Course Syllabus

Title of the course Politics and Society in Central Asia

Title of the Academic Programme MA Programme “Comparative Politics of Eurasia”

Type of the course Elective

Prerequisites

ECTS workload 6 ECTS

Total indicative study hours Directed Study Self-directed study Total

48 180 228

Course Overview This course explores politics and society in contemporary post-Soviet

Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and

Uzbekistan). It will briefly cover Central Asian history in the Russian

Empire and the USSR before proceeding with an analysis of its post-

Soviet transformation(s). The course aims to provide students with

understanding of key issues in political and societal developments in

these countries. It covers a number of issues such as Russian/Soviet

legacies; post-colonial/post-Soviet identities; state building and state

fragility; ethnicity, language, nationhood, nation building and

nationalism; (ethnic) conflict and violence; role of gender, family,

religion, formal and informal networks and institutions in state-society

relations; multiple forms of civil society and ambiguous impact of

(external) development/democracy promotion efforts. The course will

help students to acquire knowledge on the nature of state, politics and

society in Central Asia, and develop critical thinking on variations in and

drivers of political, economic, social and cultural transformations in this

part of the world.

Intended Learning Outcomes

(ILO)

Teaching and Learning Methods The course consists of 11 lectures (22 hours) and 13 interactive tutorials

(26 hours) involving discussions of the readings, individual and group

assignments. For both lectures and tutorials, students are expected to read

materials specified below. These readings will be used as basis for class

discussions. Students will be assigned selected readings for individual or

group presentations – depending on the size of the group – introducing

topics of each tutorial. Students will also develop their analytical and

critical writing skills while working on two written assignments: book

review and final paper.

I am happy to provide advice and guidance. I can help you plan your

work and develop your coursework assignments. I will look at short (i.e.

1 page) final paper plans (not draft papers) and provide guidance. I will

also provide feedback on marks for assessed work on this course. Please

feel free to contact me by email (address below) to arrange an

appointment and come to see me during my office hours during teaching

weeks.

Content and Structure of the Course

№ Topic / Course Chapter Total

Directed Study Self-directed

Study Lectures Tutorials

1 Central Asia in the Russian Empire.

Political transformations and nation-

building in the Soviet period

20 2 2 16

2

Independence: experiencing post-

colonial and post-Soviet

20 2 2 16

3 Peace-building, nation-building and

state-building (I)

24 2 4 18

4 Peace-building, nation-building and

state-building (II)

20 2 2 16

5 Multiple facets of the state 24 2 4 18

6 Tradition and informality 20 2 2 16

7 Gender and family 20 2 2 16

8 Islam: beyond radicalization

narratives

20 2 2 16

9 Migration 20 2 2 16

10 Multiple forms of civil society:

“local” ways and “universal”

templates

20 2 2 16

11 Civil society: international

involvement and its effects

20 2 2 16

Total study hours 228 22 26 180

Indicative Assessment Methods

and Strategy General requirements:

•Completion of required readings in advance of the lectures and tutorials;

•Active participation in the discussion with reliance on required readings;

•Presentations based on assigned readings and active involvement in in-

class group assignments.

The final grade for this course consists of:

In-class participation: 25%

Assessment will be based on attendance, preparation of readings,

participation in class discussion with the focus on qualitative contribution

to the discussion, ability to answer questions based on the readings, come

up with own interpretations and react to comments made by other

students.

Presentation: 25%

Each tutorial (starting from the week 2) will commence by a presentation

prepared by a small group of students (up to 4 students per group).

During the first tutorial, students should propose for approval by the

instructor: 1) composition of their groups; 2) topics for their presentations

based on the topics/readings for the tutorials; 3) outlines of their

presentations. These presentations will function as basis for further class

discussion. Therefore, presenters are supposed to cover mandatory and

optional readings and, preferably, use other non-assigned sources for their

analysis on the chosen topic in order to make a genuinely original

contribution.

Mid-term book review (1000-1500 words): 25%

For this mid-term assignment, students need to read a book from the list

below (book choice needs to be approved by the instructor by the week 2)

and write a short book review (1000-1500 words). The review is due by

the tutorial 6.

