Students may choose from the ECES courses offered. A minimum enrollment of 10 is required for each course to be offered. Each course meets 52 hours per semester and is recommended for 3 credits. Courses are recorded on an official transcript from Charles University which is sent directly to the student’s home institution. Instruction is in English.
All courses are listed on http://eces.ff.cuni.cz/courses.
| ORIENTATION | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Czech 101 (3) |
| Course Title: | Intensive Czech for beginners |
| Course Description: | |
| Students are automatically enrolled in this Intensive Czech Language orientation course held for 4.5 hours per day, 5 days a week during the first 2 weeks of the semester. Acquisition of basic communication skills in the Czech language, both written and spoken. Introduction to Czech linguistics and cultural environment. | |
| ART AND CULTURE | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Art 301 (3) |
| Course Title: | Czech Art and Architecture |
| Course Description: | |
| A general overview of the Fine Arts development in Europe with a special focus on Central Europe and the monuments of Prague. Particular pieces of art that represent an époque or style are presented and students analyze the details, historical context, iconography and formal qualities that represent the individual style. Through detailed information on a particular piece the student gets a good insight to the History of Fine Arts as an academic discipline. The first half of the lecture is usually held in the classroom, and the second half continues on a field trip, or in one of the many museums of Fine Art in Prague. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Art 306 (3) |
| Course Title: | Myth and Mythization in Central European Context |
| Course Description: | |
| The orientation of structure and function of a myth is a universal knowledge, useful in interpreting both cultural texts (literature, cinema, arts etc.) and everyday life. This class provides guidelines to the meaning of myth using material from Central European (mostly Czech and Polish) culture. Beginning with the elements of European and Slavic mythology we try to define the construction and anthropological necessity of creating myths, we track its presence in contemporary culture. The second dimension is the tradition of literary mystifications applied in the Central European conditions. Here we concentrate on a blurred border between fiction and non-fiction and on the main question of Wolfgang Iser's literary anthropology: "Why people create fictions?" Finally, we reach Roland Barthes' understanding of a myth as an emblem which we apply on the basis of material and cultural heritage of the 20th century. In this section an emphasis will be put on applied arts, design and everyday life objects. Contemporary inclination to retro objects and styles smoothly leads us to the problem of a mythization of the past in literature, cinema and media. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Art 322 (3) |
| Course Title: | Art Photography and Genius Loci |
| Course Description: | |
| The experimental course combines some theoretical aspects of photography and its aesthetic and cognitive value as a unique art form with practical exercises and authentic experiential outdoor activities. Not primarily conceived as a course in the history of Czech Photography, the course will provide a basic orientation in the Czech photographic art of the 20th century. The focus is not so much on the techniques, but rather on the styles and how photography as an exquisite artistic medium expresses (or at times suppresses) the individual bias, aesthetics, period style, and the societal and cultural boundaries. The course will also marginally examine the age-old debate about the documentary value versus the artistic value of photography, and similarly the argument on the nude photography versus pornography. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Film 310 (3) |
| Course Title: | Central European Film: Search for Identity |
| Course Description: | |
| This unique course is designed to discuss and question the identity of specific nations in the European region, which has always been a fascinating crossroad of ideas and ideologies as well as the birthplace of wars and totalitarian systems. The course will cover masterpieces of Russian, Hungarian, German, Polish and Czech cinematography, focusing on several crucial periods of history, in particular WWII and its aftermath, showing the moral dilemmas of individuals and nations under the Nazi regime as well as revealing the bitter truth of the Stalinist years. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Film 360 (3) |
| Course Title: | Hollywood and Europe |
| Course Description: | |
| This course offers insight into the ways in which Hollywood has functioned as a global institution, with emphasis placed on its historical relationships to Europe. Respecting Hollywood’s multifaceted character as a transnational economic, political, social, cultural, and aesthetic institution, the course encourages students to position the analysis of popular mainstream film texts within the range of contexts they have operated. Students will examine the roles Hollywood has played in, and towards, Europe at different historical junctures at the levels of production, distribution, exhibition, reception, and consumption. Key debates relating to conglomeration, Americanization, globalization, the national, cultural imperialism, and appropriation will be engaged by way of topics such as genre, stars, and marketing; documents such as State Department memos, movie trailers, and popular press coverage. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Sociology 345 (3) |
