Cultural problems of the countries of the region - Czech Republic, Slovakia 3224-D2PKKRCZ
The purpose of the class is to show the peculiarities of Czech Republic’s / Slovakia’s culture to the 20th centuries, the factors that shape its specificity and those that determine its complexity and heterogeneity. The various aspects of culture are discussed by the prism of selected problems, phenomena and processes of society, national, ethnic, ethnolinguist, literary, artistic and ideological, perceived here in terms of their influence on the shape of culture. All of these shots are to be adopted as a source of the anthropological perspective of the categories and methods of description and analysis of the cultural planes in question. The issues raised are also presented in the context of problems characteristic of the whole of Central and Eastern Europe.
The student in the course develops his research skills, learns to acquire knowledge independently, using the support of a scientific supervisor.
The following topics will be discussed during the classes:
The Austro-Hungarian heritage – community and divisions. The cultural identity of Czechs and Slovaks – historical conditions and contemporary challenges.
The history of the Slavs in a nutshell through Alfons Mucha’s Slav Epic.
The linguistic situation as a reflection of historical and cultural processes in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The Czech National Revival and its falsifications. Who is the enemy and who is the patriot? The role of Tomáš G. Masaryk. The national awakening in Slovakia. Phonetic and lexical features of the Slovak language.
The Czechs and their faiths. Guided tour of Prague based on its diverse sacral architecture. Architectural marvels and modernist pearls (UNESCO).
Olomouc – the bourgeois world of a single house and Gustav Klimt (guided tour of Olomouc, Holy Trinity Column – UNESCO).
Why was Egon Schiele expelled from Český Krumlov? (guided tour of the town, UNESCO).
The beautiful 1920s – the group around TGM, Karel Čapek, and modernist cultural currents – cubism, abstractionism, architecture.
Why did surrealism succeed in the Czech Republic (and not in Poland)? – Karel Teige, Toyen, Jindřich Štyrský.
“Czech Hollywood”: the Barrandov film studios – the Havel family (guided tour of Prague’s modern districts, “Dancing House”).
Brno – the story of a single family (Villa Tugendhat, UNESCO).
Operation Anthropoid (the assassination of the “Butcher of Prague”) in popular culture and cinema. Film comparison and discussion.
The cruel 1950s – show trials and monuments.
Political culture in times of transformation (20th/21st century) in the Czech Republic. The exhibitionist presidency of Miloš Zeman.
Political culture in times of transformation (20th/21st century) in Slovakia.
Student workload includes:
Classroom participation – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Preparing for classes – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Preparation for the oral exam – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Course coordinators
Mode
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the graduate knows and understands:
- at an advanced level the specificity of various anthropological models of culture (traditional, noble, bourgeois, mass), evaluates the processes of their transformation and interrelationships, and interprets their manifestations in the symbolic and semiotic domains, including culture, art, literature, and the historical contexts of Central and Eastern European societies (K_W03)
- at an advanced level, the student comprehensively investigates the history and contemporary realities of the region synthesizes historical issues, concepts, and ideas concerning Czech Republic / Slovakia, and assesses cultural processes and phenomena in relation to social and political changes (K_W04)
- at an advanced level, the student examines the formation of national, religious, socio-political, and economic relations in the Central and Eastern European context (K_W06)
- at an advanced level understanding of the broadly understood intercultural context; has knowledge of humans as entities constructing social structures and cultural products, and is aware of the principles of their functioning (K_W07)
- at advanced level understanding of the principles governing the operation of cultural institutions and national heritage, and is familiar with contemporary cultural life and its entanglements in political and social discourses in the Czech Republic / Slovakia (K_W10).
Skills: the graduate is able to:
- search for, select, analyse and use necessary information from various sources (K_U01)
- independently formulate and critically assess research questions, select and apply appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative research methodologies, and conduct supervised research projects within cultural studies and cognate disciplines focused on Central and Eastern Europe (K_U02)
- develop their research skills, independently acquire knowledge with the support of a research supervisor; skillfully formulate thoughts, and present research results in the form of oral or written statements (of various types) (K_U03)
- conduct a critical analysis of cultural products specific to a given era in the development of Czech/Slovakia recognize different types of cultural products of Central and Eastern European countries, analyze them, distinguish different perspectives on the development of culture, being aware of the existence of differences in cultural identities and context (K_U05)
- independently prepare a written and oral statement in Polish and a foreign language on selected topics in the field of literature and present the results of their work to the group (K_U08).