Final paper (3000 words): 25%

The final paper should relate to any aspect of the course. It can be a

critical review of the existing literature on a specific topic, or an original

piece of research (format and topic need to be approved by the instructor

by the week 4). The final paper is due by the tutorial 12.

Readings / Indicative Learning

Resources Mandatory

Cummings, S.N. and Hinnebusch, R. (eds.) (2011) Sovereignty

After Empire: Comparing the Middle East and Central Asia.

Edinburg: Edinburg University Press. [selected chapters]

Jones Luong, P. (2002) Institutional Change and Political

Continuity in Post-Soviet Central Asia: Power, Perceptions, and

Pacts. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.

[selected chapters]

Khalid, A. (2007) Islam after Communism: Religion and Politics in

Central Asia. Berkeley: University of California Press. [selected

chapters]

Reeves, M., Rasanayagam, J. and Beyer, J. (eds.) (2014)

Ethnographies of the State in Central Asia: Performing Politics.

Indiana University Press. [selected chapters]

Sahadeo, J. and Zanca, R. (eds.) (2007) Everyday Life in Central

Asia. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. [selected chapters]

Readings listed below under the headings corresponding to the topics of

course sessions are required for the tutorials (in addition to the books

indicated above).

Central Asia in the Russian Empire. Political transformations and nation-

building in the Soviet period

Darden, K. and Grzymala-Busse, A. (2006) “The Great Divide:

Literacy, Nationalism, and the Communist Collapse,” World

Politics, Vol. 59, No. 1, Pp. 83-115.

Hirsch, F. (2000) “Toward an Empire of Nations: Border-Making

and the Formation of Soviet National Identities,” Russian Review,

Vol. 59, Issue 2, Pp. 201-226.

Pianciola, N. and Sartori, P. (2007) “Waqf in Turkestan: The

Colonial Legacy and the Fate of an Islamic Institution in Early

Soviet Central Asia, 1917–1924,” Central Asian Survey, Vol. 26,

Issue 4, Pp. 475-498.

Slezkine, Y. (1994) “The USSR as a Communal Apartment, or

How a Socialist State Promoted Ethnic Particularism,” Slavic

Review, Vol. 53, Issue 2, Pp. 414-452.

Independence: experiencing post-colonial and post-Soviet

Grant, J. (1994) “Decolonization by default: Independence in

Soviet Central Asia”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 13, Issue 1, Pp.

51-58.

Kandiyoti, D. and Cole, J. (2002) “Nationalism and the Colonial

Legacy in the Middle East and Central Asia”, International Journal

of Middle East Studies, Vo. 34, Issue 2, Pp 189-203.

Scarborough, S. (2016) “(Over) determining social disorder:

Tajikistan and the economic collapse of perestroika,” Central Asian

Survey, Vol. 35, Issue 3, Pp. 1-25.

Peace-building, nation-building and state-building (I)

Akiner, S. (1997) “Melting pot, salad bowl ‐ cauldron?

Manipulation and mobilization of ethnic and religious identities in

Central Asia”, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol. 20, Issue 2, Pp. 362-

398.

Denison, M. (2009) “The Art of the Impossible: Political

Symbolism, and the Creation of National Identity and Collective

Memory in Post-Soviet Turkmenistan”, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol.

61, Issue 7, Pp. 1167-1187.

Fumagalli, M. (2007) “Framing Ethnic Minority Mobilisation in

Central Asia: The Cases of Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan”,

Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 59, Issue 4, Pp. 567–590.

Heathershaw, J. (2009) “Tajikistan's Virtual Politics of Peace”,

Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 61, Issue 7, Pp. 1315-1336.

Lynch, D. (2001) “The Tajik Civil War and Peace Process”, Civil

Wars, Vol. 4, No. 4, Pp. 49–72.

Murzakulova, A. and Schoeberlein, J. (2009) “The Invention of

Legitimacy: Struggles in Kyrgyzstan to Craft an Effective Nation-

State Ideology”, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 61, Issue 7, Pp. 1229-

1248.

