Fall 2006 H. Hogan
Office Hours: Mon. 3:00-5:00, Rice 313
Fri 11-12:30, and by appt.
E-Mail: Heather.Hogan@Oberlin.edu
Office phone: 775-8527
History #107
Russian History I
Beginning with an overview of Kievan RusÕ and the period of Mongol overlordship, this course seeks to introduce students to the history of Russia from its origins to the mid-19th c. We will examine the rise of Muscovy and the ÔgatheringÕ of the RusÕ lands, the establishment of serfdom and the consolidation of a centralized, absolutist state; secularization and the nature of westernization in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the relations between state and society in the first half of the 19th century. Throughout the course we will explore the nature of social, economic and political change within the parameters of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious empire and patterns of settlement and colonization along a vast frontier. We will also examine the vexed question of Russian national identity: Russia as part of European civilization? Russia as Asiatic? Russia as uniquely Eurasian?
1) Students are expected to attend all class sessions and stay current with the reading. Active and regular participation is an essential part of the course. You are encouraged to ask questions at any time during the lecture hour and to meet with the instructor during office hours or by appointment.
2) Quizzes, Papers and Examinations
Quiz on terms [10% of grade] – to be given before fall break
First essay on a topic distributed by the instructor - approx. 5-6 pages [20% of grade] – due in class, October 13.
Document analysis on an assigned primary document -not longer than 2 pages. [10% of grade] – due in class, Nov. 1.
Second essay on a topic of your own choosing but based on a close reading of the primary documents of the late 18th-early 19th c. that are assigned for the course -approx. 5-6 pages [20% of grade] – due in class, Dec.6.
Final exam [40% of grade] Wednesday, December 20, 2:00-4;00pm,
Attendance and participation [priceless]
Credit for the course will not be given if all written work is not turned in.
All written work is governed by the Honor Code, see:
http://www.oberlin.edu/students/links-life/rules-regs.html#honor
3) Late paper policy: For an extension to be considered, the student must consult with the instructor in advance of the due date. Unexcused late papers will be penalized a grade step for each day (24 hours) late, that is, A goes to A-, etc.
4) Reading Assignments: All books and articles assigned in this course are available on Reserve; many of the materials will be available on Electronic Reserve (ERes) . The following books have been ordered at the bookstore:
Kappeler, The Russian Empire
Cracraft, The Revolution of Peter the Great
G. Freeze, Russia, A History
C. Evtuhov, et. al. eds., A History Of Russia: Peoples, Legends, Events, Forces
Additional textbooks on reserve:
N. Riasanovsky, A History of Russia
B. Dmytryshyn, A History of Russia
A note on the textbooks: In the past I have simply placed several textbooks on reserve as recommended reading. This year, following comments from student evaluations, I am strongly encouraging students to select a textbook and read it consistently throughout the semester. My own preference is for C. Evtuhov, et. al. eds., A History Of Russia: Peoples, Legends, Events, Forces because it is the most up to date and comprehensive, and because it includes commentary on social and cultural history. Freeze, Russia, A History is also reasonably up to date, treats social and cultural topics, but is substantially shorter. N. Riasanovsky, A History of Russia is a more traditional text although some sections have been revised in light of current scholarship; B. Dmytryshyn, A History of Russia is largely focused on political developments and foreign policy. You will see below that I have put in page numbers for the various textbooks that roughly correspond to the periods/topics we will be studying; however, these are only roughly matched and I ask you to read along chronologically as appropriate.
A final note: Please turn off cell phones, pagers, beeping watches and the like for the entire class period. Please arrive for the class on time; once class has begun, please refrain from taking breaks and leaving the room.
Lectures and Readings
(Approximate Schedule)
Christian, ÒThe Origin of RusÕÓ pp. 327-352 and Christian,Ò Pontic SteppesÓ pp. 357-369 in A History of Russia, Central Asia and Mongolia, [Eres]
Dmytryshyn, Medieval Russia; a source book, pp. 26-35, 47-64 [Eres]
Text:
Freeze, pp. 1-12.
