Received a H1. Don't do this class if you have not done any history subjects/are not a history major. Despite not having any pre-requisites, a general knowledge of the USSR is super useful and should probably recommend taking Red Empire, otherwise the first few weeks are very confusing, furthermore it is a historiography class, so the discussion is around historical debates rather than the history itself. The format is just a two hour seminar where you discuss firstly a common reading and then table groups explain their group reading to the remainder of the class. Pick your table groups well as your experience of the class hinders almost solely on them. My group did not engage with the readings, leading to no discussion and used AI to explain it back to the rest of the class and it felt as though the group held me back from engaging as well as I could have. Despite that, Natasha, Sasha and Iryna were super helpful, engaging and encouraging tutors.

Loved this class, Natasha is one of the best teachers in the entire uni IMO. This is a historiography class, NOT a history class, so you might want to have either taken Red Empire or a 3rd-level History class (Nazi Germany and Fascism has a similar style) beforehand. That being said, I had so much fun in this class it was excellent.

This subject is fantastic if you have any interest at all not just in Stalinism, but also in the historiography of the Soviet Union in general. Every week was interesting and gave you a really good look at the history of historical debates over stalinism, such as the famine in the Ukraine, the Great Terror, the GULAG, etc. it really opened my eyes to the fact that the debates and the ideological/political baggage that historians bring into historical discussions can be just as complicated as the history itself. Please be aware that the subjects focus is on historiography rather than the events itself, so some prior basic knowledge of stalinism would be recommended. also, Mark Edele is awesome, always willing to help and a fair marker. Highly recommended