Peace-building, nation-building and state-building (II)

Isaacs, R. (2015) “Nomads, Warriors and Bureaucrats: Nation-

Building and Film in Post- Soviet Kazakhstan”, Nationalities

Papers, Vol. 43, Issue 3, Pp. 399–416.

Kudaibergenova, D. T. (2017) “The Archaeology of Nationalizing

Regimes in the Post-Soviet Space: Narratives, Elites, and

Minorities”, Problems of Post-Communism, Vol. 64, Issue 6, Pp.

342-355.

Lottholz, P. (2018) “Old Slogans Ringing Hollow? The Legacy of

Social Engineering, Statebuilding and the „Dilemma of Difference‟

in (Post-) Soviet Kyrgyzstan”, Journal of Intervention and

Statebuilding, Vol. 12, Issue 3, Pp. 405-424.

Multiple facets of the state

Adams, L. and Rustemova, A. (2009) “Mass Spectacle and Styles

of Governmentality in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan”, Europe-Asia

Studies, Vol. 61, Issue 7, Pp. 1249-1276.

Heathershaw, J. (2011) “Tajikistan amidst globalization: state

failure or state transformation?”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 30,

Issue 1, Pp. 147-168.

Juraev, S. (2008) “Kyrgyz Democracy? The Tulip Revolution and

Beyond”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 27, Issues 3–4, Pp. 253–264.

Megoran, N. (2005) “The Critical Geopolitics of Danger in

Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan”, Environment and Planning D: Society

and Space, Vol. 23, No. 4, Pp. 555– 580.

Tradition and informality

Beyer, J. and Finke, P. (2019) “Practices of traditionalization in

Central Asia”, Central Asian Survey, 38:3, 310-328.

Collins, K. (2004) “The Logic of Clan Politics: Evidence from the

Central Asian Trajectories”, World Politics, Vol. 56, Issue 2, Pp.

224–261.

Isaacs, R. (2014) “Neopatrimonialism and beyond: reassessing the

formal and informal in the study of Central Asian politics,”

Contemporary Politics, Vol. 20, Issue 2, Pp. 229-245.

Sharipova, D. (2015) “State retrenchment and informal institutions

in Kazakhstan: people's perceptions of informal reciprocity in the

healthcare sector”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 34, Issue 3, Pp. 310-

329.

Gender and family

Cleuziou, J. (2016) “„A second wife is not really a wife‟: polygyny,

gender relations and economic realities in Tajikistan”, Central

Asian Survey, Vol. 35, Issue 1, Pp. 76-90.

Commercio, M.E. (2014) “The Politics and Economics of

„Retraditionalization‟ in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan”, Post-Soviet

Affairs, Vol. 31, Issue 6, Pp. 529-556.

Kamp, M (2016) “The Soviet Legacy and Women‟s Rights in

Central Asia”, Current History, Vol. 115, No. 783, Pp. 270-276.

Werner, C., Edling, C., Becker, Ch., Kim, E., Kleinbach, R.,

Sartbay, F.E. and Teachout, W. (2018) “Bride kidnapping in post-

Soviet Eurasia: a roundtable discussion”, Central Asian Survey,

Vol. 37, Issue 4, Pp. 582-601.

Islam: beyond radicalization narratives

Hann, C. and Pelkmans, M. (2009) “Realigning Religion and Power

in Central Asia: Islam, Nation-State and (Post)Socialism”, Europe-

Asia Studies, Vol. 61, Issue 9, Pp. 1517-1541.

Montgomery, D.W. and Heathershaw, J. (2016) “Islam, secularism

and danger: a reconsideration of the link between religiosity,

radicalism and rebellion in Central Asia,” Religion, State and

Society, Vol. 44, Issue 3, Pp.192-218.

Ro'i, Y. and Wainer, A. (2009) “Muslim identity and Islamic

practice in postSoviet Central Asia”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 28,

Issue 3, Pp. 303-322.

Migration

Ibanez-Tirado, D. (2019) “„We sit and wait‟: Migration, mobility

and temporality in Guliston, southern Tajikistan”, Current

Sociology, Vol. 67, No. 2, Pp. 315-333.

Korobkov, A. (2007) “Migration trends in Central Eurasia: Politics

versus Economics”, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Vol.

