This course provides exposure to the Czech cultural environment while examining authors, texts, images, and films. It shows the diversity and creative capital of Czech society. It introduces the Czech New Film Wave, which attracted international attention in the 1960s. Students are expected to utilize their comprehensive skills and employ critical thinking concerning a variety of topics in Czech and Central European culture. The historical and theoretical context will be provided, explored, and discussed. As a map of the journey into Czech and Central European consciousness, soul, and values essays will be read, and topics, themes, and popular imagination of the 20th century analyzed.

Description: In the 19th century, each European nation tried to write their foundation myths, stories of how they came to their homeland and how they started their cities. Readings: Alois Jirásek. Old Czech Legends. UNESCO Collection of Representative Works of European Series, Forest Books, 1992. “Jiří Trnka – Walt Disney of the East!” By Edgar Dutka https://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.04/5.04pages/dutkatrnka.php3 Lucie Česálková (ed.): Staré pověsti české https://www.apparatusjournal.net/index.php/apparatus/article/view/144/372 Film: Old Czech Legends excerpts: Bivoj and Přemysl https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=427992477812695 38.00- 42 Final projects possibilities: Slavic mythology Assignments/deadlines: None What are the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of the Czech people? How do they manifest in literature and film?

Wycliffe´s children. Church reform. John Huss: Seek the truth, hear the truth, teach the truth, love the truth, speak the truth, defend the truth unto death. Can this be the meaning of Czech history? How successful was Otokar Vávra´s 1954 take on the charismatic preacher in connecting his ideas to the ideas of communism?

Revival of Czech language and culture in 19th century. Ethnographic work of Němcová and Erben.

Film: The Trial

The hundredth anniversary of Kafka´s death in 2024 inspired whole fireworks of commemorations, exhibits, lectures, new books and events. Let us join the million admirers of Kafka´s work and bow to the writer of universal human anxiety.

Karel Čapek and T.G.Masaryk talk together about their newly free country, Czechoslovakia. film: Talks with TGM, 2018 Jakub Červenka

Closely Observed Trains 1966 Czechoslovakian New Wave coming-of-age comedy film directed by Jiří Menzel and is one of the best-known films of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Based on Hrabal´s novel of 1965.

Essay on one of the studied topics (will be announced on the day of the midterm) The required length is 750 words. When answering the essay question, please, include: 1. Title of your essay. 2. Thesis statement in your introduction (introductory paragraph). The thesis statement should be elaborated in the following paragraphs. 3. Use data, facts, names, connections, and background to support your thesis. 4. Include at least five references to our lectures and readings. 5. In your conclusion, summarize the main points of your paper and interlink it with your thesis statement. 7. Use academic language free of errors.

From Firemen´s Ball to Amadeus

The best party is the Communist Party. If anyone asks what an author's film is or how philosophy, politics and subversive humor can be organically connected, or what the Czechoslovak cultural elite looked like in the 1960s, watch this opus by Jan Němec and Ester Krumbachová

Description: Description: Daisies is arguably the most controversial film of the Czech new wave. With its complex layers of meaning its has been puzzling the film critics and audiences alike, resisting any simple interpretations. Assignments/deadlines: blog entry; response to two peers (5 points)

Description: Who was Václav Havel? We know he was a playwright, dissident with years in prison, president, human rights champion. We are still working out his ability to unite people and guide them with slogans like “Truth and love must win over hatred and lies”. While much of the elites of the Soviet bloc immigrated to the West, he stayed and led the country in the velvet transition from communism to democracy. It seems every country in trouble needs someone like him. Reading: Václav Havel: Garden Party excerpts; Spiritual history of Havel by MC Putna Assignments/deadlines: blog entry; response to two peers (5 points)

first Oscar for a post-socialist Jan Sverak for the description of 1980s

Research Paper: Students will be asked to produce a research paper of about 2400 words (10 pages), which will require you to locate and read materials other than those that are provided as part of the course. For this paper, students will write e.g. about a particular phenomenon of Czech culture, totalitarian experience, issue, or movement, e.g. Milan Kundera, Bohumil Hrabal, Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Václav Havel, Jan Palach, beer, athletes, visual arts, music, humor, etc. The paper may compare Czech culture issues with a different geographical locale. Avoid overviews, always pick a focus, e.g. not “Havel” but “Havel and film”. There must be an original title and pages should be numbered. You are advised to use your course texts as a start or as a means of generating possible topics. Database search required. During the final day of class, students will present their research topics and findings in short, informal, presentations (slide show welcome). Presentation worth 5 points of the 30

The euphoria hit the country. Borders open, free speech, Czech crown convertible in 1997. Globalization set in. And yet it is the old story of young people searching for love, happiness, connection.

Description: Jára Cimrman Lying, Sleeping 1983 (film) Reading: on Jára Cimrman Assignments/deadlines: blog entry; response to two peers (5 points)