Course Descriptions

GENERAL

The course is a continuation of Czech 507 with an emphasis on speaking and reading.  In addition to the textbook, short articles, videos, and lectures will be used not only to increase comprehension, but also to expose the student to Czech culture.

Grading:  Short tests—45%s, final exam—20%, homework:  15%, quizzes—5%, attendance—5%

Grading scale:  90–100=A; 80–89=B; 70–79=C; 60–69=D.  Any average below 60 is failing

How did Czechs imagine and construct themselves and the "other," and how, by contrast were they perceived by others? What did Czechs create, and how do they relate to other Slavs, Germans, and wider world? Is there a Czech identity and culture? To what extent did Czechs construct their identity based on the difference from others, and how accommodating they were to “strangers” in their midst? What was the role of translation, creation of language, and literature in negotiating their identity? What did the Czechs gain and lose by attaining their own linguistically and nationally defined culture? We will read authors such as Palacký, Havlíček, Masaryk, Hašek, Kafka, Patočka, and Havel, and secondary texts on Central Europe, translation, nationalism, transnationalism, and “Orientalism.” We will pay special attention to the role of language and translation, to Czech Jews and anti-Semitism, Roma (Gypsies), Germans, and the complex identities of Prague German Jewish authors such as Kafka, Werfel, Rilke, Brod, and Eisner. The course materials will include literary texts, films, and artworks.

Prerequisites:

Readings:  The Czech Reader; selection of texts assembled by the instructor. 

Grading: Midterm 20%, Research Paper 30%, Response Papers, Participation, Presentation 50%.

Prerequisite: Six semester hours of upper-division coursework in Czech, or upper-division standing and consent of instructor.

Hour(s) to be arranged. Restricted enrollment; contact the department for permission to register for this class. May be repeated for credit.