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SESS0030 – Russian Politics & Society (2023-24)
Summative assessment essay questions
Summative assessment essays MUST be a response to one of the questions contained in this list. (Contact the module coordinator if you’d like to answer your own question, which will be added to this list after consultation.)
All answers must show knowledge relating to at least four of the topics covered during the module. In practice, this will be achieved by showing knowledge relating to the main topic to which the specific question relates, as well as at least three additional topics. For example, an essay on presidential power might also refer (even if only very briefly – i.e., one or two sentences) to 1) legislative politics, 2) party politics, and 3) federalism. Please indicate the location (i.e., relevant essay page numbers) of content relating to these different topics on the summative assessment coversheet.
You must include references (clearly and consistently formatted) to works set as reading
(essential or optional) in the module, beyond references to content in the module textbooks. You are also encouraged to include references to relevant works not included in the module reading list that you have found yourself (e.g., using Google Scholar) and read.
1. Is presidential power in Russia rooted in the 1993 Constitution Which other, extra-constitutional powers have been used in office by Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev
2. Does the Russian Federal Assembly allow for the meaningful representation of popular preferences in federal decision-making processes
3. Is United Russia a successful ‘party of power’ Discuss with reference to both legislative and electoral politics.
4. To what extent are elections in contemporary Russia managed by the Kremlin
5. Which regime classification label best captures political reality in modern-day Russia Why – and what are the deficiencies of this label
6. Is there any meaningful ‘federal dialogue’ in contemporary Russia Explore with reference to at least two federal subjects and their relationship with the federal centre.
7. Has Russian civil society been co-opted by the state If so, does it make sense to use the label ‘civil society’
8. What explains patterns and practices of protest in Russia’s regions
9. Is there demand from Russian citizens for independent, critical journalism
10. Is Russia a law-governed society Answer with a focus on EITHER the behaviour of the courts OR the police OR senior-level political officials.
11. What scope is there for oppositional political activity in modern-day Russia
12. Is Putin’s popularity a sign of democratic legitimacy 13. Is there any truth to the idea of the ‘power vertical’
14. Have the internet and social media impacted positively or negatively on political freedoms in Russia
15. Can we learn more about Russian politics and society by intensive study of the country’s experiences in isolation or through comparison with other states
16. How has the role of young people in civic activism changed in post-Soviet Russia
17. How has corporate raiding affected the business environment in Russia
18. Does Vladislav Surkov’s concept of ‘sovereign democracy’ capture any truly democratic elements of politics in modern-day Russia
19. Has the Russian government responded effectively to the challenge mounted by the political opposition through social media
20. In what ways and why has ‘Smart Voting’ been successful and unsuccessful
21. To what extent has the February full-scale invasion of Ukraine impacted the degree of media freedom within Russia