26-65
FILM: Mein Kampf
Week three (Jan. 24, 26, 28) The Communist Period I
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 4-13
Roskin, The Rebirth of Eastern Europe, pp. 66-125
FILM: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Week four (Jan. 31, Feb. 2, 4) The Communist Period II
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 135-141, 198-205, 234-240, 267-273, 306-308
FILM: We don’t want to live on our knees
Who is Vaclav Havel
Week five (Feb. 7, 9, 11) The Revolutions of 1989
Roskin, The Rebirth of Eastern Europe, pp. 126-147
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 23-64
FILM: The Fall of Communism
Week six (Feb. 14, 16, 18) Challenges of the Post-communist Transition:
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 63-99
Week seven (Feb. 21, 23, 25) Institutional Politics
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 141-195
Draculic, Café Europa: Life After Communism, pp. 1-68
Week eight (Feb.28, Mar 1,3)The Economies
First Exam Monday, Feb. 28
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 205-233
Draculic, Café Europa: Life After Communism, pp. 69-142
Week nine (Mar 6, 8, 10) Social Policies and problems
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 240-265
Draculic, Café Europa: Life After Communism, pp. 143-213
Week ten (March 13-17) Spring Break
Week eleven (Mar. 20, 22, 24) Civil Societies?
Changing Allegiances
Book review due in class Monday, March 20
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 277-282, 309-324
Week twelve (March 27, 29, 31) The Outbreak of Nationalism
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 282-298
Glenny, The Fall of Yugoslavia, pp.1-97
Film: Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation, p.1 and 2
Week thirteen (April 3, 5, 7) Wars of Yugoslav Succession: Bosnia
Nitzova, "The Bosnian Crisis: Anatomy of the Conflict" (text to be distributed)
Glenny, The Fall of Yugoslavia, pp.98-180
Film: Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation, p.3 and 4
Week fourteen (April 10, 12, 14) Wars of Yugoslav Succession: Kosovo
Kosovo: Myths, Conflict, and War, pp. 4-11, 21-37
Film: Before the Rain
Week fifteen (April 17, 19, 21) Forging a New Peace
Glenny, The Fall of Yugoslavia, pp.181-293
Kosovo: Myths, Conflict, and War, pp. 43-95
Film: Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation, p.5
Week sixteen (April 24, 26, 28) The
Prospects of Democratization in Eastern Europe
Research paper due in class Monday, April 24
Holmes, Post-Communism, pp. 329-347
Roskin The Rebirth of Eastern Europe, pp. 188-202
Final Exam: Thursday, May 4, 1:30-3:30 p.m.