Recommendations for decent reference Russian history textbook for culture course?

[Monnier, Nicole M.]

Dear SEELANGStsy,

We've just received the call for course text adoptions for spring 2014. I've been using Rowley's "Exploring Russia's Past: Narrative, Sources, Images" vol. 2 as the "background" history book + sourcebook for some primary document readings (about 1/5 of the course total) for a large-lecture course on 20th-century Russian culture (emphasis: humanities, not "straight" history). Coming back to the course after a (blissful) two-year hiatus, I just discovered (or re-discovered) the book now costs $70, which strikes me as ridiculous.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a decent survey of 20th-century Russian history? (I can find primary documents elsewhere.) "Decent" in this case means accessible and readable. (Imagine a course filled largely with business majors . . .)

Curiously,

Nicole




****************************
Dr. Nicole Monnier
Associate Teaching Professor of Russian
Director of Undergraduate Studies (Russian)
German & Russian Studies
428A Strickland (formerly GCB)
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211

phone: 573.882.3370

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