Prague Courses – 2024 Spring

Expand All

Studying abroad can be a more meaningful and invigorating learning experience than at home—both inside and outside of the classroom. You may be more curious and alert than you usually are so use this heightened energy to enhance your studies as well as your cultural and geographical explorations. You may also encounter different teaching styles and course processes; be prepared to adapt and to learn.

Academics

Students may enroll in 12 to 18 credits per semester comprised of a two-week Intensive Czech Language and Culture course plus electives in Czech language, European politics, culture and the arts.

Course availability is contingent upon student enrollment and is subject to change.

Click the course title to view course details, description, and availability.

Spring Semester

Language Courses

All students are required to take the two-week Intensive Czech Conversation and Culture course. Advanced students have the option to take advanced Czech language courses through Charles University.

• Czech Language for Daily Communication I

  Spring

  Czech 100-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course is designed to facilitate the acquisition of basic Czech language patterns and pronunciation,

  to increase the communicative abilities of students and help them develop the language skills needed

  for everyday discourse, and to revise and extend the knowledge of core vocabulary. Students will have

  the opportunity to practice language skills through in-class activities and listening exercises.

• Czech Language for Daily Communication II

  Spring

  Czech 100-level 3 credits Taught in English Cancelled

  This course provides the linguistic tools necessary both for students to make themselves understood as well as to enable them to gain a better understanding of the way of life in the Czech Republic. Throughout the course, lessons will be sequenced from presentation activities to guided practice activities to communicative activities. Because language practice should be meaningful, it will be communicative and based on situations with the emphasis on real language. Listening activities also be incorporated into the lessons to improve students´ aural abilities. The material covered during the

  semester will be reviewed so as to build upon and reinforce the students’ knowledge base.

  Prerequisite: Czech Language for Daily Communication I, or equivalent

• Intensive Czech Language and Culture

  Spring

  Czech 100-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The course focuses on providing students with basic skills needed to communicate on a daily basis. This course includes basic grammar, conversation, listening and reading comprehension.

  Required for all students.

European Politics, Culture, and the Arts

• Alternative Culture, Literature, Music, and Lifestyles

  Spring

  Anthropology Sociology 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course provides critical insights into a social function of modern and postmodern art, street-art, underground, dissent, alternative, experimental, performance, situationist, alter-globalization movement, etc. Multidisciplinary perspectives of cultural, literary, and media studies are explored. Seminal readings on the listed topics are used to discuss the practices of ‘alternative’ urban lives in postindustrial society and certain trends of artistic production. Focus is on political interpretation of youth subversion and disclosures of power mechanisms. Visuals and field trips to diverse events and sites are a part of this course.

• Art Photography

  Spring

  Art 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  In this course, students will explore photography as an expression of the creative mind. The focus will be on photographic style, interpretation of individual bias, aesthetics, and societal and cultural influences. Students will challenge themselves to develop strong theoretical knowledge of a variety of photography genres, such as documentary, abstract, and action, and apply their knowledge through hands-on activities and field trips throughout Prague. This course will explore technical applications, such as exposure settings, framing/cropping, angles, focal length, composition, and depth of field, and how these manipulations of technology influence the perception of the photograph. Readings and course discussions will encourage students to think critically about current topics debated in the photography world, including the extent to the medium's contribution to art and the artistic comparison of nude art and soft pornography.

• Czech Cinema - Image and Memory

  Spring

  Art English Film 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The course will offer intensive insight into the Czech cinema. The aim is to show different faces of Czech filmmaking, i.e. the variety of approaches toward the film media. Alongside the classic Czech movies, the students will have a chance to watch and analyze experimental films, the documentary, and poetic film.

• Czech Cooking and Cuisine

  Spring

  Nutrition 200-level 1 credit Taught in English

  The course is based on the principle that cooking is a way to get to learn the culture and language of the Czech Republic. The theoretical part of the course consists of discussions and readings on the history, geography, and social customs of the country. Students will learn about Czech traditions, traditional holidays, as well as about the local cuisine; additionally, they will have the chance to sample some typical Czech dishes. The practical side consists of learning to prepare, as well as to taste, various Czech dishes.

• Czech Society: Transition from Communism I

  Spring

  History Sociology 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The objective of the course is to help students better-understand the nature of the socialist dictatorship, the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of the transition, and the complex problems associated with the memory of communism. Each class will include a short introductory lecture followed by a presentation and discussion of the readings, film screenings, fields trips, and discussions with guest speakers.

• Diplomacy and Its Language: The Art of Restraining Power

  Spring

  Political Science 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course takes a synchronic as well as diachronic approach to diplomacy and provides inter-mediate level of insight into what diplomacy is, what its role in international relations is, and what unique tools and instruments it uses. It is partly based on the case study and an exploration of Czech and U.S. foreign policies, both historical and current. It also makes excursions to the major and paramount diplomatic events in the 20th century in Europe and in the world. The emphasis is placed on the current international issues as a result of policies and diplomatic actions. It also discusses EU, its major bodies and mechanisms on which EU operates on the international political scene.

• European Integration: Past, Present and Future of the European Union

  Spring

  Political Science 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The very existence and the radical enlargement of the European Union is becoming one of the defining events of the early twenty-first century. The students will get acquainted with history and ideology of European unification process which still play an important role in both philosophical and political discussions of many Europeans. The emergence and transformation of political institutions is the essential part of the class. The collapse of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe 1989 posed new challenges, culminated in the decision to massively enlarge which has presented new problems: the necessity to write a comprehensive Treaty for Europe. The analysis of the new Reform Treaty (The Treaty of Lisbon) for Europe and the process of its ratification will be one of the central parts of the course. Special attention will be dedicated to the financial crisis in the EURO-zone.