40, Pp.169-189.

Laruelle, M. (ed.) (2013) Migration and Social Upheaval as the

Face of Globalization in Central Asia. Brill. [selected chapters]

Reeves, M. (2012) “Black work, green money: remittances, ritual

and domestic economies in southern Kyrgyzstan”, Slavic Review,

Vol. 71, Issue 1, Pp. 108-134.

Multiple forms of civil society: “local” ways and “universal” templates

Babajanian, B., Freizer, S. and Stevens, D. (2005) “Introduction:

Civil society in Central Asia and the Caucasus”, Central Asian

Survey, Vol. 24, Issue 3, Pp. 209-224.

Buxton, C. (2009) “NGO networks in Central Asia and global civil

society: potentials and limitations”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 28,

Issue 1, Pp. 43-58.

Freizer, S. (2004) “Central Asian fragmented civil society:

communal and neoliberal forms in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan”, in

Glasius, M., Lewis, D. and Seckinelgin, H. (eds.) Exploring Civil

Society: Political and Cultural Contexts. London and New York:

Routledge, Pp. 130–140.

Sievers, E. W. (2003) The Post-Soviet Decline of Central Asia:

Sustainable Development and Comprehensive Capital. London and

New York: Routledge. [selected chapters]

Civil society: international involvement and its effects

Earle, L. (2005) “Community development, „tradition‟ and the civil

society strengthening agenda in Central Asia”, Central Asian

Survey, Vol. 24, Issue 3, Pp. 245-260.

Kluczewska, K. (2019) “How to Translate „Good Governance‟ into

Tajik? An American Good Governance Fund and Norm

Localisation in Tajikistan”, Journal of Intervention and

Statebuilding, Vol. 13, Issue 3, Pp. 357-376.

Pétric, B.M. (2005) “Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan or the birth of a

globalized protectorate”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 24, Issue 3, Pp.

319-332.

Roy, O. (2005) “The Predicament of „Civil Society‟ in Central Asia

and the „Greater Middle East‟”, International Affairs, Vol. 81, No.

5, Pp. 1001–1012.

Optional

Readings listed below are essential for fruitful discussions during the

tutorials and, therefore, highly recommended for study prior to each

tutorial. The instructor may assign additional readings to the seminar

optional reading list.

Central Asia in the Russian Empire. Political transformations and nation-

building in the Soviet period

Ferrando, O. (2011) “Soviet population transfers and interethnic

relations in Tajikistan: assessing the concept of ethnicity”, Central

Asian Survey, Vol. 30, Issue 1, Pp. 39-52.

Kassymbekova, B. (2011) “Helpless imperialists: European state

workers in Soviet Central Asia in the 1920s and 1930s”, Central

Asian Survey, Vol. 30, Issue 1, Pp. 21-37.

Northrop, D. (2000) “Languages of Loyalty: Gender, Politics, and

Party Supervision in Uzbekistan, 1927-41”, The Russian Review,

Vol. 59, Issue 2, Pp. 179-200.

Thomas, A. (2017) “The Caspian Disputes: Nationalism and

Nomadism in Early Soviet Central Asia,” The Russian Review, Vol.

76, Issue 3, Pp. 502-525.

Independence: experiencing post-colonial and post-Soviet

Ibañez-Tirado, D. (2015) “„How can I be post-Soviet if I was never

Soviet?‟ Rethinking categories of time and social change – a

perspective from Kulob, southern Tajikistan,” Central Asian

Survey, Vol. 34, Issue 2, Pp. 190-203.

Kandiyoti, D (2002) “Postcolonialism Compared: Potentials and

Limitations in the Middle East and Central Asia”, International

Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 34, Issue 2, Pp 279-297.

Peace-building, nation-building and state-building (I)

Cummings, S. (2006) “Legitimation and Identification in

Kazakhstan”, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, Vol. 12, Issue 2, Pp.

177-204.

Dave, B. (2004) “Entitlement through Numbers: Nationality and

Language Categories in the First Post-Soviet Census of

Kazakhstan,” Nations and Nationalism, Vol. 10, Issue 4, Pp. 439–

459.

