Comparative History (Czech Republic and Europe)

Lecturer:

Vratislav Vaníček (gar.)

Tutor:

Vratislav Vaníček (gar.)

Supervisor:

Department of Social Sciences

Synopsis:

This course does not intend to repeat basic information from history courses but to provide a comparative analysis of key trends in the development of society and the evolution of values. It will examine different interpretations of the past and point to the need for new approaches. It will examine the origins of European culture in antiquity and the specific characteristics appertaining to the emergence of Judaism, Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and Islam. The Czech Lands are regarded as a region in which Western and Southern ideas intermingle in a productive manner. Special attention is given to the rise of modern industrial society and its problems. Key stages and critical moments in Czech history are explained in a European context.

Requirements:

none

Syllabus of lectures:

Syllabus of tutorials:

Study Objective:

The course places particular emphasis on an appreciation of the common values found in Europe and in Czech historical development, particularly in the fields of culture, knowledge and human rights. Its aim is to provide means by which to discover a „European coherence“ underlying our attempts to define contemporary and past social problems.

Study materials:

The volumes in the series, Velké dějiny zemí Koruny české (Complete History of the Lands of the Czech Crown, 2000 et seq.) provide a useful picture of Czech history in a European context. An authentic understanding of Czech European policy can be found in T. G. Masaryk's Nová Evropa (The New Europe, re-published in Czech in 1994) and the same author's Světová revoluce (re-published in 2005 and once translated into English as The Making of the State). The Communist period is covered in works such as P. Pithart's study of 1968, Osmašedesátý (1990) and J. Suk's Labyrintem revoluce (TheLabyrinth of the Revolution, 2009).

Note:

Time-table for winter semester 2011/2012:

	06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Fri
Thu	roomTH:C-217 Vaníček V. 12:00–13:50 (lecture parallel1) Thákurova 7 (FSv-budova A) C217roomTH:C-219 Vaníček V. 18:00–19:50 (lecture parallel2) Thákurova 7 (FSv-budova A) C219
Fri

Time-table for summer semester 2011/2012:

Time-table is not available yet

The course is a part of the following study plans: