Russia Between East and West: a Choice of Priorities

Russia's historical and cultural development has been largely dominated by the «Eastern» and the «Western» vectors. Even in the Middle Ages Alexander Nevsky had to make a hard choice between the Catholic West and Mongol Hоrdes. In the 21st century the question has remained pressing for both Russian politicians and the public: what model should be chosen for Russian modernization — the Chinese (Eastern) or European (Western) one.

At the same time, it's extremely popular to think of Russia as a unique type of civilization having her own special design being neither the West nor the East.

This graduate course is to address key problems in Russian history and present an overview of the most important terms and concepts crucial for both developing better understanding of classical historical texts and literature and the current situation.