Anglophone Studies - anotace předmětů
1. semester
Conceptual Model of Anglophone States´ Foreign Policy
This Masters‘ course will explore the basic concepts of foreign policy of Anglophone countries, namely Great Britain and the USA. It will begin with an introduction to the historical perspective and will analyse both the British and American concept of foreign policy and the Special Relationship between Great Britain and the USA. It will examine the colonial legacy; the role of pressure groups in foreign policy; the role of language and the role of Commonwealth.
Anglosphere
By the end of the course students will have a deepened understanding of the historical, political, socio-cultural and economic interrelationships between those English-speaking countries influenced by the British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. Through participation in lectures students will develop their critical faculties regarding the past, present and future importance of the commonalities between countries in the Anglosphere.
European Union in Global Policy
The course aims at introducing the European Union as a unique actor in the context of the international system. The concept of EU “actorness” will be examined from the theoretical perspective of the integration theories and the Foreign Policy Analysis, by analysing the contribution of the EU Member States to the European foreign policy, and by presenting the various external activities which the Union pursues. After completing the course, students should be able to evaluate the relevance of the EU in international relations, the contribution of various actors and institutions that constitute the EU foreign policy, and gain awareness of the problems and challenges that the EU faces in this area.
Contemporary British Literature
The course aims to deepen students’ awareness of modern British literature, reflecting our conviction that students of English need to have substantial knowledge of the literary underpinning of the language they are studying. The syllabus encompasses the most significant fiction authors, poets and playwrights in twentieth-century British literature. Many of these have been distinguished with prestigious literary awards, and have exercised a major influence on the socio-political climate in their country and beyond. Apart from imparting pertinent information, the course seeks to foster meaningful discussion, to sharpen students’ analytical skills, to improve their oral and written communication, as well as to spark new appreciation for literature.
English Language I.
In this course, learners are aiming to refine and practice their language at the Council of Europe level C2. Learners should be able to understand a range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Students should be able to express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions and use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
English Language I. – Spoken Variants of Contemporary English
The course develops analytic skill and knowledge of sound structure of English in its numerous dialects and sociolects. The general introduction presents elementary concepts of accent description and is followed by accounts of those forms of spoken English which are encountered most commonly. Foreign accentedness and its effects in communication are also treated as an important topic.
Academic Writing
This course provides an overview of areas of English language academic writing at a level fundamental to the knowledge of a university graduate. Whilst it recognises that English is students’ second language the course seeks to achieve both a knowledge and practice of academic writing sufficient to enable students to approach dissertation writing with awareness. In addition to the lectures, which will combine theory with practical examples, students will work on practice models between scheduled classes. Practice tasks will be handed out at the end of each class and the due date will be prior to the following class.
Highlights of British Literature
The course is subtitled: “Central myths and heroes in British Literature”. The aim of the course is to provide the students with an insight into the constitutive thematic elements in British literature in chronological development, on the basis of representative textual examples. The structure of the sessions consists of consecutive treatment of six prototypical figures in English literature that have reflected the British cultural imaginary, in two parallel texts from different historical periods in each case. The individual sessions will instruct students in reading, interpreting and evaluating skills applied for the study of British literature, and help them develop a critical understanding of it by means of a selection of its representative textual examples. Students will achieve an understanding of the ideas and literary genres that define the development of British literature, and acquire a foundation for advanced studies in the field. All readings will be considered in their literary and historical context so that the students will gain an understanding of the historical, cultural and philosophical influences behind the literary works.
2. semester
Foreign Policy of Great Britain
This course offers an in-depth exploration of modern British foreign policy, from the later nineteenth century to c. 1990. The principal theme under consideration is the decline in Britain ’s global status, and the ways in which British foreign policy reflected, accelerated or attempted to defy this reality. Over the course of four meetings we will examine the ‘splendid isolation’ doctrine of the late nineteenth century, the impact of World War I and the policy of Appeasement, Great Britain and the Cold War, and Great Britain and European integration. There will be an emphasis on in-class discussion, based on prior reading of relevant material, which will help to broaden and enhance the student’s general academic skills as well as their understanding of the topic.
