Czech Language and Literature

Degree programme objectives

The M.A. programme Czech Language and Literature is aimed at B.A. graduates of Czech Language and Literature who are striving at completing specialized training in the field of Czech studies, form both literary and linguistic points of view. The offered courses reflect the present-day state of scholarly knowledge of the Czech language and literature, offering students with complex information on the development of contemporary Czech, on its developmental tendencies and on the character of its structure (from the typological point of view), in the sphere of literature offering the deeper knowledge of Czech and international theoretical approaches to literature, extending the knowledge of development of Czech literature and literary history from the methodological and interdisciplinary points of view and providing an insight into the history of world literature, developing the capacity to analyze literary as well as scholarly texts. The study programme is based on theoretical fundamentals of the discipline, but besides theoretical linguistic and literary courses offers also courses orientated practically. The study programme is designed to ensure that graduates are adequately prepared as far as qualification is concerned and are to the necessary extent professionally adaptable to situations and requirements of practical life. Graduates are able to hold positions the requirements of which include a complex knowledge of Czech language and literature, the capability to use the prestigious variety of Czech for the purpose of practical communication or readiness to hold leading positions in media and cultural institutions of various kinds. Graduates are also ready for Ph.D. studies of Czech language or Czech literature. The programme Czech Language and Literature offers several study plans. Students of the double-subject programmes may specialize by choosing suitable selective courses, focusing on some aspects of Czech studies from literary or linguistic points of view (theoretical approaches to literature, Czech literature and its contexts, literature for children and youth, cultivation of language, computer linguistics, theories of grammar). Students may also choose from three specializations that will enable them to deepen their knowledge, skills and competences in one of the following spheres of Czech studies: a) graduates from the specialization Czech studies from the linguistic point of view will gain deeper knowledge in the sphere of linguistics, in which the focus, besides theoretical studies, is on the development of elementary skills and competences of scholarly work (preparation, presentation and writing of a linguistic project, writing scholarly texts); b) graduates from the specialization Czech studies from the literary point of view will deepen their training in the spheres of theoretical approaches to literature (interpretations of texts and methods from the sphere of theoretical approaches to literature), of literary history and literary criticism, will gain skills in work with texts and in editorial work; c) graduates from the specialization Czech as a foreign language will get orientation in typological specifics of Czech and in issues of its theoretical as well as practically didactic treatment as the L2 language, will be able to teach Czech as a foreign language to various target groups of non-native speakers in the Czech Republic or abroad, will be ready to work in educational and cultural institutions focused on integration of foreigners. The specific feature of this specialization in comparison with teaching Czech as a foreign language at other universities is the accent on methodology using the knowledge of computer tools modern information technologies.