| Course Title: | Contemporary Czech Culture, Art, Music and Literature: Urban Semiotics |
| Course Description: | |
| The course will acquaint students with the contemporary Czech art scene, its “roots” and transformations from three different perspectives. First, the course will pursue how Czech art and music are connected with activism, minority groups and mainstream culture. Second, focus will be placed on how to “read” contemporary urban performances, literature and works of art. Third, the course will familiarize students with the notions of performance art, digital media, counterculture, mass culture and show their impact on Czech individuals and society. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Theater 368 (3) |
| Course Title: | Highlights of the Czech Theatre: Performance Analysis - Department |
| Course Description: | |
| The course is conducted as a critical workshop with a focus on performance analysis of contemporary Czech/Prague stage productions. Students are required to attend and discuss selected stage productions. The character of the shows will vary: non-verbal theatre, physical theatre, puppet theatre, text-based theatre and students will be provided with scripts in English. Students will need to purchase tickets to performances at an approximate cost of 50 - 160 CZK per performance. | |
| ECONOMICS AND POLITICS | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Economics 303 (3) |
| Course Title: | Recent Economic Development |
| Course Description: | |
| Recent Economic Development in Europe has been markedly influenced by two major factors: by the process of European Integration and by the Transition Process in Central and Eastern Europe. However the European Union tries to integrate European Economies into a single market, economic systems of European countries markedly differ. The economic systems comparison is thus another aim of the course. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Politics 311 (3) |
| Course Title: | Contemporary Central European Politics |
| Course Description: | |
| This course is meant for students with different academic backgrounds but with a strong interest in Czechoslovak, Czech, and Central European political developments during and after the democratic revolutions of 1989. To understand Central European developments as of 1989 it is necessary to get acquainted with the main turning points of modern political and social history of respective countries of the Central European geopolitical region on one hand and to undertake some comparative research into similarities and differences of such developments on the other hand. Lectures and discussions focus on the democratic revolutions 1989, the institutional and international framework of the transition process and specific problems of democratization in Central Europe. Students will also examine political elections in Central European countries. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Politics 315 (3) |
| Course Title: | Comparative Politics: Transformation of Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic |
| Course Description: | |
| The course is a comparison of the transformation the former Eastern Bloc countries underwent towards democracy. The individual paths of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and others differed significantly in their respective points of departure, as well as in political institutional solutions chosen in course of their transitions. Students will be encouraged to challenge the mainstream understanding of “transition” as a predictable, gradual and irreversible progress towards the standard “Western” model. The course is designed as a seminar based on a guided discussion about carefully selected texts; active participation of the students is essential. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Politics 339 (3) |
| Course Title: | Political Philosophy of Central European Dissidence - Department |
| Course Description: | |
| The main topic of the seminar will be political thought of dissidence and “unofficial” thinkers in Central European countries (Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia) during the seventies and eighties of the 20th century. We will read and discuss texts written by Václav Havel, György Konrád, Adam Michnik and others. Since several of our primary texts are written in essayistic form far from strict academic standards, I will present them within the theoretical background of western political philosophy. Therefore we will analyze the differences between committed political writings (mostly) from behind of the Iron curtain on the one hand and parallel way of thoughts in the academic political philosophy of the West on the other hand. | |
| HISTORY | |
| Course Code and Credits: | History 302 (3) |
| Course Title: | Jewish History in Central and Eastern Europe |
| Course Description: | |
| The course focuses on Jewish history in Central and Eastern Europe with an emphasis on the 19th and 20th century. The primary goals of the course are to study the political, cultural and economic situation of the Jews in Central and Eastern Europe and to analyze the different forms of Jewish cultural and political identity. In the analysis, special attention will be paid to the history of Central and Eastern European countries at the beginning of the 20th century. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | History 303 (3) |
| Course Title: | “MITTELEUROPA” Germany and East Central Europe in the 19th and 20th Century |
| Course Description: | |
