07/29/2026
Political Science is offering The Soviet Union: Power, Society, and Global Politics course this fall term.
Instructor: Dr. Oksana Dudko
Course Details: POLS 3140
Section: T19
Credit Hours: 3
Term: Fall 2026
CRN: 27054
Time: Wednesdays 2:30pm-5:15pm
Location: Fort Garry Campus, RM 236 University College
Course Information:
This course takes a transnational, comparative, and global approach to examining key topics in Soviet history and politics. The course has a two-fold aim. First, you will analyze the rise, transformation, and demise of the Soviet Union by exploring transnational connections, transfers, and power hierarchies among Soviet republics, as well as their relationships with Moscow. Second, you will examine how the Soviet Union positioned itself in relation to the outside world, alternative political models, and competing systems of values.
You will become familiar with major questions and debates in Soviet historiography, including: Was Soviet modernity unique? Was the Soviet Union an empire? Why was the Soviet Union forged along national lines, yet ultimately collapsed along national lines? How did the Soviet Union shape global politics, and how did international developments influence the Soviet state?
Themes covered in the course include the 1917 Revolutions, Stalinist modernity, terror and violence, the Second World War, Soviet internationalism, forced labour, transnational Soviet mass culture, the Cold War, and nuclear energy. As a broad survey, the course will not examine particular events or individuals in isolation. Instead, it seeks to understand major historical and political processes within their broader contexts through a variety of methodological approaches.
You will engage with a wide range of primary sources, including archival documents, media, documentaries, and scholarly works from multiple disciplines, including history, political science, international relations, cultural studies, and gender studies.
Prerequisite(s): There are no prerequisites for this course, and no prior knowledge of the Soviet Union or its politics is required.