The sponsorship provided for me by the Scottish Czech and Slovak Summer Scholarship Fund enabled me to complete the Letní škola Slovanských (bohemistických) Studií at the Folozofické Fakulte Masaryk University in Brno. The intensive course over four weeks, involved up to 4 hours of language class per day as well as a variety of optional lectures on Czech culture, history and language. The course was a great introduction to the intricacies of Czech language in an intensive environment conducive to learning fast in a class of around 14 students, wishing to learn Czech for a variety of reasons. Over the course we had two different teachers, whose personal skills and research interests enhanced our learning and understanding of Czech language and its history.
A few of the optional lectures covered Czech architectural and art history
which were particularly useful for me (despite being new to the language)
as an Masters Student with an interest in Czech art. There were also weekly
excursions to sites of interest in Moravia, including the beautiful Renaissance
town, Telc, the Moravian Caves and, of course, to Mies van der Rohe’s
Tugendhat Villa in Brno. Overall I feel that the course not only taught me
some of the basics of Czech language but also encouraged an understanding
of modern and historic Czech culture.