(in Polish) Praktyczna nauka języków regionu/Słowo w kulturze - czeski B1 3224-SWKCZB1
Czech language classes on the level B1 (intermediate) are aimed at activating the skills of linguistic expression and communication in foreign language as well as to enrich Czech vocabulary. The course is proposed in the form of conversation/discussion on different topics offered for students, pertaining the everyday life (including colloquial speech and other styles not considered by textbooks), cultural events and communication in future jobs according to the profile of a graduate.
The thematic scope of the course comprises new lexis connected with elementary communicative situations as well as cultural events/selected cultural elements of the countries from the relevant language area (cultural events, peculiarities):
1. Does Czech still make us laugh?
False friends, pronunciation, diminutives.
2. Czech national symbols
What do they symbolize and what do they mean to Czechs?
3. Czech geography in a nutshell
Key places, landscapes, and regions.
4. Tangible and intangible UNESCO heritage in the Czech
Republic
5. Czech village vs city – lifestyle and differences
6. Travel – means, purposes, and company
How and where do Czechs travel?
7. Sport and leisure
What do Czechs like to do in their free time?
8. Everyday life in the Czech Republic – school, university, work
What does daily life look like for young people and adults?
9. Family relations and different types of families – traditional
and modern
10. Czech mentality – stereotypes and reality
11. Czech humour in ads and memes
12. Poland vs Czech Republic – holidays and traditions
Similarities and differences in customs.
13. Poles about Czechs, Czechs about Poles
How do we see each other? Stereotypes vs reality.
14. Czechs and fashion
Trends and the influence of culture on personal style.
15. National minorities in the Czech Republic
Who lives in the Czech Republic and how do they coexist?
16. Religion and belief in the Czech Republic
The role of religion in society.
17. Czech vs Slovak language
Similarities, differences, and mutual understanding.
18. Proverbs and idioms: Czech vs Polish
What do they say about our mentalities?
19. Ecology and recycling in the Czech Republic
How do Czechs care for the environment?
20. Czech TV and series
What is worth watching?
21. Czech influencers and YouTubers
Internet culture and popular creators.
22. The phenomenon of Jaromír Nohavica and singer-songwriters
("písničkáři";)
23. Country, folk, and the phenomenon of trampování
24. Pop queens and popular music
25. Czech musical, hip-hop, and alternative music
Musical diversity in the Czech Republic.
26. Classical music and music festivals
27. Literature – awards and important contemporary writers
28. Legends and fairy tales (in-depth version)
Traditional stories and their meanings.
29. Czech women who impressed the world
30. Czech inventors and their discoveries
There are also other topics related to students' interests/proposed by students.
Course is conducted through discussing different topics based on priorly given texts or handouts delivered by the lecturer, working in groups and pairs, individual work (substantially supported by the lecturer).
Training of different language skills will be conducted as follows:
- Speaking: individual monologic utterances related to the topics which were discussed during the semester, dialogs, role-playing-games.
- Listening: different types of texts (dialog, monologue in various communicational situations) and tasks adjusted to the level.
- The use of a language: vocabulary and grammar exercises indicating the degree of proficiency in the course content.
- Writing: an opinion in the written form related to the topics which were discussed during the semester.
Student workload includes:
Classroom participation – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Preparing for classes – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge (upon completing the course, the student will know and understand):
- the complex nature of the Czech language with particular emphasis on the cultural context of the countries in the region [K_W09].
Skills (upon completing the course, the student is able to):
- search for, select, analyse and use necessary information from various sources [K_U01].
- communicate through various channels and communication techniques on basic everyday topics and cultural aspects of countries of the region [K_U07].
- independently prepare a written and oral statement in a foreign language on everyday topics and cultural aspects of the region’s and present the results of their work to the group [K_U08].
- use the Czech language at the B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) [K_U09].
- plan and organize individual and team work, plan and implement the process of independent learning, including specialist knowledge, after graduation [K_U10].
Social Competences (upon completing the course, the student 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].
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, 1 absence 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:
Substantive participation in the class (40%)
Presentation of the topic fixed by the lecturer (60%)
The following components contribute to the final grade for the language course:
To obtain a passing grade, the student must demonstrate achievements in each of the above categories (a student who receives 0% in any category—i.e., shows no activity in that area—will not pass the course).
Grading scale:
99–100% – 5.0 (excellent)
93–98% – 5.0 (very good)
87–92% – 4.5 (good plus)
77–86% – 4.0 (good)
71–76% – 3.5 (satisfactory plus)
60–70% – 3.0 (satisfactory)
Bibliography
Mariusz Szczygieł: Gottland, Wydawnictwo Czarne, Warsaw 2006
Mariusz Szczygieł: Make Your Own Paradise (Zrób sobie raj), Dowody na
Istnienie, Warsaw 2019
Collective work: Czech it up. Czech for Foreigners, Olomouc 2020
Izabela Wałaska: (Half)Truths and Myths about Poles and Czechs: Real-Life
Stories, Zaolzie Potrafi, Cieszyn 2020
Ilona Kořánková: Czech Reader (Česká čítanka), Akropolis, Prague 2012
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: