What happens when people stop caring about politics? This course addresses relationships between Russia and the United States in contemporary and historical perspective. Amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, this lecture course examines topics such as the social, political, and economic conditions that led to Vladimir Putin’s rise and rule; relationships between Cold War tactics and contemporary hybrid and hot war; global Russia and changes in the international system; and changes forged by shifts in information environments. The course considers struggles in both countries to reckon with legacies of colonialism and imperialist violence while analyzing the consequences of depoliticization and quiescence. **Students must register for both the lecture and discussion section of this course.** NOTE: Lecture will be delivered online. All discussion sections are scheduled for in-person instruction on campus. [This ULEC is in category 1, Tools for Social Change.]