Special courses for US students

Czech History and Literature within the Central European Context

Course term: September 2009
Course duration: 2 weeks (40 hours)

The course is organised by the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of South Bohemia. The Institute of History and the Institute of Bohemian Studies, which are parts of this faculty, belong to the most prestigious workplaces in the Czech Republic specialising in the given branches. The course will take place in modern premises of the Faculty of Philosophy, situated in the university campus in České Budějovice.

 

Course programme:

1. The History of Modern Czech Literature
   The lectures are focused on the interpretation of key literary texts originated in the area of the Czech lands and influenced by the European and world literary canon (as are works by J. Hašek, F. Kafka, K. Čapek or M. Kundera). Critical analysis of selected texts in English translation is an integral part of all the lectures.
2. The History of Czech Art within the European Context
   The lectures will deal with basic issues concerning the development of Czech art from the Middle Ages to the present. The lectures will be focused mainly on the periods during which the interconnections of the development of Czech and European art are markedly manifested. The main themes will be the art in the period of the reign of Charles IV., Italian renaissance and baroque architecture in transalpine countries, the political art in the period of the communist totalitarian regime, and current trends in the artistic production in the Czech lands.
3. Czech History within the European Context
   The lectures will concentrate on the key periods in European and Czech history and on possible approaches to their interpretation. The aim will be to familiarize the students with contemporary methodological approaches in historical science. The main topics will be the beginnings of the medieval civilization in Europe, the life cycle and transition rituals in early modern history, the European and Czech Enlightenment, and the process of modern nations formation.
4. Intercultural Seminar (Workshop)
   The workshop will be aimed at the presentation of Czech culture in a broad sense and comparisons with the culture of the USA. Therefore it will be also attended by Czech students.
5. Language Courses
   Apart from participation in the above mentioned programme, it will be possible for the students to attend language courses organised by the Summer School of Slavonic Studies.

 

Prof. PaedDr. Vladimír Papoušek, CSc.: full professor, director of the Institute of Bohemian Studies, head of the Department of Literature and Literary theory. Specializes on Czech literature of 1st half of 20th century, methodology of literary history and American literature. Prof. Papoušek gives lectures on the history of modern Czech literature (Jaroslav Hašek´s Švejk - A man in the history; Czech surrealism and avantgarde literature; Kundera´s novels in the context of Czech history). e-mail: papousek@ff.jcu.cz
PhDr. Pavel Král, Ph.D.: dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, deputy director of the Institute of History. Specializes on the cultural history of central Europe, the history of nobility, historical anthropology, rites of passage. Dr. Král gives lectures on European and Czech early modern history, on historical sources on historical anthropology and on the concept of gender in history. e-mail: kral@ff.jcu.cz
Mgr. Hynek Látal: fellow at the Institute of Art History. Specializes on the late Gothic architecture of middle Europe. Other areas of his interest are: baroque and contemporary architecture, gender studies in art history. Mgr. Látal gives lectures on the medieval art (The emperor Charles IV. and the art of his era) and the art of the communist regime. e-mail: latal@ff.jcu.cz
Mgr. David Skalický: assistant professor at the Department of Literature and Literary Theory of the Institute of Bohemian Studies. Specializes on literary theory and narratology. Mgr. Skalický gives lectures on Czech cinematography (Ideological cinema after World War II; Czechoslovak New Wave; Czech cinema after the Velvet Revolution), and teaches Czech language course. e-mail: dskalicky@gmail.com
Mgr. Veronika Faktorová: assistant professor at the Department of the 19th Century Literature and Comparative Studies of Literature of the Institute of Bohemian Studies. Specializes on Czech literature of 19th century. Mgr. Faktorová organizes Intercultural Seminar (Workshop) and teaches language courses. e-mail: veronikafakt@email.cz

 

Further information on the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of South Bohemia: www.ff.jcu.cz
E-mail contact: bezecny@ff.jcu.cz