EUP411 Making and Breaking of Central Europe

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2008
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Vít Hloušek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
prof. PhDr. Lubomír Kopeček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Jiří Navrátil, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Jolana Navrátilová
Timetable
Mon 14:00–15:40 U42
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is focused on description and analysis of late modern and contemporary political history of Central European countries. The course provides the students with historical and political understanding of basic societal, economic, and (mainly) political processes and developments in countries of Visegrad group - Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary. At the end of the course the students shall be familiar with the historical background from the first period of democratization (1890s till 1920s/1930s) and the shape of communist regimes after World War II including their legacy for the contemporary situation, with their different historical arrangements, traditions and developments (Austrian/Hungarian part of the Habsburg Empire; patrimonial, national-accommodative, and bureaucratic-authoritarian models of communist regimes), and with difficulties that had to be faced by Central European people during the 20th century.
Syllabus
  • 1. East Central or Central Europe? Concept of Central Europe from medieval times to present
  • 2. Habsburg Monarchy and its nations 1867-1918: failure of modernity attempt?
  • 3. Czech Lands before 1918 and the Czechoslovakia between wars
  • 4. Slovakia before 1918 and between wars, Slovak state (1939 – 1945)
  • 5. Czechoslovakia 1945-1992
  • 6. Poland before 1918 and 1918 – 1944/45
  • 7. Poland 1944/45-1989
  • 8. Hungary 1918-1945
  • 9. Hungary 1945-1989
  • 10. Annus Mirabilis and afterwards: democratic transition of Central European countries after 1989
Literature
  • WANDYCZ, Piotr S. The price of freedom : a history of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the present. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2001, xvii, 335. ISBN 0415254914. URL info
  • CRAMPTON, R. J. Eastern Europe in the twentieth century - and after. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 1997, xx, 526 s. ISBN 0-415-16422-2. info
  • The Columbia history of eastern Europe in the twentieth century. Edited by Josef Held. New York: Columbia University Press, 1992, lxix, 435. ISBN 0-231-07696-7. info
  • JELAVICH, Barbara. Modern Austria : empire and republic, 1815-1986. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987, xvii, 346. ISBN 0-521-31625-1. info
Assessment methods
Requirements of the Course:
Midterm written examination (0-25)
Final written examination (0-25)
Position papers (0-50)
Midterm and final exams:
In the midterm and final written tests, students will answer “open” questions focused on the problems presented in the assigned readings and/or discussed in the lectures and seminars. Each of the tests will be composed of five questions per 5 points. The midterm test will concentrate on the lectures 1-5, the final exam on the lectures 6-10.
Position papers:
Student has to produce written position papers for each lesson based on critical reading of assigned readings. Position paper should be two pages long (Times New Roman 12, double spaced). It should be composed of
(1) short recapitulation of main ideas of assigned readings;
(2) critical comments to it;
(3) two or three clearly formulated questions for class discussion.
Papers should be submitted at least two days before concerned lesson to teaching lecturer via e-mail. Papers will be graded (maximum 5 points each) and evaluation of position papers will be part of final grading.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
http://eupolitics.fss.muni.cz/docs/making_central_europe.pdf
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2008, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2008/EUP411