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Russian and East European Institute 
Czech Studies at Indiana University  Study
of the history, language and culture of the Czech Republic (and the former
Czechoslovakia) has been a part of the Indiana University curriculum for
East European Studies since the early 1950s. Czech studies is taught in
IU's Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures with support from
the Russian and East European Institute (REEI), a U.S. Department of Education
funded Title VI national resource center. The program offers:
- One of the largest concentrations of Central European studies specialists,
including Czech specialists in the United States;
- Two years of Czech language instruction during the academic year
with third-year level by arrangement and a summer intensive language
program;
- Library resources to support advanced research in Czech and Slovak
studies; and
- Relationships with Czech institutions of higher learning.
Faculty
Academic Program
Alumni
Summer Language Program
Resources
Cultural Activities
Faculty
 Bronislava
Volková (Professor of Slavic Languages & Literatures/Comparative
Literature), Director of the Czech Studies Program at IU, came to Indiana
University in 1982, having received her PhD from Charles University in
Prague and having taught previously at the University of Cologne and Marburg
(West Germany), as well as at Harvard and University of Virginia, Charlottesville
in the United States. Professor Volková teaches all levels of Czech
language and several literature, linguistics, and culture courses, including
History of Czech Literature and Culture, Contemporary Czech Literature
and Culture, The Prague School of Linguistics and Poetics, Central European
Literature between the Wars and Literary Texts in Totalitarian and Post-Communist
Society. A widely-published scholar, poet and translator, Professor Volková's
most recent collection of bilingual poetry Ze tmy zrozená/Born
out of Darkness (twin edition 2004-2005) was also produced as a multimedia
performance, as was her previous work Entering Light. A chapbook
from the English version of Transformations appeared by Backwoods
Broadsides, Maine in 2005. Her A Feminist's Odyssey through Czech
Literature was published by Edwin Mellen Press in 1997, and her Roztríštené
svety (Shattered Worlds, Selected poems) came out in Votobia, Olomouc
in 1995. The Courage of the Rainbow (Selected poems, New York:
Sheep Meadow Press) appeared in 1993 and her Emotive Signs in Language
was published by John Benjamins, Amsterdam in 1987. Her poetry and scholarship
has been translated into Czech, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Polish
and widely reviewed on both sides of the ocean.
Owen Johnson (journalism/history), a fluent speaker
of Czech and Slovak, was appointed in 1980. He recently returned from
a year of research on the current position of media in Slovakia. His research
was sponsored by IREX. He regularly teaches International Newsgathering
Systems, International Communication, and Russian and East European Area
Press Systems. He is co-author of Eastern European Journalism Before,
During & After Communism (1999) and author of "Failing Democracy:
Journalists, the Mass Media, and the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia,"
in Michael Kraus and Allison K. Stanger, ed., Irreconcilable Differences?:
Explaining Czechoslovakia's Dissolution (2000). He is a former winner
of the Stanley Pech Award from the Czechoslovak History Conference for
the outstanding article on Czech or Slovak history.
Jeffrey Holdeman, Slavic Language Coordinator, came
to Indiana University in 2002 after receiving his PhD from The Ohio State
University (OSU) where he studied Slavic linguistics. He is the departmental
advisor for undergraduate majors in Slavic Languages and Literatures.
Holdeman initiated and designed the OSU-Palacky summer intensive Czech
program in Olomouc, Czech Republic. He serves as a consultant for students
from Big Ten schools who are interested in participating in the OSU overseas
program.
 Several
other REEI faculty members specializing in East European studies serve
as mentors for students doing research on the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Maria Bucur (history) teaches East European history and
gender studies; Jack Bielasiak (political science) studies
transitions to democracy and post-communist electoral systems; Beate Sissenich (political
science) specializes in EU expansion; Charles Wise (public
and environmental affairs) offers courses in public affairs with an emphasis
on Eastern Europe; Carl Horne (Slavic cataloger for IU
Main Library) has taught Czech and is an invaluable resource for students
conducting research on Czech and Slovak subjects.
Academic Program
Indiana University's interdisciplinary program in East European Studies
presents students with several options for a course of study on the Czech
Republic. All students can enroll in up to three years of language instruction
during the academic year, and summer intensive language instruction is
available for the first year of study. Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships are available on a competitive basis for graduate students
pursuing Czech language study during both the academic year and summer
session.
 Undergraduate
students pursuing a bachelor's degree in virtually any discipline or professional
school can include Czech studies in their course work and graduate with
a minor from REEI. REEI offers a master's degree in Russian and East European
studies for students seeking professional careers in government, nonprofit
organizations, or private business that requires advanced knowledge of
the language and culture of the Czech Republic. The Departments of Comparative
Literature, Slavic Languages & Literatures, History, Anthropology,
and Political Science offer MA and PhD degrees which may include a focus
in Czech studies. Students pursuing a PhD in most disciplines and professional
school graduate students (MBA, MPA, MLS) can also pursue course work in
Czech studies toward a dual MA degree, Graduate Area Certificate in Russian and East European Studies, or PhD minor.