Ferrando, O. (2008) “Manipulating the Census: Ethnic Minorities in

the Nationalizing States of Central Asia”, Nationalities Papers,

Vol. 36, Issue 3, Pp. 489–520.

Marat, E. (2009) “Nation Branding in Central Asia: A New

Campaign to Present Ideas about the State and the Nation”, Europe-

Asia Studies, Vol. 61, Issue 7, Pp. 1123-1136.

Peace-building, nation-building and state-building (II)

Menga, F. (2015) “Building a nation through a dam: the case of

Rogun in Tajikistan”, Nationalities Papers, Vol. 43, Issue 3, Pp.

479-494.

Golosov, G.V. (2018) “The five shades of grey: party systems and

authoritarian institutions in post-Soviet Central Asian states”,

Central Asian Survey, DOI: 10.1080/02634937.2018.1500442

Ó'Beacháin, D. and Kevlihan, R. (2015) “Imagined Democracy'?

Nation-Building and Elections in Central Asia”, Nationalities

Papers, Vol. 43, Issue 3, Pp. 495–513.

Multiple facets of the state

Doolot, A. and Heathershaw, J. (2015) “State as resource, mediator

and performer: understanding the local and global politics of gold

mining in Kyrgyzstan”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 34, Issue 1, Pp.

93-109.

Fauve, A. (2015) “Global Astana: nation branding as a

legitimization tool for authoritarian regimes”, Central Asian Survey,

Vol. 34, Issue 1, Pp.110-124.

Lemon, E. (2018) “Critical approaches to security in Central Asia:

an Introduction”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 37, Issue 1, Pp. 1-12.

Marat, E. (2016) “Post-violence regime survival and expansion in

Kazakhstan and Tajikistan”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 35, Issue 4,

Pp. 531-548.

Tradition and informality

Rasanayagam, J. (2002) “Spheres of Communal Participation:

Placing the State within Local Modes of Interaction in Rural

Uzbekistan”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 21, Issue 1, Pp. 55–70.

Satybaldieva, E. (2015) “Political capital, everyday politics and

moral obligations: understanding the political strategies of various

elites and the poor in Kyrgyzstan”, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 67,

Issue 3, Pp. 370-387.

Gender and family

Beyer, J. and Kojobekova, A. (2019) “Women of protest, men of

applause: political activism, gender and tradition in Kyrgyzstan”,

Central Asian Survey, Vol. 38, Issue 3, Pp. 329-345.

Harris, C. (2011) “State business: gender, sex and marriage in

Tajikistan”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 30, Issue 1, Pp. 97-111.

Thibault, H. (2018) “Labour migration, sex, and polygyny:

negotiating patriarchy in Tajikistan”, Ethnic and Racial Studies,

Vol. 41, Issue 15, Pp. 2809-2826.

Von Boemcken, M., Boboyorov, H. and Bagdasarova, N. (2018)

“Living dangerously: securityscapes of Lyuli and LGBT people in

urban spaces of Kyrgyzstan”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 37, Issue

1, Pp. 68-84.

Islam: beyond radicalization narratives

Radford, D. (2014) “Contesting and negotiating religion and ethnic

identity in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 33,

Issue 1, Pp. 15-28.

Rasanayagam, J. (2014) “The Politics of Culture and the Space for

Islam: Soviet and Post-Soviet Imaginaries in Uzbekistan”, Central

Asian Survey, Vol. 33, No. 1, Pp. 1-14.

Migration

Nasritdinov, E. (2016) “„Only by learning how to live together

differently can we live together at all‟: readability and legibility of

Central Asian migrants‟ presence in urban Russia”, Central Asian

Survey, Vol. 35, Issue 2, Pp. 257-275.

Peyrouse, S. (2007) “Nationhood and the Minority Question in

Central Asia. The Russians in Kazakhstan”, Europe-Asia Studies,

Vol. 59, No. 3, Pp. 481−501.

Schroeder, P. (2010) ““Urbanizing” Bishkek: Interrelations of

Boundaries, Migration, Group Size and Opportunity Structure.”

Central Asian Survey, Vol. 29, Issue 4, Pp. 453–467.

