Prague Course Descriptions

Classes will be scheduled four days per week (most likely Monday through Thursday).

Required Courses
ANT 283  Czech Language 1 (2)
WRI 315  Writing Workshop (6)
WRI 316  Investigative Travel Journal (1 or 2)
WRI 374  Literature in History—History in Literature (3)
WRI 375  Cezch Literature (3)
Total Credits 15 or 16

ANT 283
Czech Language I (2)
This introductory course is designed to enhance and enrich the student's experience in Czech Republic. Conversational skills are the focus. By concentrating on the differences and similarities between Czech and English, the students understand the basics of Slavic languages in general, and become familiar with the basic vocabulary and structure of Czech.
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WRI 315
Writing Workshop: The Writer as Witness (6)
This ongoing writing workshop uses creative writing as an investigative tool for students to explore their understanding and experience of Czech culture and society. Students develop and sustain a daily writing practice, participate in numerous writing experiments and exercises and produce a finished body of creative work by the end of the semester. We work with weekly writing exercises and a broad range of readings and examples to stretch our writing and thinking in new directions. Students become allies in one another’s creative process, inspiring and challenging one another to write vividly about people, places, events and ideas.
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WRI 316
Investigative Travel Journal (1 or 2)
This independent study is designed to help students explore a new city through the eyes of an investigative writer. Students visit a city of their choice (outside of the Czech Republic) and develop a travel project unique to that destination. Each student creates a travel journal using documentary, journalistic and investigative poetics techniques, such as personal interviews, research, nonfiction travel writing, poetry, prose and multimedia visual and sound collage. Investigative travel journals explore themes related to place, history, documentation, personal narrative and intercultural experiences.
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WRI 374
Literature in History—History in Literature (3)
An examination of the general history of the Czech Lands (historically the Bohemian Lands) since primeval times till present. Students study the history of the peoples in this territory (ancient cultures, Celts, Germanic tribes, Slavonic tribes, Czechs, Germans, Jews, Slovaks, Roma, other minorities). We also consider the broad geographical context (the Czech Lands, Central Europe and Europe) and thematic context (political, social, cultural history). Special attention is paid to the role of literature and writers in the general history of the Czech Lands—"literature in history"—and to the view of Czech history through literature—"history in literature."
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WRI 375
Czech Literature (3)
Students survey a range of Czech literature in translation and explore main directions in the millennium history of Czech writing and poetics. This course provides background for the understanding of literary topics through discussions of major cultural and societal events and their reflections in significant prose and poetry by Czech authors. We start with the legends of the venerable chronicler Cosmas and move through the centuries to focus on the twentieth century: works of writers like Kafka, Hasek, Capek, Hrabal, Skvorecky, Klíma and Kundera are discussed together with contemporary, post–Cold War representatives like J.Topol.
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Optional Classes

Yoga Class
Each week we will have an optional evening yoga class with local faculty member Pavel Hucek, a Czech yoga teacher with more than twenty years’ experience . The class will be based in the tradition of hatha yoga, exploring breathing techniques, yoga philosophy, and basic asanas. The class will be conducted in Czech, with translation provided by Jolana Dvorakova.

Movie Night
Once a week we’ll get together to watch a film program curated by Jolana Dvorakova. Jolana will show her favorite Czech films from the 60’s (the best period in Czech film, according to Jolana) and the 90’s. This weekly optional event is a great entryway to a deeper understanding of Czech history, culture, temperament and humor.

See also:

Course Descriptions