FF:CORE099 Civil Society - Course Information

CORE099 Civil Society and Human Rights in Eastern Europe

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Kateřina Špácová (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. Josef Šaur, Ph.D.
Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Josef Šaur, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts

Prerequisites

TYP_STUDIA(BM) && FORMA(P) && !(PROGRAM(B-RS_) || OBOR(FBRSpV))
The course is open to students in the full-time Bachelor's and five-year Master's programmes, with the exception of the Russian Studies programme.

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 100 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/100, only registered: 0/100, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/100

Course objectives

The students will get acquainted with the current role of civil society in human rights protection and democratization in selected Eastern European countries (Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan). One lecture will also be devoted to unrecognized territories (Nagorno Karabakh, Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia). The students will learn about the current challenges and recent successes of the local civil society, and about the support Czech, other European organizations, and the wider international community provide. They will learn about the various types of activities used for human rights and democracy promotion (incl. project management and advocacy campaigns).

Learning outcomes

The students will get a grasp of current human rights and democracy promotion issues in selected Eastern European regions and the ways used to improve the situation. They will do an in-depth study on one human rights topic of their particular interest, not limited by geographic region. They will have a chance to become more sensitive and empathetic to survivors of human rights abuses and to become aware of their potential in human rights protection.

Syllabus

• 22.2. Getting to know each other and the course. Basic geography and history of the relevant Post-Soviet countries. What are civil society and human rights? 29.2. Combating corruption in Eastern Europe. Guest: Svetlana Savitskaya, formerly Transparency International and Prague Civil Society Forum. 7.3. The work and persecution of the oldest Russian human rights organization and a Nobel Peace Prize lauriate, Memorial. Boris Belenkin, Memorial 14.3. Russia and Ukraine 2011-2022. The role of journalism in human rights promotion. Interaction with civil society. Guest: Vojtěch Boháč, VOXPOT. 21.3. The activities of People in Need Human Rights Department in Eastern Europe. Human Rights and the War in Ukraine. Guest: Nadiia Ivanova, People in Need. 28.3. Unrecognized Territories. Guest: Milan Štefanec, NESEHNUTÍ. 4.4. Ukraine: The emergence of the modern political nation of Ukraine: the role of the civil society. Guest: David Stulík, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, formerly Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine. 11.4. Advocacy campaigns, political prisoners and rehabilitation programs. Case study: Azerbaijan. Guest: Anna Zamejc, People in Need. 18.4.Reading week. 25.4. Environment and Sustainability - role of civil society. Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Vladlena Martsynkevych, BankWatch 2.5. Women's and LGBTQ+ Rights, case study: Armenia. Guests: Anush Poghosyan, Women’s Resource Center Armenia and Mamikon Hovsepyan, PINK Armenia. 9.5. Belarus: Revolution versus Evolution 2020, Democratic Forces, Role of the Diaspora. Guest: Kryścina Šyjanok. 16.5. Open-book test - at home 23.5. Follow-up on the test - discussion on the more challenging questions

Literature

required literature
• SNYDER, Timothy. On tyranny : twenty lessons from the twentieth century. First published. London: The Bodley Head, 2017, 126 stran. ISBN 9781847924889. info

recommended literature
• Authoritarianism goes global : the challenge to democracy. Edited by Larry Jay Diamond - Marc F. Plattner - Christopher Walker. Baltimore: John Hopkins university press, 2016, viii, 243. ISBN 9781421419978. info
• Belarus lives! Belarus fights! / Bělorusko žije! Bělorusko bojuje! Praha, Post Bellum, 2021. 217 pages.
• BOHÁČ, Vojtěch. Všechny cesty vedou k válce : příběh Ruska a Ukrajiny očima českého reportéra, 2011-2022. 1. vydání. V Brně: CPress, 2022, 424 stran. ISBN 9788026445272. info
• DRAŽANOVÁ, Adéla, ŠUPOVÁ, Tereza. Bělorusko na cestě ke svobodě. Praha: KNIHA ZLIN, 2021.
• HAVEL, Václav: Moc bezmocných/The Power of the Powerless
• Postcolonial Europe? : essays on post-communist literatures and cultures. Edited by Dobrota Pucherová - Róbert Gáfrik. Leiden: Brill Rodopi, 2015, 405 stran. ISBN 9789004303843. info
• SNYDER, Timothy: The Making of Modern Ukraine. YaleCourses, online lectures. http://bit.ly/the-making-of-modern-ukraine
• SNYDER, Timothy. The road to unfreedom : Russia, Europe, America. First published. London: Vintage, 2019, 359 stran. ISBN 9781784708573. info

Teaching methods

Home preparation: 1. reading and/or listening + a short reflection on the material, 2. reading short bio of the guests and preparing questions for them. In-class quizzes that check the students' understanding of the basics. In-class lectures and discussions with real-world practitioners. End-of-class reflection on the discussion and topic.

Assessment methods

Students will participate in minimum 10 topics. This can take the form of attending class sessions or providing written reflections on the assigned homework. Additionally, students will collaborate to prepare a team presentation, which will be recorded and uploaded for peer review. The final quiz will be open-book and taken at home before the last class. The course will culminate with a colloquium (groups of 8 students), where we will discuss our individual roles in promoting and protecting human rights.

Language of instruction

English

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.

Teacher's information

Mgr. Kateřina Špácová is a graduate of Masaryk University with eight years of experience working in non-governmental organizations. Her work has focused on supporting human rights defenders and civil society organizations in Belarus, Ukraine, and the South Caucasus. She has also lived in Georgia, where she worked to protect and strengthen human rights organizations in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Former employers include People in Need (Czechia), Civic Belarus (Czechia), and Human Rights House Foundation (Norway).

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/CORE099