RUSS 286 - Between Europe and Asia

Cross-Listed as HIST 286

What is Northern Eurasia? Who inhabited the territory of present-day Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic countries, the Caucasus, and parts of Central Asia? How did groups of diverse ethnic, religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds interact with one another? This course aims to answer these questions and explore the history of peoples and spaces in Northern Eurasia from the medieval period to the eighteenth century. Stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Northern Eurasia has been a place of intensive cultural exchange for many centuries. During this time, various groups came into contact which resulted in trade, wars, and imperial rule. The complex history of relations among peoples is the subject of this course. Drawing on a variety of primary sources, literary works, and films, we will discuss such topics as Eurasian identities; indigenous peoples; ideas of Russianness and imperialism; the problem of state-building, and the formation of empires. Alternate years. (4 Credits)