What explains why Russia interferes in US elections?

What explains why Russia interferes in US elections? Why does the US care about what Russia does in Ukraine? Who defines priorities in Russian foreign policy and in US policy towards Russia? Which theories or frameworks best explain Russian foreign policy and US-Russian relations? The purpose of this capstone class is to help students develop their capstone assignment: a piece of original research engaging with current debates in the field. The thematic focus of this capstone is the foreign policy of the Russian Federation, broadly defined. However, students may develop a project on any aspect of foreign policy as long as it is related to Russia. To do so, they are encouraged to adapt and expand the proposals they developed in their research prep courses. Since this is a capstone, we will not devote significant time to studying the content of Russian foreign policy. Instead, we will focus on theories, debates, and methods, as well as the steps of carrying out a research project. Assignment Learning Goal % Final Grade Article analysis / “peer review” Identify framework and theory; explain position in debate; evaluate methods and data. 10 Case Study Apply a framework to particular situation or problem in foreign relations. 10 Theory comparison Understand how different theoretical perspectives might lead to different explanations for particular problems. 10 Research Proposal Presentation Prepare a research project by engaging with existing debates, identifying questions and methods. 10 Draft paper 20 Final paper 40 NB: The shorter assignments at the beginning of the course are meant to help you prepare for your capstone. You can incorporate parts of the assignments in your final paper. However, to make most effective use of these assignments, you should have a good sense of your topic early in the course. If you are struggling with identifying a topic, please see me ASAP. Article analysis For this assignment, you will write a “peer review” of an academic article that has already been published. Among the questions you will need to answer are: what are the author(s) aims? What are the theories/frameworks with which they are working? Is their understanding of the theory sound? Do they cite up to date scholarship? What is the methodology? Is the evidence presented convincing? What might the author(s) do to make the argument more convincing? Does the article make an important contribution to our understanding of the topic?