Scand 455 / JSIS A 455, Autumn Quarter 2023. Class meets MW 1:30-3:20 pm
Taught by Guntis Šmidchens, guntiss@uw.edu
[printable copy of this syllabus]
Baltic Politics and Society Today
Who are the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania today, and what role do they play in current North European and global political and economic affairs?
Prof. Daunis Auers (our textbook's author), is Fulbright Scholar in residence on the UW campus during Fall Quarter 2023, and will visit the class to discuss his current research topic, the 21st-century convergence of Nordic and Baltic political institutions. Other cutting-edge scholars of Baltic Politics and Society today will visit the class virtually to present their recent findings.
Two themes running through the course in Fall 2023 are:
- "New Idealism" for global democracy, and
- North European military security in light of Russia's agression and genocide in Ukraine.
Watch the press conference of Nordic and Baltic Foreign Ministers, September 8, 2023
(for closed captions, click on):
Course Objectives
- Learn skills useful for a job in international studies (foreign service, international business, public administration, world health, etc.):
- Research and write reports about current developments in Baltic politics, military security, economy, and society.
- Quickly find government documents.
- Navigate the web resources of the European Union, NATO, United Nations, and other international agencies.
- Follow breaking news... even when the news is in languages you do not speak, in countries you may have never studied before!
- Present your research effectively. Your portfolio of work done for this class will be evidence of your skills as an international studies researcher and analyst.
Grades
(students must pass all five components to pass the course):
- 30% Three reports (3-5 pages) on current issues in Baltic politics, economics, societies, and security.
- 20% One report expanded to a research paper (15 pages).
- 20% Oral presentations and peer reviews of classmates' work.
- 15% in-class and online discussion of assigned readings.
- 15% in-class and online discussion of current news.
Reading
- Daunis Auers, Comparative Politics and Government of the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the 21st Century (Palgrave, March 2015). On sale at UW Bookstore; also available as an e-book through the UW Library website (Links to an external site.).
- Online articles and resources, available on this website.
Note on Religious Accommodations:
Religious Accommodations Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodationsrequest/)