Course Syllabus

Semester & Location:	Summer Session 3 2025 - DIS Copenhagen
Credits	3 credits
Major Disciplines:	International Relations, Political Science, Government
Faculty Members:	Miłosz J. Cordes, Ph.D. (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:	Classroom: F24-403

Course Description

The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) has been one of main areas of the East-West confrontation since the end of the Second World War. Aggressive military plans were laid out by the Warsaw Pact member states to take over Denmark and northern West Germany had any open confrontation emerged. For more than four decades, the Baltic was a sea that divided rather than connected although it also witnessed some early cooperation efforts, such as the Helsinki Final Act of 1974 or cross-bloc agreements related to environment protection.

When the bipolar world ended, BSR became world's most successful example of regional cooperation and integration. Intensive economic, societal and cultural links were established from Copenhagen to Helsinki and from Rostock to Gdańsk and Klaipėda. They were backed by increasingly ambitious political framework of manifold nature: exclusively Baltic (the Nordic Council, the Council of the Baltic Sea States), cross-regional (NB8 + V4) and pan-European (the European Union). While some countries of the region joined NATO, which increased the region’s Euro-Atlantic ties, others kept some distance. Finland and Sweden remained neutral militarily and Denmark decided not to get involved in EU defence cooperation until Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

The BSR is seeing growing challenges related to shifts in European and global security architecture. Russia's heavily militarised Kaliningrad Oblast together with de facto semi-independent Belarus threaten the only land connection between the Baltic states and the rest of the EU and NATO. Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine has cast a long shadow on existing instruments of deterrence and has forces regional players to quickly increase their defence spendings and reevaluate their defence capabilities. Denmark dropped its opt-out clause on EU defence cooperation. Finland and Sweden abandoned their neutrality policy and joined NATO. Together with sanctions introduced against Russia, growing rivalry around the Arctic and increasingly tense transatlantic reations, these developments have given the security situation in the BSR a completely new dimension.

The course seeks to grasp those new security developments in the Baltic Sea Region states, with particular focus on the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Sweden), Poland and the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). It aims at explaining their concerns and picturing implications that Russia’s aggressive foreign policy has on their domestic and foreign policies, both on strictly regional and wider international level (EU, NATO and other international organisations).

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, the students will gain knowledge of the recent security developments in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). They will be able to put the in a broader geopolitical, historical and cultural contexts, which take into account complex interactions between nation-states, international organisations, non-state actors and other stakeholders.

The students will be equipped with tools to talk about the following issues related the complex security landscape in vast parts of Europe

• The Baltic Sea Region as the pioneer of cross-bloc confrontation and cooperation during the Cold War period.
• Post-Cold War political, security and economic architecture in Europe, including Euroatlantic integration and enlargement of the European Union.
• Regional integration in BSR and CEE.
• The new geopolitical rivalry in the Far North, including the role of the EU and NATO.
• Russian limited (2014) and full-scale (2022) invasion of Ukraine and its influence on BSR and CEE.
• Role of Kaliningrad Oblast, St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast in Russia's foreign and security policies and their impact on Russia's western neighbours.
• The Baltic states and their security in the current international security context, including NATO's Eastern Flank and the Suwałki Gap.
• Security dilemmas of the Nordics and the future of transatlantic relations.
• Role of culture and identity in international security.

Faculty

Miłosz J. Cordes

Ph.D. in Cultural Studies, M.A. in East-European Cultural Studies & International Relations, B.A. in History & International Relations. Research Fellow at the Danish Foreign Policy Society (2021-). Casimir Pulaski Foundation Resident Fellow (2022-). External Consultant at the Danish Institute for International Studies (2023-24). Postdoctoral Researcher at Lund University (2022-23). Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellow (2006).

Miłosz spent 10 years in the Polish diplomatic service. He was Vice-Consul at Poland's Consulate General in Kaliningrad (2018-2021), Second Secretary at Poland's Permanent Representation to the European Union (2016-2018), Second Secretary & Specialist at Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (2012-2016).

Miłosz's research interests cover identity, politics of memory, nationalism & populism in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic Sea Region integration, as well as the West-Russia relations. He has published over 30 academic and public intellectual articles in international journals. In May 2024, he authored Denmark's first comprehensive report on Kaliningrad Oblast, commissioned and published by the Danish Institute of International Studies. In June 2025, his book entitled Collective Memory in Post-Soviet Kaliningrad Oblast was published by Routledge.

Selected readings

Please note that not all readings will be mandatory for everyone. Some will be assigned to selected students based on specific assignments and in-class activities.