Social competences: the graduate is prepared to:
- critical assessment of existing knowledge, continuous learning and supplementing acquired knowledge and skills (K_K01)
- effective communication and living in society, including in a culturally diverse society, working in a team, coping with typical professional situations, verifying one's views through factual discussion and evaluating one's knowledge (K_K02)
- participating in cultural life, enjoying its various forms, as well as initiating activities in society and presenting tasks in an accessible form, including using information technology (K_K05).
Assessment criteria
I. The organization of classes:
1) Attendance at all classes, covered by the plan, shall be compulsory.
2) It is not possible to have a resit if the reason of failing the credit was noncompliance with the requirement to participate in them. In such a case a student can be conditionally registered in an successive stage of study and can repeat the failed course.
3) In case of 30 hours in semester, 2 absences without justifying are acceptable. Missed classes must be made up in accordance with the requirements of the lecturer. The requirements are provided by the lecturer during the first class.
II. Assessment Criteria:
The final grade is composed of:
Substantive participation in classes (25%)
Presentation on a topic assigned by the lecturer (25%)
Final oral statement (50%)
Grading system:
99 – 100% - 5 (excellent)
93 - 98% - 5 (very good)
87 - 92% - 4,5 (fairly good)
77 - 86% - 4 (good)
71 - 76% - 3,5 (satisfactory plus)
60 - 70% - 3 (satisfactory)
Bibliography
1. Buber- Neumann M., Milena. Ukochana Kafki, Warszawa 2003.
2. Budzyńska-Daca A., Rusin Dybalska, R.(red.), Dyskursy
polityczne w Polsce i Czechach po roku 1989. Gatunki, strategie
komunikacyjne, wizerunki medialne, Warszawa 2022.
3. Čapek K., Rozmowy z Tomášem G. Masarykiem, Wrocław, 2015
oraz inne publikacje - powieści (np. „Krakatit”, „Inwazja
jaszczurów”)
4. Čapek, K. R.U.R. – Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti. Praha, różne
wydania.
5. Chmiel R., Kompleks słowacki. Eseje, Kraków 2014.
6. Gogola W., Ufo nad Bratysławą, Wołowiec 2021.
7. Hašek, J. Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války. Praha,
różne wydania.
8. Hašek, J., O Podhalu, Galicji i… Piłsudskim. Szkice nieznane,
Warszawa 2013.
9. Havel V., Tylko krótko, proszę, Kraków 2007.
10. Havel V., Zaoczne przesłuchanie, Warszawa 1989.
11. Hrabal B., Obsługiwałem angielskiego króla, Warszawa 1990 oraz
inne powieści tegoż autora.
12. Kaczorowski A., Czechy. To nevymyslíš, Warszawa 2022 i in.
publikacje do wyboru.
13. Kosatík P., Czeskie sny, Wrocław 2014.
14. Kundera M., Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí. Praha 1985 (wyd. polskie:
Nieznośna lekkość bytu).
15. Kundera M., Żart, Warszawa 2014 oraz inne wydania, również
innych powieści tegoż autora.
16. Matla M., Początki państw. Czechy, Poznań 2014.
17. Menzel J., No, nie wiem, Gdańsk 2024.
18. Migalski M., Czeska lekcja, Katowice 2025.
19. Pavel O., Śmierć pięknych saren, Warszawa 1976 (1 wyd.),
możliwość wyboru innych opowiadań tegoż autora.
20. Rankov P., Legenda o języku, Wrocław 2020.
[OBOWIĄZKOWA dla WSZYSTKICH].
21. Sem-Sandberg S., Ravensbrück. O Milenie Jesenskiej, Wołowiec
2009.
22. Surosz M., Ach, te Czeszki, Warszawa 2011.
23. Surosz M., Pepiki. Dramatyczne stulecie Czechów, Wołowiec
2021.
24. Szczygieł M., Gottland, 2016 (1 wyd.) i inne wydania.
25. Szczygieł, M. Osobisty przewodnik po Pradze, Warszawa 2020.
26. Škvorecký J., Wyjątki z autosztambucha, Wrocław 1988 i inne
wydania poszczególnych powieści tegoż autora.
27. Štyrský J., Wiersze i sny, Poznań 2025.
28. Tabaczyński M., Święto nieważkości. Morawy, Wołowiec 2023.
Source texts and studies will be verified on an ongoing basis by the lecturer.