Please click here for
a listing and description of all Czech classes taught at Indiana University. To read about REEI students involved in Czech studies read the February 2007 issue of REEIfication.
Alumni
James Felak (MA/PhD History 1985/1989) is currently
an Associate Professor of History at the University of Washington.
Sibelan Forrester (MA/PhD Russian Literature 1985/1990)
is currently an Associate Professor of Russian at Swarthmore College.
She previously worked was an Assistant Professor of Russian at Oberlin
College.
Mike Long (MA Russian Language 1984, PhD Slavic Linguistics
1994) is currently an Associate Professor of Russian and Director of Slavic
and East European Studies at Baylor University.
Eric Metzger (MA West European Studies 1996) is currently
the NATO Staff Officer, HQ, AIRNORTH. Previously, he was a Deputy Defense
Attache and Security Assistance Officer in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Rebecca Olson (MA/MLS REEI/School of Library and Information
Science 1999) works as a patent researcher/reference librarian for one
of the top IP law firms in the country. She uses her language skills (Czech,
Russian, and a smattering of other Slavic languages) to verify patent
information and conduct legal and business research.
Brian Randall (MPA School of Public and Environmental
Affairs 2002) serves as a Foreign Service Officer in Azerbaijan.
Deanna Wooley (REEI/History) received a Fulbright Award
to the Czech Republic for the 2004-2005 Academic Year.
Summer Language Program
Indiana University has an intensive summer language program open to
IU students, students from other universities, upper-level high school
students, nondegree students, and members of the community. The Summer
Workshop in Slavic and East European Languages (SWSEEL) offers a full
year of beginning Czech language training in a single eight-week, intensive
summer session, mid-June to mid-August each year. By special agreement
with the Indiana State legislature, all summer intensive language students
pay tuition at the in-state rate ($2127 for 10 credit hours in 2005).
Fellowship awards for tuition and a stipend are available on a competitive
basis. In some summers, IU receives funding from the American Council
for Learned Societies to offer Czech tuition-free to graduate students
working in any field related to Eastern Europe. More information on the
language program and financial aid is available at the SWSEEL
website.
Exchanges and Study Abroad
 Undergraduates
may choose to participate in the IU-CIEE study abroad program in Prague
at Charles University. More information on the Prague program can be obtained
at Office of Overseas Study. Graduate students in Czech studies at IU regularly receive national grants to fund dissertation research and language study in the Czech Republic from agencies such as IREX, Fulbright, American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), and the Rotary Club. IU is a member of the Committee for Institutional Cooperation, which in cooperation with Ohio State University and Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, offers summer language courses of special interest to graduate students.
Czech Resources
Library
Indiana University's Czech collection is among the top five at university
libraries in the United States. The Indiana University Main Library has
more than 28,000 volumes in the Czech language, nearly 43,000 volumes
about Czech topics, and subscriptions to 180 Czech serials. These works
are supported by strong holdings for East European studies, such as our
complete holdings of Foreign Broadcast Information Service: Daily Reports,
Eastern Europe, the Joint Publications Research Service East Europe publications,
and all of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty materials. The library
also has important non-print materials, including the CD-ROM of the Czech
National Bibliography. The internationally known Lilly Library also has
a sizable collection of rare Czechoslovak-related books, manuscripts,
and papers. Two of the most prominent collections include: the correspondence
and papers of Alice Garrigue Masaryk, sociologist and daughter of Tomas
Garrigue Masaryk, president of the Czechoslovak Republic, 1918-1935. The
letters from Alice's sister, Olga Revilliod, and friends are in Czech
and date from 1949 to 1966; a collection of Vaclav Hlavaty’s scientific
and political writings and speeches ranging from 1942 to 1969.
Video Library
Czech Films can be checked out from the Russian and East European Institute
for loan without charge to instructors and students for use in the classroom
and curricular development. Some of the Czech films in the library include:
Divided We Fall (2000), Closely Watched Trains (1966), Intimate
Lighting (1965), My Sweet Little Village (1986), A Report
On The Party and The Guests (1966), and Kolya (1996). Many
other feature films and documentaries are also available. Look here for a complete list of available video resources.
Cultural Activities
Indiana University combines the attractions of a small town (population
65,000) and a large cultural center which offers a wide variety of activities,
many connected to Slavic or Czech language and literature. IU's world-renowned
School of Music with leading performing artists on its faculty offers
regular operas, concerts and recitals. A number of film series, including
four to six Czech films per year, are presented on campus. Guest lecturers
in the area of Czech include prominent scholars, writers, and political
figures. Czech ambassador to the U.S. Martin Palous visited in 2002. Well-known
translator of Czech literature, Paul Wilson, visited in 2003. Czech coffee, sponsored by the Czech Club,
hour convenes every week at a local cafe for students of the language
to practice conversation with native-speakers. Please view the Coffee Hours flier for complete information.
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