• Olga Bogdanova, Andrey Makarychev (eds.). 2020. Baltic-Black Sea regionalisms : patchworks and networks at Europe's Eastern margins. Springer.
• Miłosz J. Cordes. 2021. Novgorod, violence and Russian political culture. New Eastern Europe. November-December, no. 6 (XLIX), pp. 91-98.
• Miłosz J. Cordes. 2022. Bornholm, Russia and the politics of memory. Source: https://lossi36.com/2022/05/08/bornholm-russia-and-the-politics-of-memory (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Miłosz J. Cordes. 2022. The Northern Flank: New Security Policy Institutional Framework. In: Dominik Jankowski, Tomasz Stępniewski (eds.). Policy Papers, 2022, no. 4. Institute of Central Europe, pp. 7-15.
• Miłosz J. Cordes. 2024. Kaliningrad Oblast 2024. Russia’s vessel of havoc on the Baltic Sea. Copenhagen: Danish Institute of International Studies. https://www.diis.dk/en/research/kaliningrad-oblast-2024
• Maria Domańska, Szymon Kardaś, Marek Menkiszak, Jadwiga Rogoża, Andrzej Wilk, Iwona Wiśniewska, Piotr Żochowski. 2019. Fortress Kaliningrad. Ever closer to Moscow. Warsaw: Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich.
• Andrzej Drzycimski, Janusz Górski. 2015. The Redoubt Westerplatte. Gdańsk: Oficyna Gdańska.
• Jan Eichler. 2021. NATO's Expansion After the Cold War. Geopolitics and Impacts for International Security. Springer.
• Francis Fukuyama. 1992. The End of History and the Last Man. Free Press. [or any other edition].
• Samuel P. Huntington. 2002. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. The Free Press [or any other edition, including the original one].
• Dominik P. Jankowski, Tomasz Stępniewski (eds.). 2024. The 2024 NATO Summit: Priorities for Transatlantic Security. IEŚ Policy Papers 1/2024. Lublin: Intytut Europy Środkowej.
• Josef Janning. 2024. Your Turn, Berlin: A German Strategy for Europe. DGAP Commentary 1. May 2024. German Council on Foreign Relations.
• Dina Khapaeva. 2023. Putin’s Dark Ages Political Neomedievalism and Re-Stalinization in Russia. Routledge.
• Michael Khodarkovsky. 2004. Russia's Steppe Frontier. The Making of a Colonial Empire, 1500-1800. Indiana University Press.
• Merje Kuus. 2007. Geopolitics Reframed. Security and Identity in Europe’s Eastern Enlargement. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Marek Menkiszak. 2023. Winning the war with Russia. The West’s counter-strategy towards Moscow. Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich. https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/point-view/2023-04-26/winning-war-russia (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Marek Menkiszak (ed.). 2024. Russia after two years of full-scale war. Fragile stability and growing aggressiveness. Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich. https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-report/2024-02-23/russia-after-two-years-full-scale-war (accessed 2024-05-20)
• David Oualaalou. 2021. The Dynamics of Russia's Geopolitics. Remaking the Global Order. Springer.
• Alexandr Pushkin, Boris Godunov. A Drama in Verse. Translated by Alfred Hayes. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5089/5089-h/5089-h.htm (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Vladimir Putin. 2021. On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians. http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181 (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Siegfried Schieder, Manuela Spindler (eds.). 2014. Theories of International Relations. Routledge.
• Timothy Snyder. 2003. The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569–1999. Yale University Press.
• Per Erik Solli, Øystein Solvang. 2024. Deterrence and (Re)assurance in the High North – Finland and Norway Compared. https://www.nupi.no/en/publications/cristin-pub/deterrence-and-re-assurance-in-the-high-north-finland-and-norway-compared (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Sandis Sraders. 2021. Small Baltic States and the Euro-Atlantic Security Community. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Damian Szacawa, Kazimierz Musiał (eds.). 2022. The Baltic Sea Region after Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. In IEŚ Policy Papers 11/2022. Lublin: Instytut Europy Środkowej.
• Peter Unwin. 1996. Baltic Approaches. ‎ Michael Russell Publishing Ltd‎.
• Ilya Yablokov. 2018. Fortress Russia. Conspiracy Theories in the Post-Soviet World. Polity Press.
  

 

Field Studies

The course seeks to use field studies as an inherent part of the learning process. They will take place in Copenhagen and its vicinity. Their goal will be to cement and deepen the knowledge gained during lectures and presentations. The course involves going to Bornholm, Denmark's easternmost territory and an island relatively close to Kaliningrad Oblast, to learn more about its situation in the context of ongoing security developments.

Guest Lecturers

During this intense summer course, we will talk to professionals from various fields: diplomats, military personnel, researchers and think-tankers. We will meet with them either in person or online.

Approach to Teaching

My teaching style is based on interaction with students. I employ different methods to make sure everybody in the class can feel their expectations and preferences are taken into account, such as: presentations, discussions, guest lectures, mock negotiations, movies, podcasts, classic readings, written assignments and field trips. The classes are dynamic and, although based on thorough preparations, they are never set in stone.

Expectations of the Students

The students are expected to actively participate in the classes not only by following the syllabus, but also by employing their own interests and skills. This course seeks to unleash the students' potential in the way that they would feel most comfortable with.

By active participation, I mean intellectual engagement, openness to new ideas and seeking out more information in the way that is interesting to the students themselves. This can mean making use of the course in their future professional career. My role is to help create links between the two.

Evaluation & grading

This class is interactive and driven by student participation. I expect students to actively engage in discussions, come up with their own ideas and show out-of-the-box thinking. There is often no right or wrong. My goal is to establish facts and agree on their interpretation through argumentative dialogue.

The final grade will be based on the following elements:

Assignment	Percent
Participation including class attendance and active class participation (50/50)	30%
Field study reflection paper	15%
Final assignment (topic to be agreed upon in class)	30%
Security & cinema movie presentations, screening and discussion	10%
Disinformation workshop	15%

A detailed description of what is expected of students in order to earn a high grade in participation and simulation exercise will be provided at our first class session. Guidelines and expectations for the mock negotiations and the short research paper will also be discussed in class.

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org