Thread by @PostSovietGraf

Here is a thread on how I taught the #Russia-#Ukraine conflict in my Introduction to IR class. Hopefully this is useful for others. #нетвоине @APSAtweets

(Context: I have 20 students in class and 75 minutes of class time.)

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Step 1: Background on NATO/Warsaw Pact & Ukraine/ Russia since 1991. Screenshots of slides attached. I added a lot verbally as the conflict was/is constantly unfolding. You can also have students populate this background.

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Step 2: I showed Putin’s declaration of war video w/ Eng subtitles (1 min 35 sec & extremely effective): bloomberg.com/news/videos/20…
Good discussion of revisionism, emotions/ Nazis as an effective mobilizational heuristic, presidential communication styles, & rally effect.

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Step 3: I put in context with Zelensky’s appeal. I haven't found this in Eng. yet so I paraphrased (e.g., Ukraine is not a threat/aggressor, statement that Z's grandfather fought against Nazis). nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna1…

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Step 4: I split students into groups of 2 (though I recommend groups of 3 for a class of 20 students total so all groups have time to present).

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Step 5: On the projector, I listed 12 different explanations of war. This was based on what we covered in class but should be understandable for students in other classes, too. Each group selected one explanation of war.

[Image has alt text.]

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Step 6: Each team had ~20mins to write a paragraph/ outline incl:
1. Thesis statement on conflict's cause through the lens they selected,
2. 3 pieces of evidence for their thesis, &
3. List of authors applicable (to integrate into course materials, modify for your needs)

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Step 6, continued: Students used class materials, class notes, class slides, scholarly articles that they found online/through Google Scholar, and news articles. They could watch speeches, use laptops, etc. I also put a map of Ukraine on the projector w/ stars over cities.

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Step 7: Each team gave a short (~3 min) presentation explaining the conflict through the lens that they chose.

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This was effective because:
- Every single student ⬆️comfort speaking abt the war
- Collaborative learning
- Learning about good sources
- Integration w/ course materials

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This was also effective bc I could interject/ address misunderstandings in real-time (e.g., Rusyns =/= Russians, Soviet vs Russian territorial claims, war in Donetsk/Luzhansk vs war in Kyiv, Black Sea's strategic value, Belarus' bandwagoning effect, intl sanctions, etc).

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