Advanced Czech for Foreign Students I
| Type of study | Follow-up MasterBachelor |
|---|---|
| Language of instruction | Czech |
| Code | 712-0063/01 |
| Abbreviation | CJ-I |
| Course title | Advanced Czech for Foreign Students I |
| Credits | 2 |
| Coordinating department | Institute of Languages |
| Course coordinator | Mgr. Karolina Slamová, Ph.D. |
Subject syllabus
1. Introduction. Differences between Formal and Informal Czech. Linguistic intuition and stylistic layers. Review of verb valency (prepositional phrases) that challenge even advanced learners.
2. Academic Writing I – Formal Correspondence. Writing emails to instructors, formal applications, motivation letters, and communication with the study department. Using the formal "you" (vykání) and the conditional mood (polite formulas); forms of address and titles in the Czech context.
3. Academic Writing II – Structure of Technical Texts. How to write an abstract, introduction, and conclusion. Paraphrasing and citing (plagiarism prevention). Passive voice – reflexive and participial (e.g., „je vyžadováno“ vs. „vyžaduje se“).
4. Argumentation and Discussion. How to express agreement, disagreement, and doubt. Participating in seminars and professional debate. Linking expressions and logical connectors (although, nevertheless, therefore, provided that...).
5. Presenting Professional Topics. Presentation structure, charts, and process descriptions. How to speak "off the cuff" (extemporaneously) before an audience. Numerals and their declension in a professional context (data, percentages, units).
6. Working with Technical Texts and Terminology. Reading and analyzing professional articles (based on students' fields – engineering, economics, science). Word formation (prefixes, suffixes) – how to derive nouns, verbs, and adjectives from a single root.
7. Czech in Administration and Legislation. Reading internal regulations (directives, university rules). Understanding "officialese" (bureaucratic language).
8. Media and Public Discourse. Current events in the Czech Republic. Verbal aspect (perfective/imperfective) and subtle semantic differences.
9. Socio-Cultural Competence and Phraseology. Idioms, sayings, and metaphors appearing in everyday speech and media. Particles and filler words (vlastně, prostě, jako, totiž, sice) – how to sound natural.
10. Working with Texts. Modal verbs and expressing degrees of certainty and probability.
11. Job Interviews and Professional Profiles. Preparing for an interview in the Czech environment. Passive participles and verbal adjectives.
12. Practical Workshop – Project Presentations. Students present their projects (e.g., seminar paper topics or research). Receiving feedback on delivery, pronunciation, and stylistic accuracy.
13. Final Summary, Test, and Evaluation. Review of the most common mistakes. Final test focused on practical application (rather than just theory). Reflection on progress and recommendations for further self-study.
2. Academic Writing I – Formal Correspondence. Writing emails to instructors, formal applications, motivation letters, and communication with the study department. Using the formal "you" (vykání) and the conditional mood (polite formulas); forms of address and titles in the Czech context.
3. Academic Writing II – Structure of Technical Texts. How to write an abstract, introduction, and conclusion. Paraphrasing and citing (plagiarism prevention). Passive voice – reflexive and participial (e.g., „je vyžadováno“ vs. „vyžaduje se“).
4. Argumentation and Discussion. How to express agreement, disagreement, and doubt. Participating in seminars and professional debate. Linking expressions and logical connectors (although, nevertheless, therefore, provided that...).
5. Presenting Professional Topics. Presentation structure, charts, and process descriptions. How to speak "off the cuff" (extemporaneously) before an audience. Numerals and their declension in a professional context (data, percentages, units).
6. Working with Technical Texts and Terminology. Reading and analyzing professional articles (based on students' fields – engineering, economics, science). Word formation (prefixes, suffixes) – how to derive nouns, verbs, and adjectives from a single root.
7. Czech in Administration and Legislation. Reading internal regulations (directives, university rules). Understanding "officialese" (bureaucratic language).
8. Media and Public Discourse. Current events in the Czech Republic. Verbal aspect (perfective/imperfective) and subtle semantic differences.
9. Socio-Cultural Competence and Phraseology. Idioms, sayings, and metaphors appearing in everyday speech and media. Particles and filler words (vlastně, prostě, jako, totiž, sice) – how to sound natural.
10. Working with Texts. Modal verbs and expressing degrees of certainty and probability.
11. Job Interviews and Professional Profiles. Preparing for an interview in the Czech environment. Passive participles and verbal adjectives.
12. Practical Workshop – Project Presentations. Students present their projects (e.g., seminar paper topics or research). Receiving feedback on delivery, pronunciation, and stylistic accuracy.
13. Final Summary, Test, and Evaluation. Review of the most common mistakes. Final test focused on practical application (rather than just theory). Reflection on progress and recommendations for further self-study.
E-learning
Self-study of the relevant units available at lms.vsb.cz