CZS58 Current Political Developments in Europe: A View from the Visegrád Group

Pan-university studies
Spring 2019
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Vladimir Dordevic, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Eva Taterová, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Violeta Osouchová
Pan-university studies
Supplier department: Pan-university studies
Timetable
Thu 21. 2. to Thu 16. 5. Thu 13:00–14:30 KOM 206
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 12 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course is conceived to give students a complex insight into trends and events related to current political processes and developments in Europe from a Central (and Eastern) European point of view. Four countries, that is Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, constitute the given region. In that regard, the course is to enable students to fully understand not only historical perspective of the given region (as provided in the beginning of the course), but chiefly comprehend major political and societal issues EU has been facing for quite some time now. Therefore, the course is primarily focused on discussing the following topics: migration, BREXIT, major security concerns, as well as rise of populism and nationalist tendencies in recent years. Studying these particular topics is both interesting and valuable because it allows participating students to not only get a better understanding of the given region in terms of its past but also enable them to understand current political trends and processes both in Central Europe and EU as a whole.
Syllabus
  • - Introduction: Basic info on the course and its organization - Historical background of the Višegrad group - The Višegrad group in current perspective - Migration to Europe I: Czech Republic and Slovakia - Migration to Europe II: Poland and Hungary - BREXIT and Euroscepticism in Višegrad I: Czech Republic and Slovakia - Midterm exam - BREXIT and Euroscepticism in Višegrad II: Poland and Hungary - Main Security Issues in Europe I - Main Security Issues in Europe II - Rise of populism in Europe I - Rise of populism in Europe II - Final exam
Assessment methods
Assessment method:
Mid-term exam: 25 %
· Consists of 5 open questions requiring short answer. Goal is to check whether students acquired basic factual knowledge in the first part of the course. Literature and lecture content will be both included.
Final exam: 40 % · Final exam will consist of four open questions which will require longer answers. Students will be asked to prove that they acquired knowledge about the topics covered throughout the course and can critically discuss the dynamics in the region.
Five position papers 25 % (each position paper is for maximum of five points for the paper and for the active presence in the class). · Students will choose five topics according to their interest from the second part of the course (after the mid-term exam) and write a position paper. If a student submits more than five position papers, only five with the best scores will be counted to the final assessment. Each position paper is about two standard pages long and consists of a short summary of the assigned literature, its critical analyses and subsequent discussion of the topic in the Central European context.
Participation and activity in the class: 10 % Students are expected to participate in classes. In case of missing a class due to reasonable reasons, points will not be deducted. Furthermore, active participation is expected. Students are strongly recommended to go through the assigned reading before the lecture and join discussion during the classes.
Final assessment:
A: 100 – 90 % B: 89 – 80 % C: 79 – 70 % D: 69 – 65 % E: 64 – 60 % F: 59 – 0 %
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
Teacher's information
http://cic.muni.cz/cs/left-incoming-mobility/incoming-student/incoming-student-exchange/incoming-student-exchange-cesp
This course is offered as part of the CESP - Central European Studies Program, for more info about the program and more courses offered through this program, please see the website above.

MU assumes that students are familiar with study regulations and they refrain from fraudulent fulfilment of their obligations, especially plagiarism, that is, appropriation of somebody else’s thoughts for one’s own and publication of thoughts of other authors without proper quotation. Plagiarism represents a most serious offence in the academia as it contradicts the mission of the university and meaning of studying. From legal point of view, plagiarism equals a theft of someone else’s intellectual property. Fraudulent fulfilment of students’ obligations is not tolerated under any circumstances and each such case will be punished by conditional expelling from the university. Students are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the issue of plagiarism and the ways how to avoid it.

The course is also listed under the following terms spring 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2019, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/cus/spring2019/CZS58