Comprehending Canada
COIL course

online

13 June – 24 June 2022 

The Faculty of Arts of the Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic invites to a Collaborative Online International Learning course Comprehending Canada organized on 13 June – 24 June 2022.

Students are introduced to the study of Canada and its society, identity, culture, economy, and politics. This course brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts in Canadian Studies whose insights will allow students to gain a better comprehension of Canada. By synthesizing these approaches, we develop a unique and more comprehensive understanding. We explore Canada by looking at its development, its evolving sense of national identity, and the challenges of Canada’s ongoing evolution and survival. We look at Canadian people and how they live in Canada. Subjects covered include: national identity, diversity in Canadian society, race, and ethnicity, Indigenous Studies, Canada-US relations and the border, natural resources, the environment, and the economy, immigration and refugee policies, Canadian narratives as seen in culture, film, and literature.

The first week consists of online activities prerecorded lectures, online discussions, and the production of 5 response papers. In the second week, there will be online real-time activities and there will be one introductory lesson on June 14, when the whole course is launched, presented and the team is introduced.

Instructors

Jeffrey Ayres – St. Michael´s College (Burlington, U.S.A.)

Jeffrey Ayres is Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, USA. He teaches courses and conducts research broadly in the areas of comparative and international political economy, regionalism and global governance and Canadian and North American Politics.

Magdalena Fiřtová – Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic)

Magdalena Fiřtová is an assistant professor at the Institute of International Studies Charles University, Prague. Devoted primarily to Canadian studies, her work focuses on the political economy of North America.

Denisa Krásná – Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic)

Denisa Krásná is a doctoral student at the Department of English and American Studies, Masaryk University, Brno. She specializes in Indigenous studies and literatures and Critical Animal Studies, connecting gendered colonial violence and exploitation of nonhuman animals. Her case studies include Indigenous decolonial movements and literatures in Mexico, Canada, and Hawaii.

Richard Nimijean – Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada)

Richard Nimijean is a member of the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton University. His teaching and research focus on the Canadian national identity, the politics of branding Canada, Canada as a global actor, and the field of Canadian Studies.

Tomáš Pospíšil – Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic)

Tomáš Pospíšil works as an associate professor at the Department of English and American Studies, Masaryk University, Brno. His research areas include Canadian feature film, African American screen representation, and the reception of American culture in the Czech lands.

Schedule

June 14, 14:00 CET
Introductory meeting

June 20, 14:00 and 18:00 CET
National Identity, Diversity, Race, Ethnicity (Nimijean)

June 21, 14:00 and 18:00 CET:
Indigenous Studies, Literature, the Environment (Krásná)

June 22, 14:00 and 18:00 CET:
Canada-US Relations, the Border, Refugees (Ayres)

June 23, 14:00 and 18:00 CET:
The Economy, Natural Resources, Immigration (Fiřtová)

June 24, 14:00 and 18:00 CET:
Culture and Film (Pospíšil

Course Format 

Students will be able to access recorded lectures, readings, and other resources that must be looked at prior to class meetings in a Moodle site (ELF) hosted by Masaryk University. We will then explore subjects in greater detail in twice-daily 90-minute (maximum) meetings. 

Credits

Participants who accomplish the course will be granted 10 OZN.

Registration

The course is open to BA and MA students. In order to take part in the course, contact Ms. Denisa Krásná, den.krasna@mail.muni.cz. Students will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

News

ASC Library closed during the Easter holiday

March 22, 2024

During the Easter holiday (March 28 – April 2, 2024) the ASC Library will be closed. Have a great Easter break!

News

The classes offered by the ASC are canceled from March 25th to 27th

March 21, 2024

From March 25th to 27th, the classes offered by the ASC are canceled, while other, non-ASC classes (physical education, languages. OGUN) will proceed according to the schedule.

American Studies Colloquium Series

March 21: American-German Relations: From Partnership in Leadership to War in Ukraine

March 21, 2024

We are pleased to invite you to the third lecture of the American Studies Colloquium Series in the 2023/2024 Spring semester! The lecture will try to outline the historical roots of the complicated relations between USA and Germany as well as focus on the recent debates surrounding the war in Ukraine.

Year 2023/2024

March 19: The Algernon-Gordon Effect: Rethinking Human-Animal Relationships

March 19, 2024

Weird Fictions Research Group proudly invites you to the next “Weird Medicine” event! During this workshop, we will reflect upon the potentialities of Daniel Keyes’ Hugo Award-winning short story “Flowers for Algernon” (1959) to challenge—or not—our relationship with laboratory animals.

News

ASC Offices Holiday Break

March 19, 2024

From March 28th to April 2nd, the Students’ Affairs Office will be closed due to the Easter break. On April 3rd, the Students’ Affairs Office will be closed because of staff training.