SCHOOL

School of Economic and Regional Studies

ACADEMIC UNIT

Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies

LEVEL OF STUDIES

Undergraduate

COURSE CODE

ΒΣ507/ΙΙΙ

SEMESTER

5

COURSE TITLE

History of the Black Sea and the Caucasus

INDEPENDENT TEACHING ACTIVITIES
if credits are awarded for separate components of the course, e.g. lectures, laboratory exercises, etc. If the credits are awarded for the whole of the course, give the weekly teaching hours and the total credits

WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS

CREDITS

4

6

Add rows if necessary. The organisation of teaching and the teaching methods used are described in detail at (d).

COURSE TYPE

general background,
special background, specialised general knowledge, skills development

General background

PREREQUISITE COURSES:

None, hard work

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION and EXAMINATIONS:

English

IS THE COURSE OFFERED TO ERASMUS STUDENTS

Yes

COURSE WEBSITE (URL)

https://openeclass.uom.gr/courses/BSO237/

Learning outcomes

The course learning outcomes, specific knowledge, skills and competences of an appropriate level, which the students will acquire with the successful completion of the course are described.

Consult Appendix A

• Description of the level of learning outcomes for each qualifications cycle, according to the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area
• Descriptors for Levels 6, 7 & 8 of the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning and Appendix B
• Guidelines for writing Learning Outcomes

Students attending the course will:

• gain familiarity with the disciplines of historical geography and environmental history
• gain an overview of the Black Sea and the Caucasus’ regional and political geography during the modern and contemporary periods
• gain awareness of the Black Sea’s importance and integration in world economy and trade
• understand the importance of (port) cities to development processes and also the relationship between cities and their fore and hinterlands
• understand the geopolitical and economic features of the area
• use English to debate and present material relevant to the course.

General Competences

Taking into consideration the general competences that the degree-holder must acquire (as these appear in the Diploma Supplement and appear below), at which of the following does the course aim?

Search for, analysis and synthesis of data and information, with the use of the necessary technology

Adapting to new situations

Decision-making

Working independently

Team work

Working in an international environment

Working in an interdisciplinary environment

Production of new research ideas

Project planning and management

Respect for difference and multiculturalism

Respect for the natural environment

Showing social, professional and ethical responsibility and sensitivity to gender issues

Criticism and self-criticism

Production of free, creative and inductive thinking

……

Others…

…….

Analysis and synthesis of data and information, Team work, Decision making, Working in an international environment, Working in an interdisciplinary environment, Project planning and management, Respect for difference and multiculturalism, Respect for the natural environment, Production of free, creative and inductive thinking

Course description:

The course will examine two proximate geographical regions: the Black Sea and the Caucuses and their interaction with each other. The focus will be on the those who dwelled around sea and mountains and those who moved across both as warriors, traders, migrants and refugees.

The degree to which the ‘Black Sea’ was a closed lake during the Ottoman period, the Black Sea and the Caucasus as a source of contestation between Empires, the Black Sea and then the Caucasus as loci for imperial trade-globalization, questions of transport, the development of port and inland cities, the Greek communities of the Black Sea and the Caucasus, the Caucasus in the Soviet Union, and the role of both the Black Sea and the Caucasus as a frontier during the Cold War will be examined. The course will serve as a bridge between political, environmental and economic histories with questions of geography and movement always at the centre of attention.

The course will be open to students with an interest in both history and culture and also politics and economics. It is open to all students, and Erasmus students are particularly welcome.

Weekly Schedule/Outline:

DELIVERY
Face-to-face, Distance learning, etc.

Face to face

USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
Use of ICT in teaching, laboratory education, communication with students

Use of ICT in teaching, laboratory education, communication with students

TEACHING METHODS

The manner and methods of teaching are described in detail.

Lectures, seminars, laboratory practice, fieldwork, study and analysis of bibliography, tutorials, placements, clinical practice, art workshop, interactive teaching, educational visits, project, essay writing, artistic creativity, etc.

The student's study hours for each learning activity are given as well as the hours of non-directed study according to the principles of the ECTS

STUDENT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Description of the evaluation procedure

Language of evaluation, methods of evaluation, summative or conclusive, multiple choice questionnaires, short-answer questions, open-ended questions, problem solving, written work, essay/report, oral examination, public presentation, laboratory work, clinical examination of patient, art interpretation, other

Specifically-defined evaluation criteria are given, and if and where they are accessible to students.

Assignment 1: Map (7.5%)

Create your own map of the Black Sea. Remember the map is a narration, and it is your task to emphasise the elements/story you select

Assignment 2: Debate (7.5%)

You will be assigned roles as members of the Russian Court and other actors at a particular point in history. Based on your readings, you will have to debate whether you wish to instigate a war with the Ottoman Empire at this juncture or not.

Assignment 3: Port-City Project (30%)

You will be expected to work in teams and design a proposal for investment in a Black Sea port city of your choice. You will have to present your proposal in class and explain in what ways it will benefit the port-city and the Empire of which it is a part. A vote will be held to determine the best investment proposal. The proposal will also be submitted in writing. Detailed instructions will be provided at a later date. 

If for whatever reason the student does not complete the above assignments, they can complete an essay in its place. You must consult the professor regarding the essay title and the essay length, which will depend on the assignments missed, in advance.

Final examination or essay (55%)

The final examination is a written examination. It will include a map, a series of terms or relevant quotations to be discussed and a brief essay question. Detailed instructions for the examination will be provided in advance. The professor will grade based on the content of the written answers, not the quality of the language used.

If for whatever reason the student does not write an examination, they can complete an the map part of the examination and an essay in its place. The student should consult the professor regarding the essay title and the essay length and the language in which the essay will be written.

Evaluation criteria

The written work/examination should demonstrate that the student has understood the theoretical concerns and can comment on the material thoroughly and critically within a text that has structure and shows examples of understanding of academic writing (e.g. bibliographic requirements, structure, argumentation).

Explanation of grade levels

9-10: Excellent critical analysis and argumentation, very good use and understanding of sources, coherent structure, very good use of academic language and conventions.

8-7: Good critical analysis and argumentation, good use of sources and understanding of sources, structure that does not create problems of understanding although it has weaknesses, moderate use of academic language and conventions.

5-6: Problematic analysis and argumentation usually contains incoherent argumentation, description without attempting a critical analysis of the sources, e.g. emphasis only on describing empirical examples and showing only a basic understanding of the sources, structure without clarity and coherence that at least presents a general argument, moderate use of sources that does not contain plagiarism and respects conventions but presents language weaknesses.

4 and below. No substantial attempt to use academic sources and wording e.g. use of secondary electronic sources, lack of source evaluation or methodology, or a clear argument, problems of understanding due to weaknesses in structure, plagiarism, lack of respect for academic conventions, and so on and so forth.

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See also the open access journal Euxeinos: https://gce.unisg.ch/en/euxeinos

And the closed access Jounral of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies https://www.eliamep.gr/en/journal-of-see-and-black-sea-studies/

In addition, you may want to look at the novels by Nikolai Gogol, Taras Bulba and Michael Lermontov, A Hero of Our Time among many others.