HISTORY OF CZECH CULTURE

The course is part of the curriculum and aims at understanding the history of Czech literature and culture, the theory of literary history and the analysis of literary text.


The aim of the course is to deepen the knowledge of cultural and literary production in the Czech language as well as of a literary and cultural investigation. The analysis of the text is inserted in the historical - cultural discourse both in a diachronic sense, that is as a history of literature, and synchronically, as a specific phenomenon within a pulsating cultural system. The achievement of these objectives allows the student to enrich his literary and cultural education both in analytical and synthetic terms.

1. Knowledge and understanding
● Know the basic linguistic terminology and understand the texts that make it
use.
● To know literary production and its interaction with the different spheres of culture.
● To know the theory of analysis of the literary text in its linguistic, literary and cultural components.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
● (Know the basic linguistic terminology and understand the texts that make it
use.) Knowing how to properly use linguistic terminology in all processes
application and communication of acquired knowledge.
● (Knowing the literary production and its interaction with the different spheres of culture.) Knowing how to relate the analysis of the specific text with contemporary and coherent critical production in addition to the mechanisms for using the text
● (To know the tools of analysis of the literary text in its linguistic, literary, cultural components.) To be able to apply the analysis tools and the literary production as a whole to the single specific text.

4. Communication skills
● Know how to communicate the specificities of literary reflection, using one
appropriate terminology.
● Knowing how to interact with peers and with the tutor, in a critical and respectful manner, in the presence and
on the virtual classroom forum.
5. Learning skills
.
● Knowing how to critically consult the reference texts and the bibliography in them
contained.

Knowledge of the Czech language is not required.

The Narrative of History in Socialist Czechoslovakia

This course examines television production in Socialist Czechoslovakia during the period of Normalisation. The term ‘Normalisation’ refers to the period following the occupation of the country by the armies of the Warsaw Pact states, under Soviet command. Television came under the total control of the totalitarian regime immediately after the suppression of the Prague Spring. Whilst in the 1950s and 1960s it served a largely recreational and entertainment function, following the rise to power of the Husák leadership in April 1969, and until November 1989, it became an ideological tool and an active instrument of power for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
From 1969 onwards, officials from the party apparatus, who were fierce critics of the policies of the Prague Spring, joined the television management. A new chairperson took over the leadership of the Czechoslovak Communist Party’s works committee, implementing extensive purges within the party organisation of the television service. New, controlled cadres took over decision-making positions in the television management, news departments and individual editorial teams, gradually reshaping the television programme to reflect the image of the new leadership of the Czechoslovak Communist Party and the political line it promoted.
The course centres on the television series *The 30 Cases of Major Zeman* (*30 případů majora Zemana*). The series glorifies the security apparatus of socialist Czechoslovakia and, according to official propaganda, substantially distorts the recent history of our country following the Second World War. Each episode was dedicated to a specific case that took place in a particular year between 1945 and 1973. Viewers were thus able to follow thirty years of the communists’ struggle to build socialism in Czechoslovakia. Through the series, the cultural policies implemented after the Soviet occupation, the cultural system and cultural production and its role in Czechoslovak society, and the instrumental use of history within a repressive, non-democratic system are examined.

Partial Literature. Further reading will be provided in class

Reifová, Irena. "A study in the history of meaning-making: Watching socialist television serials in the former Czechoslovakia." European Journal of Communication 30.1 (2015): 79-94.
Imre, Anikó. TV socialism. Duke University Press, 2016.
Imre, Anikó. "Television for socialist women." Screen 54.2 (2013): 249-255.
Bren, Paulina. Closely watched screens: Ideology and everyday life in Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring, 1968–1989. New York University, 2002.
Heimann, Mary. "The Greengrocer and His TV: The Culture of Communism after the 1968 Prague Spring, by Paulina Bren." (2011): 1026-1027.

The final exam consists of an oral interview (lasting approximately 30 minutes) on the contents of the module and the bibliography (as indicated in the “Reference texts” section).
Students with working student status and those who are unable to attend classes are required to contact the instructor as soon as possible to be assigned a specific topic to present during the exam. In general, in the event of problems with attendance (even partial), the professor is available (in person or online) for one or more meetings (office hours) to evaluate any targeted interventions. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the professor via email.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The grade will be determined by: 1. knowledge of the topics covered during the course (up to 10 points); 2. ability to explore the topic in depth (up to 5 points); 3. detailed and accurate knowledge (up to 5 points); 4. confidence in presentation (up to 5 points); 5. ability to argue (up to 5 points).

The course consists of lectures. Students attending the course will be assigned episodes from the TV series to analyse and present in class. The assessment of the presentation counts towards the final exam mark.