While I loved this course and learned more about Russian history/politics than I could have ever expected, it is not easy and I do not recommend it for people who are not studying politics or history. There is a great deal of reading which you have to be up to date on in order to do well on the papers that he assigns throughout the course. The grading is usually pretty generous but will not give you an easy A. Not all of the readings are totally necessary, so the ones that feel a little bit too long I would just recommend skimming rather than going too in depth. The lectures can be a little boring sometimes, but the vast majority of class I was always very engaged and interested in what Professor Lynch was saying. He is a brilliant academic and knows what he's talking about. I recommend this course to anyone who seriously wants to get more information about Russia!

I wanna start off by saying Lynch is probably one of the most brilliant professors I've had. With that being said, if you're not historically/politically minded, this class will probably be rough for you. I took this class my first year, first semester. It was a jump-start into college because the class is HEAVILY READING BASED (interesting readings though). There's 3 essays- all 2,000 words, the last two counting as 40% of your grade. There's also an extra credit essay! Lynch is extremely fair when it comes to grading and he gives a lot of time to get the papers done. The lectures are very interesting but they aren't set up in an organized manner; so again, if you're not historically/politically minded this class will probably not go as well for you. If you love history, politics, and are interested in Russia's foreign policy this is the best class!!! I managed to pull off an A- in the class without writing the extra credit paper, so if you put the work in, attend lecture, and do the readings you should be set!

A LOT of reading that often felt really superfluous. I personally didn't love Professor Lynch's teaching and had a really hard time staying focused in class. He's clearly passionate about the topic but I really didn't find the content very engaging. Not a super harsh grader though!

Lynch is by far my favorite professor at UVa. I took this class knowing very little about Russia and came away from it with a huge insight into its history and politics regarding its foreign relationships and gave me a huge new perspective on US history as well. I could not recommend taking his class enough and don't feel daunted by the readings- just use them to write the papers

Lynch is BRILLIANT and lectures are incredible. Don't miss them - seriously. He is a world expert on Putin and on just about everything else in Russia and has a ton of personal experience and some great anecdotes to share with class. Even if you do the readings, go to lecture because the slides uploaded are mostly pictures; you will gain next to nothing from this class if you don't go to lecture because Lynch just has so much to say and doesn't cover the readings.
He's an amazing lecturer. There are 3 papers, the final one is worth 50% of the grade. Also 1 - 2 extra credit assignments. Highly recommend the class and professor, I am changing my area concentration because of this guy.