The Russia-Ukraine War: A Good Case Study for Students to Learn and Apply the Critical Juncture Framework

Abstract

In this article, I argue that critical junctures – defined as sudden turning points in the historic trajectory of countries, institutions, and other units of analysis – provide a propitious lens to teach the war in Ukraine. By analyzing the influence of this war on energy security in Europe and the world, its impact on public opinion on NATO membership in nonaligned countries, or the war’s potential to change great power politics, to name a few examples, students of political science can determine themselves, if the war amounts to a critical juncture. In doing so, they not only learn how to apply a rather complex theory to a real-world scenario, they also learn how the discipline of political science operates.

Keywords:

• Teaching and learning
• Ukraine
• Russia
• critical junctures

Notes

1 For example, from February 24, 2022, to September 24, 2023, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded over 27 000 civilian casualties as a result of the conflict, including more than 600 dead children (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2023).

2 I had to exclude another prominent case, Austria, because there were no opinion polls before, at the onset, and after the war.

3 Sources: Aljazeera (2022); Brennan (2022); Cunningham (2022); Falk (2022); Granlund (2022); Lamy (2022); Pogatchnik (2022); Revill (2022); Statista (2022); Vanttinen (2022); Weinberg (2022); Yle (2022).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniel Stockemer

Daniel Stockemer is Full Professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa and since May 2021 holder of the Konrad Adenauer Research Chair in Empirical Democracy Studies. His research focuses on key challenges of Germany and Canada, and representative democracies, more generally. These include (1) the effects of migration on political attitudes, (2) the populist tide that has swept the world, (3) transformations in the conduct of elections and the determinants of vote choice, and (4) unequal representation of various cohorts of the population including women, minorities and youth. Throughout his academic career, Daniel has published 5 single authored books, 3 edited volumes, 2 textbooks and more than 150 articles in peer reviewed journals.