Australian and Canadian Political Systems
This Masters‘ course will analyze the Australian and Canadian political systems in depth. It will focus on the electoral systems, party system, the foreign policy and economic and security relations of the two respective countries. It will begin with an introduction to the historical perspective and analyze the influence of the British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. It will also discuss which system – British or American – is the predominant one in regards to both political systems. Both systems derive from British heritage but throughout the 20th century they were highly connected to the new global power – the United States of America .
International Organizations
The course explains history, functioning and role of international organisations. It introduces main theoretical concepts which provide students with necessary knowledge in order to analyse development and activities of selected organisations. Furthermore, it examines case studies of recent international events giving the students an opportunity to critically analyse concrete actions of international organisations and thus to understand their potentials, limits and effect on the global development.
English Language II.
This course aims to familiarise students with various approaches to the study of English texts. Since the meaning of a text depends on the language of the text itself, on who produced it and who is responding to it (M. Stubbs), we shall deal with the ties forming the internal structure of the text (cohesion and coherence), its inter-textual relations (text types, text colonies), and the role of the context. The course also aims to provide students with analytical skills and practical ‘know-how’, including the introduction to using the British National Corpus, that will enable them to carry out their own linguistic research projects.
Specific Terminology of the Study Programme
The aim of this course is to familiarize learners with the language of authentic news reports, texts and articles related to various topics in the English-speaking world. These topics include government and politics, economics, education, and social trends and characteristics as well as the changing role and nature of the English language itself. The course expands participants’ vocabulary so that they are well-equipped to deal with topics related to the area of English-speaking countries. The course encourages participants to use complex, but authentic, structures in appropriately extensive contributions. The course is taught interactively and a discursive environment is encouraged. Individual presentations and group discussions are a key focus of the course and participants are expected to participate actively in these. They are also expected to complete practical tasks such as making drafts, taking notes and producing summaries of texts in a range of registers, e.g. academic, or popular news.
The Colonial Legacy
By the end of the course students will have a deepened understanding of the complex social, cultural, geographic and economic legacies of the British Empire on the Anglophone world. Through participation in lectures and seminars students will develop their critical faculties regarding the inheritance of imperial structures and discourses in a postcolonial world. The course has a cultural focus but additional perspective is provided by examining the political and economic legacy of the ties which once existed through Empire, e.g. in the notion of Special Relationships between Anglophone countries. Culturally, we enter the territory of literature and mainstream media and examine how images of ‘others’ were constructed during Imperial times and their persistence in modern cultural discourses.
Fine Arts and Music in Anglophone Countries
This course is a basic introduction to visual arts and music of the 20th century in Anglophone countries, particularly the UK and US. The course will provide students not only with a factual knowledge of art movements and notable artists‘ works, but will also enable students to discuss, react, and analyze art from an informed personal perspective. Art and music will be discussed separately, but connections between the two genres will be explored. Upon completion of the course students will have the historical knowledge, academic lexicon, and critical eye necessary to explore today’s English-speaking fine arts and music culture.
3. semester
Foreign Policy of the USA
Kurz Zahraniční politika Spojených států amerických je určen pro studenty magisterského studia. Cílem je nejen podat studentům základní přehled o koncepci a praxi americké zahraniční politiky od vzniku USA až do současnosti, ale také poukázat na hlavní konkrétní problémy, s nimiž se americká zahraniční politika musela (musí) potýkat, a to jak ve vztahu ke vnitropolitickým poměrům, tak s ohledem na její postavení v „regionu“ (Severní, Střední a Jižní Amerika) a – přirozeně – v kontextu mezinárodních vztahů. Druhým cílem kurzu bude seznámit posluchače s některými klíčovými texty (Jefferson, Kennan, Kissinger etc.), bez nichž nelze zahraniční politice USA (a de facto ani americkým dějinám jako takovým) plně porozumět
English Speaking Countries of the Developing World – Africa
This course analyses major issues of the Anglophone Africa from the perspective of social sciences, particularly social anthropology, political science and history. Lectures will focus on the various processes – British colonization of Africa during the Scramble for Africa, the processes of decolonization – with the aim to understand better the historical, political, economic and socio-cultural development in the West, East and Southern Africa. The second part of the course will focus on the selected postcolonial states in sub-Saharan Africa that struggle with the colonial legacy of British acculturation. Lectures will draw on the knowledge of Africa derived from research conducted on the continent both by the lecturer herself and other domestic and foreign Africanists.
