Venues

Gilmorehill Campus

Content

Year 1: You will study the processes behind the dynamic changes of vital importance in Central & Eastern Europe. In the first semester, you will explore the rise of Stalin to power in Soviet Russia and the impact of the beginning of the Cold War on Central & Eastern European countries. It considers the political, security, economic, social and cultural history of the states in the region from the collapse of the Russian and Hapsburg Empires until the death of Stalin in 1953.

In the second semester, you will explore political and societal developments in the Soviet Union and individual Eastern European states after the death of Stalin, the course of the Cold War, and the reasons for the collapse of Soviet Communism in the region during 1989–91. At its core in this semester, we ask if Soviet-style Communism was reformable.

Year 2: You will chart developments in the societies of the region from 1989 to the present day, including processes of economic, political & territorial change; aspects of social & cultural diversity; migration and the refugee crisis; populism and democratic backsliding; the role of the media; and international security and conflict. You will examine the impact of the end of the Soviet Union on regional and global dynamics through the transformation of national political regimes and civil societies, and integration of part of the region into the European Union and NATO. You will study the causes, dynamics, and consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Years 3 and 4: If you progress to Honours (years 3 and 4) you will choose from a wide range of subject areas which examine interdisciplinary themes, such as ethnicity and nationalism, identity and territoriality, peace and security, migration and mobility, sovereignty and geopolitics, and Cold War legacies.

Entry Requirements

2026 entry requirements

Standard entry: 5 Highers at AAAAB (by end S6 with min BBBB after S5) including English and a humanities subject at AA (AB or BA may be considered).

Entry to year 2 may be possible with 3 Advanced Highers at AAA in relevant subjects.

Widening access entry: 4 Highers at AABB or BBBB (by end S6) including English and a humanities subject. Completion of pre-entry programme is necessary.