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Course Introduction
Welcome to the self-paced course ‘EU-Russia Relations: Between the Vilnius and Riga Eastern Partnership Summits’. The following course is offered in the sisu online environment and can be accessed at any time.
The main aim of the course is to provide an interdisciplinary overview of EU-Russia relations through showcasing its dynamics and multi-vectorness from economics, security, political science, and media studies perspectives; as well as to demonstrate the impact of both actors’ policies on the post-Soviet space.
The temporal focus is on the period between November 2013 and May 2015. The course is organized into five lectures and covers such key events in EU-Russia relations as the Eastern Partnership Summits in Vilnius and Riga; the Sochi Olympics; the annexation of Crimea; as well as the imposition of EU’s sanctions on Russia and the Kremlin’s food embargo on European agriculture products. The course also discusses and explains such theoretical concepts as ‘state identity’, ‘soft annexation’ and the main principles of economic sanctions.
Is preliminary knowledge needed?
Basic knowledge of international relations and EU-Russia relations terminology is recommended. However, the course will provide useful background material to any student, who is interested in European-Russian affairs and international relations in general.
Course objectives
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Provide an interdisciplinary overview on the main factors, decision-making patterns and issues of European and Russian policies in both problem-oriented and region-specific aspects in the timeframe between the Vilnius and Riga Eastern Partnership Summits.
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Introduce students to the institutional set-up and leadership positions of the European Union as well as their role in shaping EU-Russia relations.
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Explain how domestic developments in Russia affect the state of bilateral relations with the EU.
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Define and explain theoretical concepts such as ‘state identity’, ‘soft annexation’ and the principles of economic sanctions in EU-Russia relations.
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Introduce students to important academic sources related to the field of EU-Russia relations.
Course format
The course contains 5 learning modules, which include video lectures, reading material and short self-test. Self-test are organized after each thematic module and consist of 5 multiple-choice questions (to start attempt, simply press “Start quiz/Ava test”). The test is graded by ‘pass or fail’ system and can be taken unlimited times.
Main literature sources
- European Union External Action Service. Eastern Partnership
- European Union External Action Service. Eastern Partnership key documents.
- European Commission, Eastern Partnership.
- NATO E-library
- Summaries of EU legislation
- Europa.eu – General information about the EU (links to various topics and policy areas)
Lecturers