Stephan-Emmrich, M. (2017) “Playing cosmopolitan: Muslim self-

fashioning, migration, and (be-)longing in the Tajik Dubai business

sector”, Central Asian Affairs, Vol. 4, Issue 3, Pp. 187-207.

Multiple forms of civil society: “local” ways and “universal” templates

Knox, C. and Yessimova, S. (2015) “State-Society Relations:

NGOs in Kazakhstan”, Journal of Civil Society, Vol. 11, Issue 3,

Pp. 300-316.

Passiaro, M. (2009) “Home-Grown Strategies for Greater Agency:

Reassessing the Outcome of Civil Society Strengthening in Post-

Soviet Kyrgyzstan”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 28, Issue 1, Pp. 59–

77.

Civil society: international involvement and its effects

Féaux de la Croix, J. (2013) “Grounding Mobile Ideas: Kyrgyzstani

NGO-leaders and the Notion of 'Knowledge Transfer' as a Source

of Social Cohesion”, Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, Pp. 217-233.

Kluczewska, K. (2017) “Benefactor, industry or intruder?

Perceptions of international organizations in Central Asia – the case

of the OSCE in Tajikistan”, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 36, Issue 3,

Pp. 353-372.

Books for the book review (please select one for your analysis):

Liu, M. (2012) Under Solomon’s Throne: Uzbek Visions of Renewal in

Osh. Pittsburg: University of Pittsburg Press.

Radnitz, S. (2010) Weapons of the Wealthy: Predatory Regimes and

Elite-led Protests in Central Asia. Ithaca and London: Cornell University

Press.

Reeves, M. (2014) Border Work: Spatial Lives of the State in Rural

Central Asia. Cornell University Press.

Roche, S. (2014) Domesticating Youth: Youth Bulges and Their Socio-

Political Implications in Tajikistan. New York and Oxford: Berghahn.

Schatz, E. (2004) Modern Clan Politics and Beyond: The Power of

“Blood” in Kazakhstan. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.

Indicative Self- Study Strategies Type +/– Hours

Reading for seminars / tutorials (lecture

materials, mandatory and optional resources)

+ 100

Assignments for seminars / tutorials / labs + 30

E-learning / distance learning (MOOC /

LMS)

-

Fieldwork -

Project work -

Other (please specify): writing book review

and final paper

+ 50

Preparation for the exam -

Academic Support for the Course Academic support for the course is provided via LMS, where students can

find: guidelines and recommendations for doing the course; guidelines

and recommendations for self-study; samples of assessment materials.

Facilities, Equipment and

Software

A class with a laptop, a film projector and a sound system are required for

lectures and tutorials.

Course Instructor Dr. Oleg Korneev, Associate Professor (Department of Political Science),

okorneev@hse.ru

Annex 1

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) Delivering

Programme ILO(s) Course

ILO(s)

Teaching and Learning

Methods for delivering

ILO(s)

Indicative Assessment

Methods of Delivered ILO(s)

Annex 2

Assessment Criteria

In-class Participation

Grades Assessment Criteria

«Excellent» (8-10) A critical analysis which demonstrates original thinking and shows strong

evidence of preparatory research and broad background knowledge.

«Good» (6-7) Shows strong evidence of preparatory research and broad background knowledge.

Excellent oral expression.

«Satisfactory» (4-5)

Satisfactory overall, showing a fair knowledge of the topic, a reasonable standard

of expression. Some hesitation in answering follow-up questions and/or gives

incomplete or partly irrelevant answers.

«Fail» (0-2) Limited evidence of relevant knowledge and an attempt to address the

topic. Unable to offer relevant information or opinion in answer to follow-up

questions.

Presentation

Grades Assessment Criteria

«Excellent» (8-10)

A well-structured, analytical presentation of work. Shows strong evidence and

broad background knowledge. In a group presentation all members contribute

equally and each contribution builds on the previous one clearly. Answers to

follow-up questions reveal a good range and depth of knowledge beyond that

covered in the presentation and show confidence in discussion.