English Speaking Countries of the Developing World – Indian Subcontinent
The course will try do give a basic introduction into the political development of the countries of the Indian subcontinent with focus on India. The issue of political development will be explained on the background of a broader context of cultural and social traditions of the region. “Politics” will be understood as both formal and non-formal systems of structures, movements and action.
Major Contemporary Authors Writing in English
The course aims to deepen students’ awareness of modern British literature, reflecting our conviction that students of English need to have substantial knowledge of the literary underpinning of the language they are studying. The syllabus encompasses the most significant fiction authors, poets and playwrights in twentieth-century British literature. Many of these have been distinguished with prestigious literary awards, and have exercised a major influence on the socio-political climate in their country and beyond. Apart from imparting pertinent information, the course seeks to foster meaningful discussion, to sharpen students’ analytical skills, to improve their oral and written communication, as well as to spark new appreciation for literature.
English Language III.
The aim of this course is familiarize learners with the language of authentic news reports, texts, and articles related to various topics in the English-speaking world. These topics might include politics, education, culture, sociological trends, and the changing role of the English language itself. The course expands learners’ vocabulary so that they are able to discuss issues relevant to the Anglophone world today in-depth.
Shapes of American Art
The course is comprised of a number of lectures, where students achieve an oversight of the most important art periods and their representatives in American art. The aim of the course is a short introduction of American art history to the student, who will be acquainted with art from the 18th Century to contemporary art. However, there will be no particular emphasis on history itself, which will serve as a time frame, but on the art of important artists and comprehension of their work. The majority of the course will focus on the art of the 20th Century and its crossover, in order for the student to be able to cooperate with contemporary cultural and art institutions from Anglo-American countries. Learning will be supported by a large amount of visual documentation and chosen essays, relating to American art, written by art historians from Britain or the US .
4. semester
Language Policy in Anglophone World
The course offers an in-depth analysis of the Language Policy in the world; it provides students with historical context and theoretical background. It analyses the problematic issues of Language Policy in different Anglophone countries (the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India , European and other countries). The course also explores the future of Global English.
Modern Drama in English
The course examines the complex relationship between modern drama in English and different kinds of socio-political reality. By way of introduction, it looks at the appeal for an objective representation of reality posed by realism and naturalism, and points out the problematic nature of these approaches. It moves on to examine Brecht’s call for an explicitly political theatre with a didactic purpose, and continues by analysing the seemingly apolitical nature of the post-WWII theatre of the absurd. The discussion of these seminal strands of modern theatre then serves as the basis for the examination of English, Irish and American drama in the second half of the 20th century. The examination is to cover the most important canonical playwrights, discussing their work in its socio-political context again. In particular, the course focuses on the treatment of violence totalitarianism, colonialism, sexism and racism. Special attention is paid to the variety of theatrical and mimetic modes utilised by the individual playwrights in order to address these issues. A central question that the course poses concerns the situation and power of theatre in the modern era. What do these plays indicate about the chances of influencing politics through art? Is art supposed to serve as a mirror of society, is it meant to act as a political force, or is it supposed to stay oblivious to the society’s conflicts and pressures?
English Language IV.
This course aims to familiarise students with various approaches to the study of English texts. Since the meaning of a text depends on the language of the text itself, on who produced it and who is responding to it (M. Stubbs), we shall deal with the ties forming the internal structure of the text (cohesion and coherence), its inter-textual relations (text types, text colonies), and the role of the context. The course also aims to provide students with analytical skills and practical ‘know-how’, including the introduction to using the British National Corpus, that will enable them to carry out their own linguistic research projects.
Political, Cultural and Social Aspects of Development in Great Britain after the Second World War
The course will analyse the nature of political, cultural and social changes in British society from 1945 to the beginning of the 21st century. It will focus both on reflection and interpretation of these changes in various art genres, namely fiction and films.
Political, Cultural and Social Aspects of Development in the USA after the Second World War
The course will analyse the nature of political, cultural and social changes in American society from 1945 to the beginning of the 21st century. It will focus both on reflection and interpretation of these changes in various art genres, namely fiction and films.
Recent and Contemporary Trends in Literary and Cultural Studies
The course aims to introduce students to the main features of English and American aesthetic and literary theories and to the major developments in literary criticism from the Renaissance to the present time.