Evtuhov, et. al. eds., pp. 1-56
Riasanovsky, pp. 3-60
Dmytryshyn, pp. 23-78
Kappeler, The Russian Empire , pp.14-19
Morgan, The Mongols, pp. 136-145. [Eres]
Dmytryshyn, Medieval Russia; a source book pp. 146-152, 174-177. [Eres]
Text:
Freeze, pp. 13-26
Evtuhov, et. al. eds., pp. 56-97
Riasanovsky, pp. 63-94
Dmytryshyn, pp. 83-132
Reading for the week of Sept. 25
Kappeler, The Russian Empire, pp. 21-59
Robinson, Rural Russian Under the Old Regime, Ch. 1 (skim pp. 1-9; read bottom 9-24) [Eres]
Nancy Kollmann, ÒMuscovite PatrimonialismÓ in Major Problems in the History of Imperial Russia, , ed. by James Cracraft (Lexington, Mass: D. C. Heath and Company, 1994) pp. 37-46 [Eres]
Oct. 2: No Class- Yom Kippur
****Wednesday, Oct 4, 7-00-10:00pm Showing of EisensteinÕs ÒIvan the TerribleÓ Parts I and II in King 337****
Reading for Oct. 4- 11
Marshall Poe, ÒWhat Did Russians Mean When They Called Themselves ÔSlaves of the TsarÕ"?, Slavic Review (Fall 1998): vol. 57, no. 3 pp. 585-608
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-6779(199823)57:3<585:WDRMWT>2.0.CO;2-H
Rowland, :Did Muscovite Literary Ideology Place Limits on the Power of the Tsar (15402-1660s)? Russian Review 49 (April 1990) 125-55
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0036-0341%28199004%2949%3A2%3C125%3ADMLIPL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-%23
Valerie Kivelson, ÒThe Devil Stole His Mind: The Tsar and the 1648 Moscow UprisingÓ American Historical Review 98, (June, 1993), pp 733-756
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=00028762%28199306%2998%3A3%3C733%3ATDSHMT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-2
Text:
Freeze, pp. 27-86.
Evtuhov, et. al. eds., pp. 98-202
Riasanovsky, pp. 95-209.
Dmytryshyn, pp. 135-244
Cracraft, The Revolution of Peter the Great (entire)
Pushkin, The Bronze Horseman [Eres]
ÒFeofan Prokopovich Eulogizes Peter the Great, 1725Ó in Cracraft, James, ed. Major Problems in the History of Imperial Russia pp. 123-125. [Eres]
Kappeler, The Russian Empire , pp. 60-113
Text:
Freeze, pp. 87-113
Evtuhov, et. al. eds.,pp. 203-266
Riasanovsky, pp.213-253
Dmytryshyn, pp. 249-279
Document analysis due in class, Nov. 1.
Robinson, Rural Russian Under the Old Regime, Ch 2
Shcherbatov ÒPetition of the City of Moscow on Being Relegated to OblivionÓ in Raeff, ed. Russian Intellectual History, pp. 50-55. {Eres}
Shcherbatov, On the Corruption of Morals in Russia [Excerpts/Eres]
Radishchev, ÒMednoeÓ [Eres]
Radishchev, ÒGorodnyaÓ [Eres]
Fonvizin, ÒA Discourse on Permanent laws of StateÓ in Raeff, ed. Russian Intellectual History, pp. 96-105. [Eres]
Text:
Freeze, pp.114-142
Evtuhov, et. al. eds., pp. 267-308
Riasanovsky, pp. 254-299
Dmytryshyn, pp. 280-326
Karamzin, Memoir on ancient and modern Russia [Excerpts in 3 parts on Eres]
pp.120-140, 147-167, 190-205.
Begin reading Figes, ÒChildren of 1812Ó in NatashaÕs Dance: A Cultural History of Russia, pp. 72-146. [Eres]
Kappeler, The Russian Empire pp.114-167
Text:
Freeze, pp. 143-157
Evtuhov, et. al. eds., pp. 309-346
Riasanovsky, pp. 300-322
Dmytryshyn, pp. 328-342
Nov 17: No Class
Robinson, Rural Russian Under the Old Regime, Ch 3-4. [Eres]
Finish reading Figes, ÒChildren of 1812Ó in NatashaÕs Dance: A Cultural History of Russia, pp. 72-146. [Eres]
Kappeler, The Russian Empire pp. 168-190, 213-216, 247-252.
Text:
Freeze, pp. 157-169.
Evtuhov, et. al. eds., pp. 347-405.
Riasanovsky, pp. 323-367,
Dmytryshyn, pp. 342-360