Taught In English

There is no language prerequisite for courses at this language level.

Contemporary Politics in Central Europe
Lecturer: Jiri Holub
Office Hours: by appointment

Course Description:
This course examines Central European developments during and after the democratic revolutions of 1989. Students will be familiarized with main turning points of modern political history in Central Europe. Topics discussed include some comparative research into similarities and differences of such developments on the other hand. Lectures and discussions focus on the democratic revolutions of 1989, the institutional and international framework of the transition process and specific problems of democratization in Central Europe. Continuous attention will be dedicated to political elections in Central European countries (e.g. 2008 presidential elections in the Czech Republic).
Special attention will be paid to the effects of the enlargement of the European Union towards Central European countries after May 2004, especially due to the Slovenian presidency of the EU in the period in January-June 2008.
Course Learning Objectives:
By the end of the class the students will be able to outline main developments of Central European politics after the changes of 1989 and they will be able to analyze the effects of the EU integration process on this geopolitical region. According to the students´ academic interests they will be able to describe contemporary political developments in one of the Central European countries (e.g. Czech republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, Hungary) or be capable to compare some political trends in the whole geopolitical region (political systems, economic transition, cultural identity etc.) The weekly assigned readings will enable the students to discuss and interpret political literature concerning this area. Throughout class discussions the students will gain appreciation of the importance to study Central European languages. The base for future independent research will be laid.
Requirements:
General interest in European politics and in integration studies is expected. The course is based on active participation. The teacher will help the students choose and work on their final paper paying respect to their major and minor studies. Advice will be offered concerning individual travel plans in Central Europe. Readings will be assigned every week and discussed subsequently.
Class attendance is mandatory. The unexcused absences will be reflected in the final grade
The midterm test (app. 30 minutes) will be written in the classroom in the middle of the program.The midterm test will test basic acquaintance with the issues discussed in the first five weeks.
The final written exam in the classroom (app. 30 minutes) will test basic acquaintance with the issues discussed in the second half of the course.
The final paper ( 5-8 pages ) will be handed over for evaluation in the last week of the program. The selection of the topic will start by the end of March, the teacher will help with respective sources or interview persons.

Assessment:
The grading will be based on attendance and participation in the discussions, midterm test, final written exam and final paper.
- Class attendance and active participation: 20%, (1 absence will be tolerated but the make-
up test will be required)
- Midterm essay: 20 %
- Final written test: 20 %
- Final Paper: 40%

Bibliography:
The students will be offered regularly English-speaking articles on fresh developments in the countries under review (EU information, newspapers, academic journals).
- Ash, Timothy Garton: The Magic Lantern. New York, Random House, 1990
- Čornej, Petr-Pokorný, Jiří: A brief History of the Czech Lands. Praha, 2003
- Michnik, Adam: Letters from Freedom.University of California Press, 1998
- Sayer, Derek: The Coast of Bohemia. A Czech History.
New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1998
- The Reader on Central European Politics: Selected pages from different books.

Recommended readings:
- Ash, Timothy G.: History of the Present, London: Penguin 1999
- Olson, David M.: Political Parties and Party Systems in Regime Transformation: Inner Transition in the New Democracies of Central Europe, in Special Issue of The American Review of Politics, Vol.14, Winter 1993, pp.619-658
- Wolchik, Sharon L.: Czechoslovakia in Transition. Politics, Economy and Society, London and New York: Printer Publishers 1991
Recommended newspapers and periodicals:
Perspectives, Review of Central European Affaires /1991-2000/, publ. Institute of International Relations, Prague
Prague Business Journal, Prague
The Prague Post, English-speaking weekly
Transition, Prague Edition

Weekly structure of the course:
1st week
The introduction to the course is very much about terminological problems. From book to book and from article to article any student of the above-mentioned topics is confronted with inconsistent usage of geographic, political and ideological terms and concepts: e.g. East and Central Europe, European integration, Czech and Bohemian, totalitarian, communist or socialist, Austrian, German or German-speaking etc. Each term has one or more connotations and should be used adequately.
Different definitions of Central European space. This course will deal with major turning points in the modern political history (XX. century) of five Central European states: Czech republic, Slovak republic, Poland, Austria, Hungary.
Reading: Čornej,P.-Pokorný,J.: A brief History of the Czech Lands. Praha, 2003

2nd week
The World War I and the collapse of Empires. The new states in Central Europe.
The political history of Czechoslovakia 1918 - 1945.
Reading: Krejčí, Jaroslav
"Czechoslovakia at the Crossroads of European History" London, 1990 (selected pages)
3rd week
The political history of Czechoslovakia 1945 - 2006.
Reading: Krejčí, Jaroslav
" Czechoslovakia at the Crossroads of European History " London, N.Y., 1990 pp. 172 - 202
4th week
The political history of Poland.
Reading: Ash, Timothy Garton
" History of the Present " The Penguin Press, GB, 1999 (selected pages)

5th week
The political history of Austria and Hungary.
Midterm test.
Reading: The selected texts will be prepared by the lecturer

6th week
Spring break.

7th week
Evaluation of the midterm test
Convergent and divergent developments in Central European space after 1918.
Selection of the topics for the final paper.
General discussion.
Reading: Wandycz, Piotr S.
"The Price of Freedom" London, N.Y., 1993 (selected pages)

8th week
The democratic revolutions 1989 in Central Europe. Constitutional, political, economic and cultural changes.
Reading: Wheaton, Bernard - Kavan, Zdeněk
" The Velvet Revolution " Boulder, San Francisco, Oxford, 1992 (selected pages)

9th week
The economic transformation in former communist countries.
Similarities and differences in political transformation of former communist countries in Central Europe.
Reading: Henderson, Karen - Robinson, Neil
" Post-Communist Politics " London, etc., Prentice Hall, 1997 (selected pages)

10th week
The constitution as an expression of political philosophy of the respective country: the constitutions of the Czech and Slovak republics. Poland, Austria and Hungary.
Reading: The Czech Constitution. The Slovak Constitution.
The Polish Constitution. The Austrian Constitution. The Hungarian Constitution.
( The abbreviated texts will be prepared by the professor ).

11th week
Four years of the membership of Central European states in the European Union. The developments from May 2004 till April 2008.
Reading: EU documents

12th week
The ratification process of the new Reform Treaty for EU in Central European countries. Different positions of different political parties. The Slovenian presidency of the EU.
Final written exam.
Reading: EU documents

13th week:
The deadline for the delivery of the final paper (both the email and the hardcopy). Presentations of the final papers.
Evaluation of the course.