The course, run by renowned Russian political scientist Yekaterina Shulman, is devoted to the political history of the Russian noughties — between 2000–2012. The author’s aim is to find an equilibrium between the history of the state and the history of society, and to trace the emergence and change of key political institutions, interest groups and “ways of life”.

When attempting to summarise this period in history, then, as in the “Relationships” section of Facebook, you will find “It’s complicated”. Russia is an uneasy country, there is little that can be said of it without being compelled to also acknowledge the validity of the exact opposite. This complexity can be tiresome, and it provokes simplified interpretations. In this course we sought not to shy away from this complexity, to recognize the limitations of our own knowledge, to separate the most important from the minor, and to think through every thought to the end.