«Good» (6-7)

Clearly organized analysis, showing evidence of a good overall knowledge of the

topic. The presenter highlights key points and responds to follow up questions

appropriately. In group presentations, there is evidence that the group has met to

discuss the topic and is presenting the results of that discussion, in an order

previously agreed.

«Satisfactory» (4-5)

Takes a very basic approach to the topic, using broadly appropriate material but

lacking focus. The presentation of project work is largely unstructured, and some

points are irrelevant to the topic. Knowledge of the topic is limited and there may

be evidence of basic misunderstanding. In a group presentation, most of the work

is done by one or two students and the individual contributions do not add up.

«Fail» (0-3) Fails to demonstrate any appropriate knowledge.

Book review paper

Grades Assessment Criteria

«Excellent» (8-10) The paper has a clear argument, which responds effectively to all aspects of the

task. Fully satisfies all the requirements of the task; rare minor errors occur.

«Good» (6-7) The paper responds to most aspects of the task with a clear, explicit argument.

Covers the requirements of the task; may produce occasional errors.

«Satisfactory» (4-5)

The paper generally addresses the task; the format may be inappropriate in places;

displays little evidence of (depending on the assignment) independent thought and

critical judgement; includes a partial superficial coverage of the key issues; lacks

critical analysis, may make frequent errors.

«Fail» (0-3) The paper fails to demonstrate any appropriate knowledge.

Final paper

Grades Assessment Criteria

«Excellent» (8-10)

The final paper has a clear argument, which addresses the topic and responds

effectively to all aspects of the task. Fully satisfies all the requirements of the task;

rare minor errors occur.

«Good» (6-7) The final paper responds to most aspects of the topic with a clear, explicit

argument. Covers the requirements of the task; may produce occasional errors.

«Satisfactory» (4-5)

The final paper generally addresses the task; the format may be inappropriate in

places; displays little evidence of (depending on the assignment) independent

thought and critical judgement; includes a partial superficial coverage of the key

issues; lacks critical analysis, may make frequent errors.

«Fail» (0-3) The final paper fails to demonstrate any appropriate knowledge.

Recommendations for students about organization of self-study

Self-study is organized in order to:

Systemize theoretical knowledge received at lectures; Extending theoretical knowledge; Learn how to use legal, regulatory, referential information and professional literature; Development of cognitive and soft skills: creativity and self-sufficiency; Enhancing critical thinking and personal development skills; Development of research skills; Obtaining skills of efficient independent professional activities. Self-study, which is not included into a course syllabus, but aimed at extending

knowledge about the subject, is up to the student‟s own initiative. A teacher recommends

relevant resources for self-study, defines relevant methods for self-study and demonstrates

students‟ past experiences. Tasks for self-study and its content can vary depending on individual

characteristics of a student. Self-study can be arranged individually or in groups both offline and

online depending on the objectives, topics and difficulty degree. Assessment of self-study is

made in the framework of teaching load for seminars or tests.

Recommendations for essay

An essay is a written self-study on a topic offered by the teacher or by the student

him/herself approved by teacher. The topic for essay includes development of skills for critical

thinking and written argumentation of ideas. An essay should include clear statement of a

research problem; include an analysis of the problem by using concepts and analytical tools

within the subject that generalize the point of view of the author.

Final paper structure:

1. Introduction and formulation of a research question.

2. Main part including theoretical framework and/or description of conducted fieldwork

as well as presentation of main arguments, their discussion and, potentially, methodological

reflections.

3. Conclusion: summary of the main arguments, limitations and possibilities for further

research.

Special conditions for organization of learning process for students with special needs

The following types of comprehension of learning information (including e-learning and

distance learning) can be offered to students with disabilities (by their written request) in

accordance with their individual psychophysical characteristics:

1. for persons with vision disorders: a printed text in enlarged font; an electronic document;

audios (transferring of learning materials into the audio); an individual advising with an

assistance of a sign language interpreter; individual assignments and advising.

2. for persons with hearing disorders: a printed text; an electronic document; video

materials with subtitles; an individual advising with an assistance of a sign language

interpreter; individual assignments and advising.

3. for persons with muscle-skeleton disorders: a printed text; an electronic document;

audios; individual assignments and advising.