Faculty Course: The Soviet Myth in Contemporary Russian Culture, 7.5 Credits

Contents

The course provides basic knowledge of how the Soviet past is presented in contemporary Russian culture. The course focuses on the period of 2012-2022 before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  

The course focuses on the following phenomena and concepts: 

•     the role of the State and other actors in the promotion of the Soviet myth, 
•     the role of nostalgia in the post-Soviet period, 
•     myth as a tool for maintaining norms and organizing reality, 
•     censorship, propaganda and other forms of discursive control. 

The course consists of two parts:

Part 1: Myth I (seminars), 5 hp
Discussion of different topics related to the Soviet myth.

Part 2: Myth II (oral presentation and a final written assignment), 2,5 hp
Based on the topics discussed in part 1, the student conducts an analysis of a phenomenon of contemporary Russian culture and presents it orally and/or in writing.

Expected learning outcomes

To be awarded a Pass grade, the student should be able to: 

Knowledge and understanding 

• account for various manifestations of the Soviet myth
• account for the structuring role of myths in culture. 

Competence and skills 

• apply a critical approach to source material, 
• discuss basic facts about the Soviet myth, 
• account for and discuss their conclusions, both orally and in writing 

Judgement and approach 

•     independently evaluate the reliability of different kinds of sources, 
•     analyze various manifestations of the Soviet myth using practical examples.  

Required Knowledge

English B/6 and one of the following alternatives: 
1) Bachelor's degree (180 credits) 
2) 90 university credits, of which at least 7,5 credits must come from an independent project, or equivalent qualifications 

Form of instruction

The course is taught completely online.

Language of instruction is English.
 

Examination modes

Examination consists of assessment of students' contributions to seminars (part I; 5 credits) and of the oral and written presentation of the final assignment (part II; 2.5 credits).

The examiner can decide on deviations from the modes of examination in the syllabus for a student who has been determined eligible for pedagogical support due to a disability. Individual adjustments to the mode of examination will be made on the basis of the student's needs. The mode of examination will be adjusted in relation to the expected learning outcomes. Student in need of Individual adjustments to the mode of examination, should request this at the department no later than 10 days before the examination. The examiner makes a decision based on the request, and the decision is communicated to the student.  

Grades awarded are Pass with distinction (Väl godkänd (VG)), Pass (Godkänd (G)) or Fail (Underkänd (U)). In order to be awarded the grade Pass with distinction on the entire course, a student must have achieved a Pass with distinction grade on both modules.

A student who has been awarded a Pass grade cannot be re-examined.

A student who has not received a Pass grade on an exam has the right to re-take the exam (a re-sit) on a course on which they have ever been registered. The first re-sit shall be offered no later than two months after the regular exam, but no earlier than ten working days after the result of that exam has been announced. For tests held in May or June, the first re-sit may be offered within three months of the regular exam. The date for the re-sit shall be announced no later than in conjunction with the regular exam. At least one more re-sit shall be offered within a year of the regular exam.  

In cases where an exam cannot be repeated according to the rules in effect regarding re-sits, it will be replaced with another task. The scope and content of such a task should be reasonably proportionate to the missed exam.

An examiner may decide that a student who has not quite met the examination requirements, but is close to a Pass grade, be given the opportunity to take a supplementary examination to achieve the Pass grade. Such an examination shall be individually tailored to the goal(s) that the student has not met, and shall be arranged within two weeks after the result of the examination has been announced, but before the next examination session. A supplementary examination can only raise a Fail grade to a Pass grade; award of a grade higher than Pass is not allowed. If the student so wishes, they have the right to take a re-sit instead of a supplementary examination, which gives them the opportunity to achieve a Pass with Distinction.

Other regulations

The final date for the submission/completion of assignments falls on the last day of the semester, unless otherwise stated by the teacher. All assignments need to be completed or submitted within the time frame set by the teacher in order to be considered for examination, otherwise they must be completed over again.

In the event of a decision that the course will no longer be offered, or if the syllabus has been revised, students are guaranteed at least three exams (including the regular one) based on the previous syllabus during a time of no more than two years after the previous syllabus ceased to apply or the decision was made that the course no longer be offered.