An intensive conversational course of Czech language designed to develop, at a very basic level, proficiencies in comprehension and speaking, and to introduce students to everyday culture of Czech life. Students will achieve elementary conversational skills in everyday situations including conversational keywords and phrases such as warnings, signs, personal contact words and phrases (identification, greetings, etc.), handling numbers (prices, money, Czech currency; basic weights and measures), time, making appointments, shopping (asking for things; shopping in the neighborhood stores; labels, notices), communication in restaurants, physical environment (asking the way, city transport), and travelling. The course consists of in-class lectures; excursions out of the classroom are organized where relevant. Course requirements: active participation, one final written and oral exam to summarize and test the content covered, results will be counted as part of the regular semester Czech course.

Marie Auerspergová

Charles University graduate who has lectured English at all levels and Czech to foreigners in various institutions. She currently offers regular classes in Business English and has published textbooks at the Prague University of Economics.

Jitka Kauerová

is a dynamic and dedicated instructor of Czech. She focuses on teaching Czech to English native speakers. For the purpose of CHP Czech language in­struction, she co-authored, together with Dominik Lukeš, a new Czech language textbook. She worked as instructor of Czech for Peace Corps Czech Republic as well as for major international companies and institutions (Citibank, Procter&Gamble, McKensey, Midland Bank, KPMG, British Telecom, Sony, etc.).

Karel Kučera

Dr. Karel Kučera, Professor of Czech Language, Charles University. Dr. Kučera is a specialist in the history of Czech who has extensive experience in teaching Czech to foreign students. He received his Ph.D. from Charles University in 1976 (dissertation The Language of J. A. Comenius' Czech Writings, Prague, 1980). He also published Loan Words in Czech (Prague, 1978), and The Czech Language in the U.S.A. (Prague, 1990), and co-authored A Small Dictionary of Old Czech (Prague, 1979). He has lectured abroad at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, and the University of Amsterdam. In 1985, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and spent three years as Visiting Professor at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. He is the author of more than 300 studies, reviews, articles, and essays.

Zuzana Vanišová

Senior Lecturer in English for Economics, University of Economics Prague; Czech Language Instructor and translator. She has taught English to Czech students since 1974 and Czech to non-native speakers since 1981. She graduated from Charles University in 1976, where her thesis was entitled The Neologisms in F.X.Šalda’s Critiques and in 1984 she received her doctorate in Language Teaching Methodology. In 1993 she attended a three-month course in teaching methodology at Wolverhampton University in England. She was a Fulbright Scholar in residence at Stanford University, where she taught Czech during the 1995-96 academic year. Over theyears she has translated numerous publications. She also serves as a consultant at two foundations dedicated to publishing the works of the renowned Czech Jewish figures František Langer (dramatist, writer and journalist) and Gideon Klein (composer).