• Experiments in Czech Film

  Spring

  Art Film 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The course will offer the insight into the Czech cinema from the "other side". The aim is to show different faces of Czech filmmaking, i.e. the variety of approaches toward the film media. Alongside the classic Czech movies the students will have a chance to watch experimental films, the documentary, and poetic film. They will learn what magic realism and surrealism is and how these two "ism"s present themselves in the cinema. They will watch the films of a variety of genres, mainly those that are very unique for the European cinema (e.g. Western). They also will watch the films that to a certain extent, experiment with the form of the film - using interesting flashback pattern or excluding a spoken word.

• From Medieval to Contemporary: Exploring the Great Art and Architecture of Prague

  Spring

  Architecture Art 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The course is a survey of styles, trends and movements focusing on the fine arts and architecture in Prague and the Czech Republic against the background of European influences. It covers the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods, up to Modernism and the Contemporary art scene. Special attention will be paid to the unique characteristics and developments of art (e.g. Prague Castle, Baroque churches, Czech cubism) and to the most significant periods in Czech history (era of Charles IV, Rudolf II). Tours, field trips and visits to museums and galleries are a substantial part of the course.

• Modern History of Central Europe

  Spring

  History 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The course will provide the students with basic knowledge of the Modern Central European political, social and cultural history. For practical reasons, the course will primarily use the example of Czech history in order to stimulate independent reflections of other cultures, seemingly familiar yet very different from that of the students. It will compare and contrast the Czech modern experience with the histories of other Central European countries, which all historically shared the same fate of small nations between two large historical rivals: Germany in the West and Russia in the East. An integral part of the class will be several field trips.

• Stalinism in Eastern Europe

  Spring

  History 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The establishment of Communist systems of government in Russia and postwar Eastern Europe was a major phenomenon in 20th-century European history. The ideological basis of these governments was a creative adaptation of Marxism, an innovative alternative to classical capitalism, in reaction to world wars, economic crises, and new international power relations. Stalinism emerged as a striking phase in the development of the communist movement involving intense power struggles and highly developed systems of oppression and corruption, as well as relative economic development and the emancipation of privileged social strata.

  The objective of the course is to help students examine the role of the Stalinist era in the region’s history. Each class will include a short introductory lecture followed by a discussion of the readings, film screenings, field trips, and debates with guest speakers.

• The Global Food Challenge

  Spring

  Agriculture Geography 200-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Food is central to our lives; this is so in many more ways than the action of eating to sustain body and brain. Food is embedded in culture and acts as a strong, binding link between families and societies, and even between societies as food products and recipes travel the world. More importantly, what is less known is that food production and consumption stand at the crossroad of the big world challenges that humanity faces: hunger, poverty, energy, environment, climate change, and population growth. Finally, access to food is a condition to the political stability of a country as mass demonstrations against high food prices (known as ‘food riots’) have shown in recent years.

  The objective of the course is to help students understand the multiple roles that agriculture, food production. and consumption play in the XXI century, as well as how they can act as both a problem and as a solution to the world challenges ahead of us.

  The lecture will be divided in 3 parts:

  - The global challenge of food security

  - Agriculture at the crossroads of other global challenges

  - Transformation of food systems

  Each lecture will include a short introductory lecture, followed by a presentation and discussion of the readings, film screenings, and field trips.

• Vienna and Budapest Field Study

  Spring

  History Political Science 400-level 1 credit Taught in English

  Students will gain an introduction to the culture and civilization of Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary, both in historical and contemporary social and politics perspectives.

  Co-requisite: enrollment in the optional Vienna and Budapest Tour

  This course has an additional fee

Business and Economics

• Global Economy

  Spring

  Economics General Business 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This multi-disciplinary course covers different aspects of globalization. Special attention is paid to the environmental, cultural and economic dimension of globalization-international trade and the role of multi-national corporations (MNC’s).

  The aim of the course is to help students to understand the process of globalization and its influence on the world economy. It explains the dynamics and importance of internet and mass media for fostering cross-cultural communication. The course combines theoretical approach with case studies and practical discussions. Students are expected to follow press and electronic articles to be able to participate actively

• International Management

  Spring

  General Business Management 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course examines the challenges facing managers that are competing in a global economy. We will devote our attention to strategic management in a globally competitive environment and the role of culture in motivation, leadership, communication, negotiation, decision-making, HRM practices, and the management of a multicultural workforce abroad or at home. We will cover the process of management based on both the macro (organizational) level of environment and strategy and the micro (interpersonal) level of culture and human resources. Some of the critical topics to be explored include:

  • The international environment: politics, economy, culture, technology, and law.

  • Managing international strategic planning and implementation.

  • Managing people and processes across borders and cultures.

  • Ethical dilemmas in international management.

• Principles of Macroeconomics

  Spring

  Economics 200-level 3 credits Taught in English Cancelled

  Description not available at this time.

To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu

Field Studies

Optional field studies are an excellent way to deepen your academic experience abroad. During your 1-credit field study course, you will participate in carefully planned excursions that allow you to explore the cultural, historical, and natural features of the Czech Republic. These overnight field experiences, combined with required academic components such as readings, research, and written assignments, will increase your understanding of the sites and locales visited.

Internships

For eligibility requirements and application information, see the USAC internship page.

For more information about placement options, see the Prague internship page.

Host University Courses