USESE0022 Visegrad and European Integration

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Summer 2012
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Vladimír Baar, CSc.
Institute of Central European Studies – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Prerequisites
basic knowledge of development of political structures and integration processes
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the subject is to introduce the historical connections as well as other political, economic, social and cultural factors which have been influencing past and current development in post-communist central European countries - Czechoslovakia (the Czech republic, the Slovak republic), Poland and Hungary. Following historical courses of this study programme, the course will try to involve how the western influences (western European countries, Germany) and eastern influences (Balkan countries, Russia/Soviet Union) were expressed and mixed in narrower central European region and how these influences defined its development and perception of its own identity. From this point of view the stress will be put on the period beginning in the 90´s of the 20th century, when after the decline of Soviet block and fall of totalitarian regimes the possibility of full-value cooperation between sovereign democratic countries of central and east Europe appeared in an effort to secure own political and economic interests without direct influence of neighbouring aggressive superpowers, later also in the frame of security and economic area of united Europe. The graduates should be able to consider consequences of present development of region and specific features of individual countries when evaluating possibilities and overcoming obstacles of further development of international and trans-border cooperation on the level of regional and local autonomies, private subjects and non-profit organizations existing in Visegrad countries.
Syllabus
  • 1. Central Europe as specific region (different concepts, different approaches to understanding of central Europe in Czech, Polish and Slovak and Hungarian society)
    2. Habsburg monarchy as central European political, economic and cultural unit
    3. Central Europe between wars - new borders, new states, new relations
    4. Central Europe in Soviet block - change of internal and external relations
    5. Changes of central Europe after 1989 - relaxation of natural links and relations, foundation of new states (Slovakia)
    6. Foundation of Visegrad, its motives, causes, aims. The role of important personalities in origin and formulation of sense of existence of community
    7. Internal links and relations of Visegrad countries - their development and current state
    8. Political and economic impacts of Visegrad cooperation in individual counties
    9. External links and relations of Visegrad group(towards Russia, Germany, Austria, EU, NATO) - their development and current state
    10. Cooperation on regional development and overcoming of barriers within Visegrad, aim and action of Visegrad Fund
    11. Visegrad in EU - new facilities and changes of mutual cooperation of member countries
    12. Other central European integration processes (CSFTA, CEI) and other parallels of Visegrad (Benelux, Baltic states, countries of former Yugoslavia
Literature
    required literature
  • VYKOUKAL, J. a kol. Visegrád. Možnosti a meze středoevropské spolupráce. Praha: Dokořán, 2003. info
  • ROSŮLEK, P. - CABADA, L. Evropa národů, patriotů a integrace. Pelhřimov: Vyd. A nakl. Aleš Čeněk, 2002. info
    recommended literature
  • KŘEN, J. Dvě století střední Evropy. Praha: Argo, 2005. info
  • HLOUŠEK, V. - SYCHRA, Z. (Eds.). Rakousko v evropské a středoevropské politice. Brno: MU - MPÚ, 2004. info
  • KONTER, L. Dějiny Maďarska. Praha: Nakladatelství LN, 2002. info
  • WANDYCZ, P. S. Cena svobody. Střední Evropa v dějinách od středověku do současnosti. Praha: Academia, 1998. info
  • KOVÁČ, D. Dějiny Slovenska. Praha: Nakl. LN, 1998. info
Teaching methods
Interactive lecture
Assessment methods
Written exam
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Teacher's information
Knowledge in the content extent (selected chapters of compulsory literature) and lectures
The course is also listed under the following terms Summer 2013, Summer 2014, Summer 2015, Summer 2016.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Summer 2012, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/fvp/summer2012/USESE0022