Students from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia will be flocking to Olomouc in the coming weeks to learn Czech. This Sunday, Palacký University will kick off the 39th annual Summer School of Slavic Studies. This year, it will welcome 111 participants from dozens of countries around the world. In addition to intensive language instruction, they can look forward to a rich cultural program showcasing Czech history, literature, and traditions.
The 39th annual Summer School of Slavic Studies (LŠSS) will begin on Sunday at Palacký University. People interested in the Czech language will come to Olomouc from all over Europe, as well as from Egypt, the United States, Japan, Mexico, and Australia. Korea, Indonesia, and Singapore will also be represented. A total of 111 students will participate in this year’s program.
“Seventy-two-year-old Birgitte from Denmark and Ches from the United Kingdom, who is a year older, will be coming to study Czech with us. The youngest student will be 18-year-old Daria from Ukraine.” Pavla Poláchová, director of LŠSS.
“Seventy-two-year-old Birgitte from Denmark and Ches from the United Kingdom, who is a year older, will be coming to study Czech with us; they’ve been returning to our school for several years now. The youngest student will be 18-year-old Daria from Ukraine. We also have participants who are regular attendees. For example, Neal from France is coming for the sixth time this year,” said Pavla Poláchová, director of the Summer School of Slavic Studies.
The largest groups this year will be students from Germany and Taiwan, with fifteen participants arriving from each country. Poland will send a group of fourteen, and ten students will arrive from the United States. Once again this year, the registrants include foreigners who have been living in the Czech Republic for a long time. In addition, international staff members at Palacký University can take advantage of discounted participation rates.
Classes will be taught primarily by faculty members from the Faculty of Arts at Palacký University and external instructors.
“This year, too, classes will be taught by faculty members from the Faculty of Arts at Palacký University. They will be joined by our graduates and external instructors with extensive experience teaching Czech to foreigners. These include, for example, instructors who work at foreign language centers in Romania or Poland during the academic year,” added Pavla Poláchová.
In addition to intensive language instruction, the school will also offer an extensive accompanying program. Students can look forward to workshops focused on pronunciation, grammar, and conversation; lectures on Czech film, literature, and history; and new thematic blocks dedicated to legends of Czech sports or the phenomenon of Czech “tramping.” New additions will also include workshops focused on Czech surrealism and group poetry readings.
“We’ll be offering the first new addition to this year’s program right after the first day of classes. In the evening, we’ll get together for an event called ‘Speed Dating: Get to Know the Other Students Quickly,’” said Pavla Poláchová.
As is tradition, the summer school program will also include three full-day field trips. This year, participants will visit Litomyšl, Luhačovice, the Modrá Archaeological Open-Air Museum, and Šternberk Castle with the Litovel Brewery. There will also be excursions, such as a visit to the Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc, themed historical walks through the city, summer open-air film screenings in the courtyard of the Faculty of Arts, and morning yoga classes organized in collaboration with the UP Akademik Sports Center. There will also be traditional folk dance and song workshops, a folklore evening with cimbalom music, a Glagolitic script workshop, and the popular international picnic, where students showcase specialties from their home countries.