Political Trends in Eastern Europe

The tutorial will be run as guided independent study projects on topics that are a) related to East Central Europe or the republics of the former Soviet Union, and b) mutually agreed upon by the student and instructor. Once you've chosen a general topic, the goal will be to narrow it down to a more specific question or set of questions or puzzles, and to begin thinking about ways to answer that question. The final paper should clearly address the question, but also consider a number of possible explanations or answers to the question. It should also explain why the answer you've settled on is better than other possible explanations. You should think about the kinds of evidence you're using and the structure of your argument.

Topics are not limited to specific countries. Given the enormous changes in the region over the past 15 years, I'd encourage you to use case studies from the region, either single-country or comparative, to throw light on broader questions. Examples include but are not limited to: the nature of democracy and the process of democratization; the relationship between political and economic changes and structures; questions of culture and politics; questions that address the region's place in the wider global arena, including the impact of outside political and economic forces on politics in the region; the question of citizenship and boundaries.

I see the tutorial as a process in which we journey together from a general topic of interest to trying to answer a specific question. Your grade is thus dependent at least as much on your participation in this process as it is on the final outcome--a 30-40 page research paper. The goal of the tutorial is to familiarize the student with research strategies and methodologies, the use of evidence, as well as wtih the process of structuring and writing a research paper.