| The course will focus on the history of the entity known as “Mitteleuropa” in the last two hundred years, the different definitions and ideological uses of this concept and the analysis of its moving boundaries, sometimes including Germany, sometimes not. The main themes studied in the course will be the unification of Germany and its rise as a great power, compared to the decline of the Habsburg Empire and the (re)birth of new states following World War I. Students will then analyze the rise of extremism in the 20s and 30s, especially National Socialism and its impact on the countries of Central Europe, including World War II and the its consequences, the disappearance of Central Europe and Communist rule over Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and East Germany. A final focus will be the rebirth of Central Europe after the end of Communism. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | History 309 (3) |
| Course Title: | Archaeology of Central Europe: Paleolithic Period |
| Course Description: | |
| This course presents a survey of (mainly Central) European prehistory through the study of archaeological remains from the Paleolithic period until the beginning of Neolithic agricultural societies. The coverage is selective because of the temporal and geographic variability of the region. Several significant themes are emphasized and important sites from the various selected regions are discussed, centering primarily on Czech Lands (Bohemia, Moravia). The distribution of sites in the landscape, evidence for subsistence and production, changes in mortuary ritual through time and the way in which ideology is mapped onto material culture are components of the way prehistoric European social evolution is interpreted. In the process European cultural evolution is compared to other parts of the Old World, and placed in the context of increasing social complexity worldwide and its implications for the future of our species. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | History 310 (3) |
| Course Title: | Words throughout History, History throughout Words |
| Course Description: | |
| The course introduces the basics of etymology and language history in an accessible and understandable way. It explains why and how words and languages change and goes over various processes that can cause the changes (analogy, folk etymology, taboo, metaphor etc.). It reveals surprising and sometimes curious changes of the words in the course of time (e.g. the “Czech” origin of American dollar). Special attention is paid to the question of language contact, borrowings and the influence of one language on another one. All the language phenomena are demonstrated mostly on the English lexical material, but also other languages are used to illustrate certain issues. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | History 318 (3) |
| Course Title: | Czech and Central European History |
| Course Description: | |
| The course is a survey of history of what is now the Czech Republic (Bohemia and Moravia) from primeval times until the present day with a greater focus on the modern period. However, the complete history of the Lands of Bohemian Crown from prehistoric times, the medieval Czech state, Early Modern Ages, Bohemian regimes under the Habsburg Monarchy, Czechoslovakia, and finally the Czech Republic are examined from the historical-geographical context. | |
| LANGUAGES | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Czech 102 (3) |
| Course Title: | Czech Language for Everyday Use Level I |
| Course Description: | |
| In this course students will learn basic Czech which will help them to communicate in everyday situations in the Czech Republic. Students will be able to talk with Czech speakers in the shops and restaurants, in the theatres and on the street, and the knowledge of the language will help them to come to know the Czech mentality and culture. The course is focused on the intercommunication between grammar and vocabulary and their practical use. | |
| LITERATURE | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Literature 312 (3) |
| Course Title: | American and Czech Literature from European Perspectives |
| Course Description: | |
| The term “identity" is essential for any exploration of society, the self, and its various roles in literature and culture. However, it is difficult to pin down exactly what is meant by "identity." The course examines various conceptions of “identity” in connection with selected literary examples. Students will examine the way in which identity is construed in the 20th and 21st century through the works of American and Czech authors from Melville to Kundera. A European obsession with construction, existence and structuring will be contrasted with an American focus on transformation, movement and change. Specific topics include formations of identity, power, confidence, racial and gender stereotypes, “minority” vs. “mainstream” literature in Czech and American societies. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Literature 341 (3) |
| Course Title: | Great European Writers: The Life and Work of Karel Capek |
| Course Description: | |
| Karel Capek, one of the great European writers of the last century and arguably the best Czech writer of all time, was a distinguished novelist, playwright and journalist in pre-war Czechoslovakia. Famed for giving the word “robot” to the world, Capek was a vital part of the burgeoning artistic scene of the 1920s and 30s. An unfaltering advocate of humanism and democracy, he warned against nationalism and communism as early as the 1920s, and campaigned against fascism, which precipitated his death in 1938. He was a phenomenal journalist whose views are particularly relevant to our time and Europe. It was in his witty, highly enjoyable columns and essays that he communicated his essential ideas. This course serves as an introduction to his varied oeuvre while offering scope for close analysis of some of his works. It also shows how his journalism is indivisible from his other writings. Students will learn not only about Karel Capek and his brother and co-writer Josef, who became a celebrated artist, but also about the cultural and political contexts of Czech and European history leading up to the Second World War. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Literature 353 (3) |
