Literature and Intercultural Communication

The programme Literature and Intercultural Communication enables its students to understand the changing status of literature within cultural communication and to explore the complex strategies and devices that literature possesses. The programme is unique within the realm Czech philological-cultural studies, as it interfaces the studies of literary theory with the studies of translation, intermediality, adaptation, visual art and culture, thus following the current trends of interdisciplinarization of sciences and studies along with fulfilling the requirement that graduates be flexible in this way. It reflects the dynamic nature of media and cultural communication, the growing preference for visual – rather than verbal – representation of reality in a variety of discourse, and the shift towards multimedia representation, especially artistic forms. The objective of the programme is for the students to master methodological devices needed to analyse the literature and culture of the 21st century (literature and culture being broad concepts). The programme builds up the skills in analysis, interpretation and critical evaluation of literary and non-literary texts, art and popular culture, and the discourse concerning media and society. The nature of the programme leads to the expansion of competences in academic and creative writing, editorship and translation of various types of texts from a foreign language to Czech and vice versa.

Due to its characteristics, the programme brings together students of varying subjects, particularly those with a background in philology, cultural studies and theory of art. In doing so it creates working conditions for a discussion including multiple perspectives, thus fostering a viable environment for the programme’s study aims to be realized. Students are encouraged in uncovering connections between various cultural phenomena, foreign-language cultures, and traditional as well as modern media. The interdisciplinary nature of the programme ensures that its students are capable of understanding culture and literature in a way that would not be provided by studying the singular disciplines. Moreover, the ability to understand the mechanisms of culture enables them to actively participate in their creation.

The structure of the programme is set up so that the students are provided with a common methodological basis for studying literary and cultural phenomena, while utilising their existing knowledge attained in studying the disciplines it encompasses. The mandatory courses equip the students with a default set of knowledge and skills in key areas of study. Subsequently, the elective subjects offer the potential of broadening their existing knowledge and further develop their skills by applying them within one or more fields, based on individual preferences.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• to apply the knowledge of the basic principles of literary theory, theory of translation; intermedia, adaptation, visual and cultural studies;
• to analyse, interpret and critically evaluate literary and non-literary texts, art and popular culture, and media as well as societal discourse;
• to participate in an interdisciplinary dialogue while solving problems alongside scholars from different fields of study;
• to explain the changing status of literature in cultural communication;
• to understand the influence of new media on cultural and societal communication;
• to reflect on current phenomena, such as the multimedia nature of art forms, or the preference given to the visual representation of reality over its verbal representation;
• to navigate the field of European literature of the 20th and the 21th century in terms of broader cultural, historical, social and media contexts;
• to translate a text into Czech while respecting the aspects of cultural transfer, the needs and customs of academic or literary discourse, the rules of the genre and the individual specifics of the text and its communicative function;
• to create scholarly texts such as the academic study, lector assessment, literary critique, analysis and critique of translation, annotation of an academic or literary publication etc;
• to utilise basic knowledge and skills needed for editorial work.

Graduates of the programme can utilise the knowledge and skills obtained during their studies in a wide range of professions concerning culture – especially literature and other art forms. The programme enables its students to participate in answering broader intercultural and intermedia issues within society. In the education sphere, the programme creates general conditions for fostering interdisciplinary relationships; regarding culture, it provides flexibility in dealing with current issues of cultural communication in various types of media.

The programme equips its graduates to go on working as translators, editors, literary theorists, culture writers in print or electronic media, and lecturers of artistic and communication skills in education of adults. They can also utilise the knowledge attained in their studies in professions in the educational sector (teachers in philology, art teachers etc.), as well as government workers in the realm of culture.

The extent of the Master’s diploma thesis is determined by character count, which includes the text itself, annotations, and table of contents. It does not include works cited, title pages, or the statutory declaration. The recommended character count for a Master’s diploma thesis is 140 000 characters.

The Master’s diploma thesis is concerned with a particular topic within the field of literary studies, cultural studies, intermedia studies, or translation theory. The author is required to demonstrate their ability to create an academic text, i.e. craft a thesis, structure, and work schedule; find and work with relevant scholarly texts based on the topic of their thesis; use adequate methods to collect relevant research material; describe, analyse, interpret and assess the material collected. The thesis must fulfil the requirements of character count and sufficient quality of content, language and form.

Each thesis is evaluated based on the assessments of the supervisor and the opponent.

Graduates can enrol in a doctoral degree study programme in a philological or humanities field.