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2020/21 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SLAV2215 Soviet Everyday Life from 1917 to 1991

15 creditsClass Size: 5

Module manager: Ilya Yablokov
Email: i.yablokov@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2020/21

This module is mutually exclusive with

SLAV2210Soviet Everyday Life from 1917 to 1991
SLAV3210Soviet Everyday Life from 1917 to 1991

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

Traditionally, life in the Soviet Union is perceived to be polarized between the ideological constraints imposed by the state authorities on the one hand, and acts of resistance by dissidents on the other. This course approaches Soviet culture in a different way. The course examines how Soviet citizens translated the communist ideology into the language of everyday life: objects, practices and rituals. The course will examine the issue in chronological order starting with the October revolution and finishing with Brezhnev’s death in 1982 that symbolized the beginning of the end of the USSR.

Objectives

The module aims to introduce students to:
• Russian history
• Russian modern culture
• Russian governance
• Russian society
• Soviet history
• Soviet society
• Soviet culture

Learning outcomes
1. Students will possess the basic knowledge of the Soviet period and its main cultural texts;
2. Students will be able to demonstrate the skills of critical analysis and will be able to independently analyse primary sources provided by the tutor and use them in structuring their arguments;
3. Students will demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of the major events and socio-cultural phenomena which emerged in the Soviet period;
4. Students will demonstrate the ability to analyse primary sources with a view to understanding the underlying causes of political and socio-economic and cultural change


Syllabus

The module is structured around the following broad and indicative topics in the history of the Soviet Union (1917-1991):
Gender and sex
Reforms and institutional changes
Design and art
Political repressions and resistance
Trade and consumption
Labour and industrial progress

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Seminars61.007.00
Lecture61.007.00
Private study hours136.00
Total Contact hours14.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)150.00

Private study

135 (reading for seminars = 90 hours; homework assignments = 45 hours) hours of independent study to supplement in-class tuition. Students are expected to carry out fortnightly homework assignments and revise material covered in class on a regular basis.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Each week students will receive tasks to prepare at home. The results of their preparation will be assessed at fortnightly seminars.
Tutor will be available during office hours to provide further guidance and feedback on successful completion of the module.
Class participation will be used to monitor progress

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay2,000 Word Essay50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc) (S1)2 hr 00 mins50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 24/08/2020 16:31:47

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