| Course Title: | City Palimpsests: Prague, London, St. Petersburg in Modern Fiction |
| Course Description: | |
| An exploration of the mythopoetic universe of Prague, London, Paris and St. Petersburg through 19th and 20th literature as well as photography and film. Based mainly on the readings of canonical texts by Dickens, Flaubert, Bely, Kafka and Kundera in English translations, we will discuss these metropolises as intersections of myth, utopia and modernity. We will observe how different images of the city are formed as loci of both multi/national and individual identity and experience – and how artistic expression as well as popular emblems (postcards, commercials, websites) refashion these images. Part of the course will be dedicated to field trips to Prague points, both touristy and arcane, to offer a fresh perspective on the palimpsests of “The Mother of Cities.” | |
| SOCIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Sociology 350 (3) |
| Course Title: | Topics in Education: Multicultural and Gender Issues in Central Europe - Department |
| Course Description: | |
| The course deals with major issues of critical pedagogy: oppression, social exclusion, and empowerment within the context of minorities living in the Czech Republic as well as gender issues in the country. Topics include the education of the Roma in central Europe, forced labor, migration and human trafficking in connection to Mongolian and Vietnamese migrants, the issue of gender in connection to communism in pre-1989 CR and its influence on perception of feminism in the Czech Republic today, and the gender imbalance in education. Students will study both, the policies as well as the practices and initiatives of nongovernmental organizations in the Czech Republic. Visits to a community school in Prague, the International Organization for Migration in Prague, and the "Vietnamese town" in Prague with a Vietnamese guide are included. Finally students will examine readings by renowned critical pedagogues: Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Joe Kincheloe, and Augusto Boal et al. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Sociology 354 (3) |
| Course Title: | Czech Republic: Two Decades of Social Change - Department |
| Course Description: | |
| The aim of the course is to overview the last two decades of social change in the Czech Republic. After a short introduction to the historical and social development (1918-1989) and basic comparison to other CEE countries, the course focuses on basic perspectives on social change (“shock therapy vs. gradualism”) and then deals with the changes in economic and social structure and political attitudes in general. To provide a deeper insight into the development, the transformation of housing and higher education system is presented in detail. The seminars consist of discussing short texts or relevant topics (covered in lectures), watching documentaries and presentations of students. Depending on the availability, relevant cultural events (i.e. exhibitions) are included as well. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Psychology 355 (3) |
| Course Title: | Selected Topics of Social Psychology: Soft Skills |
| Course Description: | |
| Soft skills have a great impact on our success and satisfaction in life. The concept of soft skills consists of both intra-personal and inter-personal aspects. This course presents a well-balanced practical overview of the soft skills world. Self experience is one of the most important outcomes of this seminar and therefore active learning methods will be used (discussion, role-play, simulations, exercises, art, reflective journal, peer counselling, etc.). | |
Optional Courses at Prague Academy of Music
The Prague Academy Music is within the Institute of Performing Arts, which is the premier university in the Czech Republic for students of music, film, and the performing arts. The idea of the school was conceived during the Second World War, when prominent artists and writers organized to transform the Prague Conservatory into a university level school. The school was founded after the end of the Second World War in 1945, and has been open to students since 1946. Classes are at the beautiful Lichtenstein Palace, located in the picturesque Lesser Quarter neighborhood, between the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle.
Serious students of music may study at the Academy of Music in the following areas:
- Instruments (Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double bass, Harp, Guitar, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, French horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Percussions. incl. Accompaniment)
- Composition
- Conducting
- Opera Direction
- Voice
- Chamber Music Playing
- Sound Production
- Dance Pedagogy
- Choreography
- Dance Theory
- Pantomime
- Music Art Management
AIFS students may enroll for either individual or group courses for three hours per week or four hours per week for instrument study, which requires piano accompaniment. Fees range from approximately $100 to $130 per week for 13 weeks. Group instruction is at a lower rate than individual. The three hour course totals approximately 40 hours per semester, and the four hour course with piano accompaniment totals approximately 52 hours per semester. Therefore students should request 3 transfer credits from their home institution.
Applicants must be majors or minors of music or proficient in voice or a musical instrument. Students must send an audio or DVD audition.
