A study of Russian history and culture from the medieval Kievan state to the late 19th century. The role of religion in Russian life, popular culture in the city and the countryside, the evolution of Russia's authoritarian politics, and the ethnic and ethnoreligious conflicts that accompanied the expansion of the Russian Empire are among the topics discussed. An examination of the collapse of Imperial Russia, the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, and the early vision and policies of the Soviet regime. The course concludes with an analysis of the Stalinist transformation of Soviet society. An analysis of Soviet society from the mid-1930s to its collapse in 1991 and a survey of the ongoing attempts by Russia, Ukraine, the Moslem states of Central Asia, and the other successor states to dismantle the legacies of communism and create new economic and political orders.
Special emphasis is given to the issue of Chinese modernization from different perspectives.
A survey of Japanese history from its origins to the mid-19th century. Emphasis is placed on individuals in each period whose lives help to illustrate various religious, socioeconomic, and political themes of Japanese history. Modern Japan A survey of Japanese history from the mid-19th century until the present. Middle Eastern Civilization A survey of Arab, Iranian, and Turkish history and culture since the rise of Islam. Twentieth-century issues such as the evolution of nationalism, the Iranian revolution, the Palestinian question, and the role of the Middle East in world affairs are emphasized.