Russia and Europe: mutual perceptions

Summary of content:

This optional course is offered for BA students of International Relations, who are to choose between two courses. The course aims at presenting a detailed and multilayered image of the EU in Russia and Russia in the EU. It shines a light into how Europeans see Russia through various lenses and how Russia is reported and framed in news media across Europe. A mirror view of the perceptions of the EU in Russia is offered. The course is based on a study of media coverage and public opinion in both actors. It helps to add an insight into the current state of Russia-EU relations in this time of uncertainty.

The syllabus of the course includes the following sections:

1) Students are introduced to history of Russia-EU interaction and the main areas of cooperation,

2) The second section helps students to comprehend EU's perceptions of Self and Other,

3) The image of Russia in the EU is overviewed,

4) Russia's self-perception and its perception of the Other is examined,

4) Image of the EU in Russia is presented together with the images of individual European countries,

5) Concluding remarks on the problem of "othering" in Russia-EU relations are offered.

6) Students collect news items, public opinion surveys and elite interviews in Russian and European media and are asked to analyze them. They are also offered to carry out their own opinion surveys and face to face interviews with the purpose to reveal people's perceptions of the EU in Russia. At the end of the course students present their findings.