To improve their Czech, discover South Bohemian monuments and culture – fifty foreigners from all over the world have arrived at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice for the Summer School of Slavic Studies. They will spend three intensive weeks here focusing on the Czech language, literature, history, and trips to the beauties of the region. The traditional Summer School of Slavic Studies is organized by the Institute of Czech Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of South Bohemia. This year marks the 34th edition of this popular event.
The Summer School of Slavic Studies is primarily intended for international students, experts (teachers, translators, interpreters), and academics in the fields of Bohemistics and Slavic studies. However, all international enthusiasts of the Czech language, literature, history, and culture are welcome at the summer school. The course is designed for absolute beginners as well as intermediate and advanced users of Czech. This year's edition welcomes a record 52 foreigners from countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, and Mongolia, who want to learn or improve their Czech. Some students even register repeatedly.
"This is my fourth summer school in the Czech Republic, and my first in České Budějovice. These three intensive weeks will help me improve my Czech with native speakers, which is essential for my studies and future academic career, which I would like to pursue," explains Luna Šarič, a Croatian student of Bohemistics and philosophy in Zagreb. She speaks fluent Czech without mistakes, but she wants to refine her complex grammar and is also looking forward to an excursion to the Budweiser Budvar brewery.
Canadian Christopher Chang, who is currently studying comparative literature in Great Britain, also speaks fluent Czech. This year's summer school is his fifth in total, but it is also his first time attending it at the University of South Bohemia. "Your magnificent 20th-century poetry, the most beautiful in the world, brought me to the Czech language. The poems of Vladimír Holan and Jan Skácel, along with a deep literary tradition, won when I was deciding which language to learn. For a native English speaker, mastering perfective and imperfective verbs can be difficult, and I want to improve my Czech further. I am also looking forward to getting to know České Budějovice and the surrounding area," adds Christopher.
For three weeks, course participants, together with lecturers and colleagues, will delve into the secrets of Czech through language instruction—which includes practicing grammar, pronunciation, and reading—as well as through an accompanying program. They can look forward to lectures on linguistics, literature, and cinematography, as well as elective thematic seminars. "A new addition is specialized language seminars focused solely on complex grammar. We introduced these seminars based on feedback from students of the previous year," added Jan Lassner, organizer of the Summer School of Slavonic Studies.
The summer school is not only about intensive practice in the classrooms of the Faculty of Arts, USB. Participants can also choose from a diverse range of excursions and cultural events. "The program includes, among other things, two full-day trips. This year we are going to Český Krumlov and Hluboká nad Vltavou Chateau. Furthermore, we will visit the Budweiser Budvar brewery, the South Bohemian Museum, and the South Bohemian Research Library. Thus, participants of the summer school will get acquainted not only with the language but also with Czech culture during its course," describes Jan Lassner.
The Summer School of Slavic Studies has a long tradition at USB. Over the entire course of its existence, more than a thousand enthusiasts for the study of Czech have attended it. The Faculty of Arts, USB, stays in contact with some of the participants. "These are mainly male and female lecturers, but I myself occasionally write to students from previous years to find out how they are doing. Mostly, these are the ones who come to us repeatedly," explains Jan Lassner.
The Faculty of Arts, USB, also offers Czech language instruction during the year. These are intensive Czech courses for foreigners for both beginners and advanced learners. Information about these courses is available on the faculty's website.
