CHID Prague Program – Autumn 2013
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CHID 471 C - Contemporary Czech Culture, Art, Music and Literature
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Instructor:
Mgr. Blanka Maderova, Ph.D.
Telephone:
(420) 608174134
Email:
[email protected]
Course Description:
The course will acquaint students with contemporary Czech art scene, its “roots” and
transformations from three different perspectives. First, the course will pursue how Czech visual art,
urban architecture, music and literature are connected with activism, minority groups and
mainstream culture. Second, focus will be placed on how to “read” contemporary urban
performances, literature and works of art. How and why do performances address and fascinate
their readers? What value-hierarchies and culture-changing signs do they produce? Third, the course
will familiarize students with the notions of performance art, digital media, counterculture, mass
culture and show their impact on Czech individuals and society.
The course will also elucidate the transitions in Czech art scene after 1989, together with their
socio-historical context. It will explore different understandings of post-communist movements as
represented in the performances by Czech artists. Czech art perspectives will be confronted with
Western literary and cultural criticism.
Student Learning Objectives:
Students will acquire both theoretical tools and practical experience to approach texts and
performances and develop awareness about how art and performance affect the contemporary
Czech society. Moreover, students will be provided with an insight into the concepts of
“mainstream” and “alternative” culture, technologies in arts, urban semiotics (including all cultural
codes, such as in slang, fashion, advertising etc.) and cultural identity as represented in selected
performances, concerts and exhibitions, coming from the Czech context.
Guest Lecturers and Speakers: Toybox, David Černý, Darina Alster
Grading policy
30% - Active class participation and regular class attendance (20%). One oral presentation of a text
or artist selected by the student (10%). Each student shall therefore give a short in-class
presentation, 10 min. long, once during the course. The presentation should 1) give a short
biography of the autor, 2) summarize his/her text or work of art, 3) focus on a theme that interests
the student (i.e. national identity, questioning gender roles, violence in the media etc.). The use of
powerpoint is possible but not required.
20% - 3 short multiple-question quizzes
20% - Mid-term paper. See more information below.
30% - Final project presented in class (in our final session). See more information below.
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Important note on your papers:
Your essays will be evaluated according to the following criteria: clear and coherent style,
knowledge of the subject proven by quoting authors covering the topic before you. Use the texts
from our Culture reader (you can also use the texts from the readers on History and Political
Science if you like). Internet sources are often problematic. If you quote them, print them out and
attach them. Make sure that it is clear what is your own commentary and what is quoted from
other sources. The authors of quotations must be mentioned in the Works Cited section at the end
of the paper. (You can find full references of the texts in the readers and other texts – and their
publishers, page numbers etc. - on www.books.google.com .) Involvement with Czech
surroundings is a plus: address institutions or individuals connected with your topic. Best grade is
given only to original papers, providing student’s own commentary. The work must have resonance
with materials covered in class: apply the terminology offered (i.e. when writing about new
media, use the terminology of McLuhan; when writing about Kafka, use the terminology of
existentialism etc.)
HU
UH
Late papers will be penalized by 0.1 from final grade for every day they are late.
Mid-term Essay
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Length: 3-4 pages, typed and printed
Format: in MLA style, 300 words/page, double-spaced
Quotations: Works Cited section at the end of the paper with full references of all the texts used
and quoted
Write your Mid-term essay about one of these topics:
1) Choose a building in Prague and describe its architectural style, history and/or mythology
2) Explore the notion of personal identity and relationship to others in Kafka’s Metamorphosis
or in Kundera’s Hitchhiking Game
Final essay
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Length: 8-10 pages, typed and printed
Format: MLA style, 300 words/page, double-spaced
Quotations: Works Cited section at the end of the paper with full references of all the texts used
and quoted
The question for your final essays is:
Which signs/changes/aspects of Prague did you find most intriquing in one of the following areas?
Choose one of the following areas:
Czech Architecture
David Černý and Political Art
Lenka Klodová and Gender in Art
Václav Havel – between theatre, rock and politics
Franz Kafka and Prague
Czech Music
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Deatiled Course outline
CZECH URBAN ARCHITECTURE
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Week 1: Architecture of Prague up to the 19th century: overview of Roman, Gothic,
Rennaissance and Baroque styles. Center vs. Periphery.
