Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3260: Russian Foreign Policy

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:

Introduction to the history of Russian and Soviet foreign policy
Different theoretical approaches to Russian foreign policy
Drivers of Russian foreign policy
Key actors in Russian foreign policy
Russia and the West
Sino-Russian relations, and Russia’s role in Asia
Russia’s resurgent role in the Middle East
Russia in Africa and Latin America
Russian views of world order

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activity	22	11 x 2-hour seminars
Guided independent study	50	Private study reading and preparing for seminars
Guided independent study	78	Preparation for essay and report-writing including researching and collating relevant sources; planning the structure and argument; writing up the essay and report

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Report outline	500 words	1-11	Oral

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	50	2,000 words	1-12	Written
Analytical report	50	2,000 words	1-12	Written

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (2,000 words)	1-12	August/September reassessment period
Analytical report	Analytical report (2,000 words)	1-12	August/September reassessment period

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Allison, R. (2013a), Russia, the West, and Military Intervention, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Lo, B. (2015), Russia and the New World Disorder, London: Royal Institute of International Affairs.

Mankoff, J. (2011), Russian Foreign Policy: The Return of Great Power Politics, Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield.

Stronski, P. and R. Sokolsky, ‘The Return of Global Russia: An Analytical Framework’, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, December 2017.

Sakwa, R. (2017) Russia Against the Rest: The Post-Cold War Crisis of World Order, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.