PRAGUE MAYMESTER RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
Each student will choose one topic from the following list and write a 5-6-page research paper following MLA (Modern Language Association) style format for documentation. The paper must contain at least a minimum of five sources. Consult the New Century Handbook or any other handbook that illustrates the MLA style.
The research paper is due at the April meeting. At this time, each student will present to the group the findings of the research (in approximately 10 minutes). Students also will prepare a one-page handout that briefly outlines the research information, making enough copies to share with the group. This “sharing” will provide a richer understanding of various elements of the Czech culture prior to our departure. In addition, while in Prague each of you will become the “expert” in your area of research informing the group of additional details.
Since the general theme of the course is “Thresholds,” you should provide a connection between this and your topic. Ask the following questions, for example: “How does the idea of crossing a threshold relate to my topic or some aspect of it?” “Does my topic encompass the idea of a place or point of beginning?” “Does it include the idea of an entrance or doorway?” “Does it indicate a passage that has not yet been crossed?” Ask any other questions that are pertinent to this general theme.
TOPICS:
Art: Medieval, Renaissance, Modern
Architecture: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modernist (Art Nouveau, Secessionist)
Medieval History, Religion, and Architecture (Romanesque & Gothic) – Cesky Krumlov as emblematic
Prague Statuary
History of Czechoslovakia: Fourteenth Century, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century (Golden Age of Bohemia)
Religious History of Czechoslovakia: Holy Roman Empire, Thirty-Years War, Jan Hus, etc.
Twentieth-Century politics/economics: Prague Spring, Velvet Revolution, International Business/Capitalism, Vaclav Havel
Music: Dvorak and Mozart—their connection to Prague
Literature: Franz Kafka
Jewish Culture of Prague & Terezin (Theresienstadt)
Josefov—The Jewish Quarter and Terezin (Theresienstadt)
As we visit the Jewish Quarter today, observe the area with its shops, people, synagogues, markets, and cemetery. Observe the culture of the locals and of the tourists, as well as the intermingling of the two. Are you an observer or a participant in the scene? Reflect on these questions:
and freedom? Why were many Jews academics and professionals?
sending them to extermination camps.
Why were lectures an important part of their existence there? Why was this camp called the “University of
the Abyss”? What does the art collected
there indicate? Analyze one work and
briefly reflect on its message or story.
IN JOSEFOV, STUDY FIVE TOMBSTONES AND SKETCH TWO OF THEM NOTING THE EPITAPHS, DETAIL WORK, AND DATES.
RESPONSE PAPER:
When you return from your field-study, write a brief essay following this structure:
Events What exactly are you observing?
Description Who is participating?
Who is witnessing the event?
What are the details of the setting (time, place, weather, any other significant contextual
details.
Interpretation What do you think “happened” here?
Analysis What in the initial description of the event(s) leads you to interpret what is happening in
the way you do? (What is the evidence for what you have read in the scene(s) you
witnessed?)
What assumptions did you have before you arrived and how were they confirmed or
altered? Did these assumptions affect your observations? What did you think about as
you observed? What connections did you make? What associations did you draw?
Spend no more than one hour writing this essay and submit it. This is one of the five mandatory essays.
As we visit the Old Town today, observe the area with its buildings, street vendors, outdoor cafes, tourists, and shops. How is public space used? How is private space used? Observe the sounds, sights, and smells. What generates the energy in the square? How does lighting affect the mood?
During the course of the study, observe the following buildings:
Church of St. Nicholas Hus Statue
Goltz-Kinsky Palace Bethlehem Chapel
House of the Stone Bell Tyn School
Church of Our Lady of Tyn Old Town Hall
Astronomical Clock
Reflect on the historical use of the square as:
Daily Markets Knights’ Tournaments
Pillory Scenes National Uprisings
Execution of 27 Noblemen
Transitions in governments as in the Velvet Revolution
Talk to people, both tourists and locals. Ask the same questions of each and note the responses. This ethnographic research requires sensitivity and respect.
Although you will observe all these sites, concentrate on one site or scene for your paper.
When you return from your field-study, write a brief essay following this structure:
Description of site or scene
Interpretation of its significance
Analysis of the experience including inferences such as “Why did you think that? Why
did you feel that? Why do you think they did that? What did you learn from this field
study?”