1. Introduction
Structure of the seminar, presentations, field trips, requirements
Introduction into Czech culture
2. Major architectural styles of Prague
Required Reading
Jane Pavitt, "The Shaping of Prague," p. 31-37
Jane Pavitt, "Introduction," p. 7-20 (up to Czech Cubism)
Week 2 Prague Architecture (20th century)
The city before, during and after Communism
1. Field trip: visit to Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral
2. Art and Architecture of the 20th century
Required Reading
Jane Pavitt, "Introduction," p. 20-27 (from Czech Cubism on)
Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis
CZECH LITERATURE AND THEATRE
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Week 3: Reading the City - Czech Literature and Theatre before 1989
Kafka and Magical realism, Existentialism and the Absurd. Kundera on identity
and role play
1. Field Trip : Kafka Museum
Required reading: Franz Kafka "Before the Law" - chapter from Kafka's Trial
2. Required reading
Milan Kundera, "Hitchhiking Game" – a short story from Laughable Loves
Week 4: Contemporary Czech Literature and Theatre
Post-communist literature and its directions, issues of globalization and postmodernism.
Cultural images; myths and archetypes in the Czech context.
1. Field trip: Václav Havel’s Library
Required Reading: Václav Havel, The Garden Party
2. Required Reading
Havel´s essay The Trial
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CZECH MUSIC
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Week 5: Rock&Roll in Czech society and politics from 1960s on
Subcultures, signs and social codes, languages of art (slang, fashion, ideologies): Punk, Rock,
Hip Hop in the Czech context
1. Field trip: visit to the Faust recording studio
QUIZ - in-class quiz about the topics covered in weeks 1,2, 3 and 4 (Architecture and
Czech Literature)
2. Required Reading
Sabrina Petra Ramet - "Rock Music in Czechoslovakia," from Rocking the State.
Analysis of rock and hip hop music videos by Czech artists: Plastic People of the Universe,
Lenka Dusilova, Sunshine, Psi Vojaci, Monika Naceva, Gypsy.cz, PSH, WWW
Week 6: Czech music before and after 1989
Classical music, folk music, Romani music
Mainstream vs. Alternative music
1. Required Reading
Romani lyrics and songs (provided by the instructor)
Czech folk music. Iva Bittova, Zuzana Navarova, Karel Kryl. Jarek Nohavica and the role of
the artist in a socialist state
2. QUIZ - in-class quiz about the topics covered in weeks 5 and 6
Field trip: After Velvet – exhibition at Dům u Zlatého Zvonu National Gallery
Gender in Art and Political Art: David Černý, Kovanda, Veronika Bromová, Lenka
Klodová, Radim Labuda
VISUAL ART
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Week 7: Visual Art in the Czech lands
Brief genealogy - pre-1989 and post-communist visual art. From Art Nouveau through
Cubism, Surrealism to New Media and Technologies. Toyen and Czech Surrealism. Gender in
Art. McLuhan and his concept of hot and cold media.
1. Required reading
Martina Pachmanová, "Toyen"
Jindřich Štýrský and Toyen, "Artificialism" and "Poet," in Between Worlds: sourcebook of
Central European Avant-Gardes 1910-1930, p. 588-592
Marshall McLuhan, excepts from Understanding Media
2. Field trip: Meetfactory
Week 9: Contemporary Czech Art/ Roots of Performance/ Art in Action
Art, Subversion and Politics - graffiti and comics
1. Required reading
Magid - "CAP", an article about the background of Czech graffiti
Pospiszyl - "Street Art"
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Researched names: David Černý, M. Knížák, Pasta Oner, Guma Guar, Rafani, Toybox,
Kovanda
New Media: Stanley Robotman Povoda, Jakub Nepraš
2. QUIZ - in-class quiz about the topics covered in weeks 7 and 9 (visual art)
Presentation of final papers
3. presentation of final papers
Readings:
Readings for each class are specified in the course outline.
All required texts are available in the course READER and distributed to the students.
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