This course follows the trajectory of Russian history through the prism of war, reform, and revolution. From Peter I to Putin, this seminar will explore Russia’s foray into modernity as its autocracy grappled with various attempts at democratization. By adapting a critical approach to Russia’s territorial ambitions, this course will also highlight the importance of imperial identity in constructing and dismantling unequal power structures, particularly in the empire’s peripheries. Seminars will focus on primary source readings and scholarly debates in order to better understand diverse methodological approaches. The two main assignments will thus include one historiography paper and one original research paper based on primary sources.