Write for no more than one hour on this essay and submit it. This is one of five mandatory essays.
As we visit the castle today (a microcosm of Czech culture), observe the surroundings carefully: the cathedrals, the parliament buildings, the square, the gardens, the guards, the wall, the shops, restaurants, museums, statuary, and so forth. Observe the culture of the locals and the tourists, as well as the intermingling of the two. Are you an observer or participant in the scene? Reflect on these questions:
1. What is significant about the location of the Castle in relation to the rest of Prague?
2. What are the implications of the location of St. Vitus Cathedral within the walls of the
Castle?
3. What is the architectural style of St. Vitus? What type of spiritual expression does the style
convey? What does the internal ornamentation depict? How do you feel as you walk inside?
4. How do the other buildings within the Castle contrast to the Cathedral?
5. What type of ceremony do you observe? Guards, etc.
6. What types of music do you observe? What are the cultural implications?
7. What types of paintings? What do they reveal about cultural elements?
8. In what quarter is Kafka’s house located? What is the significance of that particular section of the Castle? How does the fact that Kafka was a German-speaking Jew living here influence his narrative perspective embodied in Gregor Samsa the “monstrous vermin” or “bug” of Metamorphosis?
When you return from your field-study, write a brief essay in response to the above questions. Develop the essay by examining the implications for purpose, value, and lifestyle of the Czech culture.
Spend no more than an hour writing the essay and submit it. (We know; you could spend days on this assignment, but the fact is, time is short!) This is one of five mandatory essays.
**Just a reminder—you must hand in all five essay assignments to receive credit for this portion of the
course.
In today’s exploration of the city, observe street musical performances, examining the following in your journal response:
gender, other physical qualities, etc.
contrasts between performers and surroundings.
made it enjoyable or not enjoyable?
space?
Reflect again on the above observations and from this write a vignette (approximately half a page), creating imagery that conveys your vision of the whole experience. You want to capture the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch of the event.
The following vignette take from Listen by Joseph Kerman provides an example:
“Groups of revelers at a Mardi Gras celebration, or something of the sort, mingling on the streets of a town at nighttime. There is a group of hectic, nonstop dancers, and some others, each with their own music; they meet, greet each other, and pass each other by.
A military band, far in the distance—its banal march music distorted and transfigured by the magic spell of Carnival. . .
The music gets closer and closer. When the band catches up with us in a narrow street, we’re almost deafened by the sound echoing off the masonry. What ricochets off the masonry is, weirdly, not the march but the original hectic dance music.
The band vanishes, the revelry resumes. Night is speeding on. The merrymakers wander off to a distant part of town—we hear them only faintly. It must be nearly dawn before they finally pack up. The cymbal player from the military band, it seems, has joined them. . .”
How well does the building fit the site? Did the architect overlook any problems of use?
Do you consider the building beautiful or ugly? List characteristics that make it so.
How would you describe the shape of the structure?
What materials were used in its construction? Are they warm and friendly or cold/brutal?
Did the architect pay attention to detail? (For example, compare the frieze on the Parthenon in Greece with its sculptures depicting the triumphs of war in honor of their gods.)
How did the architect use color? Is it warm or cold color?
Can you imagine why the architects chose these colors?
How does the space make you feel?
Does the space draw you to the center?
What pathways (movement of people through space) does the space create?
What methods does the architect use to direct you in the space?
Are there obstructions?
Name several obstructions and decide if you think the architect planned them or were they later additions by the owners?
Did the architect make efficient use of space (For example, do the people move freely or is it hard to navigate the space?).
Do the different use of facilities have different colors?
Which areas are more calming or exciting?
How do the colors or shapes achieve such an effect?
What do you think the architects consider the most important function of the building?
How is the building divided functionally? If you were to design the space, would you combine spaces, integrate them, and mingle them?
How important is the building in the city as suggested by the size and prominence of the building?
How does it reflect the values of its time? Compare it to Chartres Cathedral. In the respective cities and time periods, which building assumes a more important role and why? If you are not familiar with Chartres, choose a different building in Prague.
What is the biggest difference between the two buildings?
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41. peristyle
42. pier
43. pilaster
44. refectory
45. revetment
46. soffit
47.squinch
48. surbase
49. tympanium
50. vault
51. voussoirs