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Syllabus Theories of Revolution - 39907
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Last update 26-09-2023
HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: History

Semester: 1st Semester

Teaching Languages: Hebrew

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Dr. Yitzhak Brudny

Coordinator Email: yitzhak.brudny@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: Monday 17:00-18:00 or by appointment

Teaching Staff:
Dr. Yitzhak Brudny

Course/Module description:
The course aims to introduce students to main approaches in studies of revolutions. In the first part, we will present major theoretical explanations to the revolutionary phenomenon, while in the second part the social scientific (rather than “conventional”s historical) explanations of a variety of revolutions will be analyzed.

Course/Module aims:
Enriching students' knowledge of main social scientific approaches to the study of revolutions

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
At the end of the course the students will be familiar with the main theoretical approaches to study of the revolutionary phenomenon

Attendance requirements(%):
100

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Text analysis and discussion

Course/Module Content:
1. Marx and Tocqueville

2. Psychological Approach

3. Structuralist Approach 1: Barrington Moore and his Critics

4. Structuralist Approach 2: Theda Skocpol

5. Structuralist Approach 3: Jack Goldstein

6. Cultural Approaches

7. Case Studies: English Revolution (1640s), The French Revolution (1789), The Russian Revolution (1917), The Iranian Revolution (1979), New European Revolutions (1989-2014)

Required Reading:
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, “Manifesto of the Communist Party (excerpts)
Alexis de Tocqueville, The Ancient Regime and the French Revolution, Book III, ch. 4-5, pp. 152-169.

James C. Davies, “Toward a Theory of Revolution,” American Sociological Review, vol. 27, no, 1 (February 1962), pp. 5-19.

Barrington Moore, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, ch. 7, 9.

Theda Skocpol, "A Critical Review of Barrington Moore’s Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," Politics and Society, vol. 4, no. 1 (Fall 1973), pp. 1-35.

Theda Skocpol, “France, China, Russia: A Structural Analysis of Social Revolutions,” Comparative Studies in Society and History, vol. 18, no. 2 (April 1976), pp. 175-210.

Jack A. Goldstone, Revolution and Rebellion in Early Modern Europe, pp. xxi-xxvii, 1-38.

William H. Sewell, Jr., “Ideologies and Social Revolutions: Reflections on the French Case,” Journal of Modern History, vol. 57, no. 1 (March 1985), pp. 57-85.

John Foran, “Discourses and Social Forces: Role of Culture and Cultural Studies in Understanding Revolutions,” in John Foran, ed., Theorizing Revolutions (1997), pp. 203-226.

Jack A. Goldstone, “Capitalist Origins of the English Revolution: Chasing a Chimera,” Theory and Society, vol. 12, no. 2 (March 1983), pp. 143-180.

Said Amir Arjomand, “Iran Islamic Revolution in Historical Perspective,” World Politics, vol. 38, no. 3 (April 1986), pp. 383-414.

Theda Skocpol, “Rentier State and Shi’a Islam in the Iranian Revolution,” Theory and Society, vol. 11, no. 3 (May 1982), pp. 265-283.

Katerine Verdery, What Was Socialism and What Comes Next (1996), pp. 19-38.

Susanne Lohman, “The Dynamics of Information Cascades,” World Politics, vol. 47, no. 1 (October 1994), pp. 42-101.

Mark R. Beissinger, “Structure and Example in Modular Political Phenomena: The Diffusion of Bulldozer/Rose/Orange/Tulip Revolutions,” Perspectives on Politics, vol. 5, no. 2 (June 2007), pp. 259-276.

Additional Reading Material:
No

Grading Scheme :
Essay / Project / Final Assignment / Home Exam / Referat 70 %
Presentation / Poster Presentation / Lecture/ Seminar / Pro-seminar / Research proposal 30 %

Additional information:
See the course site in the current Moodle
 
Students needing academic accommodations based on a disability should contact the Center for Diagnosis and Support of Students with Learning Disabilities, or the Office for Students with Disabilities, as early as possible, to discuss and coordinate accommodations, based on relevant documentation.
For further information, please visit the site of the Dean of Students Office.
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