Jaroslav Šimáček - Diploma Thesis Abstract The diploma thesis "Presidents of the Czech Republic - Medial representations of Václav Havel and Václav Klaus" analyses media images of presidents of Czech Republic Václav Havel and Václav Klaus in magazine Týden. After delimination president's role in czech political system and introducing to concrete heads of the state in the biographical part, author deals with media's role and function in contemporary world. At the same time he brings out medial communication manners and generation media images. Consequently he examines new technological possibilities in medial world plus procedure at media content analysis, which is chosen as main method. In methodology part author links hypotheses, concerning with media images of czech presidents, also describes concrete working methods and characterizes choice of medium. Select experimental period is the second presidential term of both presidents. In practical part author tries to prove or disprove given hypotheses. The research proceeds first of all in the internet archive of magazine Týden, that contains data since 1994 and is relatively well - aranged. The aim of this diploma thesis is creation of media images of Václav Havel and Václav Klaus in chosen medium. Key words: president, Czech Republic, Václav Havel, Václav...

This thesis is called "Bereavement of eminent personalities: Comparison of Media Representation of Václav Havel and Kim Jong-il in the Czech Media." Its focus is on the media coverage of Václav Havel's and Kim Jong-il's death in the Czech Republic National dailies. The theoretical part deals with how mass media use and process media events, especially the one's related to the death of publicly known persons. The thesis also addresses ritual function of media events and their role in society integration. Another chapter of the thesis explains how media inform the public about deaths of well-known people and what their function is in this context. As Václav Havel was and still is called a national hero, a phenomenon of a hero and its development from history up to date is also presented in the paper. The practical part consists of quantitative content analysis which provides concrete topics that were covered by Czech dailies in regards with Václav Havel's and Kim Jong-il's death. The analysis also answers the following questions: Were there any differences in quantity of articles on each leader and the type of topics in any particular media? Did the Czech media tend to compare the personalities of Václav Havel and Kim Jong-il during their coverage? The additional qualitative analysis also examines whether...

Diploma thesis "Leaving of Czechoslovak democracy giants; comparison of media images of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk's and Vaclav Havel's death and funeral in Czech Press" aims to compare the media images of the presidents' death and funeral in broadsheet and tabloid newspapers of that time. In this matter, media analyzed the lives of these great personalities, their work, political views, their acceptance and renown abroad, their merits and their critical reception as well. The study itself is divided into two main parts. The first one being the theoretical part informs about the political and social context of the time in which Tomas Garrigue Masaryk and Vaclav Havel lived and worked and it discusses their personalities in more details. Furthermore, the methodology used in the thesis is included in this section as well, representing and explaining the method of the media research. In the second practical part, the thesis provides the characteristics of the chosen broadsheet and tabloid newspapers - Lidove noviny, Poledni list and Blesk. By using qualitative analysis the thesis seeks to determine how media presented the presidents at that time. On one hand it attempts to illustrate the parallels that linked these two personalities, on the other hand it endeavours to describe how their images differed....

Diploma thesis "Husák, Havel, Klaus: New Year's speeches of prezidents in time changes" deals with the traditional New Year's speeches of the last three Czech and Czechoslovak presidents Gusáv Husák, Václav Havel and Václav Klaus. It compares them in the terms of rhetoric and pragmatic linguistic, focusing on their structure, style and applied topics. It also monitors whether and how the presidents in their festive speeches responded and referred to each other. The aim of the thesis is to find out how the presidential New Year's speeches reflected personal experience of the speakers and the circumstances under which these festive speeches were formed. A view behind the scenes of the New Year's speeches is to be revealed by a short survey among the closest associates of presidents. The thesis follows the festive presidents speeches in written form, does not deal with their television or radio appearances. It also contains biographical data of all three heads of the state, with emphasis on their rhetorical skills and experience. Part of the work is also devoted to the history and systematic classification of New Year's presidential speeches in general.

This master thesis deals with the topic of temptation in three Czech Theatrical Dramas of the 1970's and 1980's, inspired by the legend of Faust. These dramatic works represent different model approaches of dealing with such a topic. Thesis focuses on the principle of evil and its functioning. The temptation by Devil is therefore defined as Mephistophelian seduction, which occurs in drama plays selected as a subject of this thesis. The thesis analyzes and describes Mephistophelian seduction and its realization in theatrical dramas. Thesis elaborates the mechanism of evil principle and examines how the main protagonists are influenced in their acting and behaviour by this power. This thesis brings the power of evil into the wider context of "higher power" and describes relations between the power of evil and totalitarian power. On this base the historical and political context of the lives of the authors is considered as an important element. Based on comparison of all these aspects the principle of Mephistophelian seduction is reflected within its existential dimension. KEYWORDS Temptation, Devil, Mephistophelian seduction, protagonist, evil principle, drama, Faust, Mephistopheles, Václav Havel, Oldřich Daněk, Jiří Suchý

Taking its depature point in a translation of a play by a Czech playwright and philosopher, Václav Havel, into Swahili, the article strives at a cross-cultural comparison of a pivotal concept of Havel`s thought, lidství (`humanity´), and an equally central concept of Swahili moral and philosophical thought, utu. The basis of this copmparison is, on the Czech side, an explanation of Havel`s concept and its grounding in existentialist philosophy. The Swahili side is presented in a two-step procedure. First, the semantic field of `humanity´in the Swahili language, comprising utu and several concepts related to it (especially ubinadamu), is analyzed. Second, the concepts belonging to the semantic field of utu are traced in the development of Swahili literature, as a prominent representative of intellecual discourses in the Swahili culture.

Public diplomacy has become an integral part of international relations in the recent years. Effective communication is the key in solving international conflicts and in strengthening the partnership between nations. Building an excellent reputation of the individual country among the foreign community has no less importance. This master thesis deals with the promotion of Czech culture as an important part of public diplomacy in the US, particularly in New York, partly in Washington, DC. First and second chapter provide a theoretical framework for the following issues. Basic concept of public diplomacy is clarified there. The third chapter then presents specific players and partners whose cooperation the author deals in the fourth and fifth chapter. The fourth chapter discusses in detail the Film Festival Panorama Europe, Europe's largest film festival in New York and tries to map its promotion. This event is significant in that it is an original project of the Czech Centre New York. The Film Festival currently has a lot of partners and is held under the auspices of EUNIC. The fifth chapter presents a unique project, which has been involved in over twenty-five different players. Main theme was the freedom celebration, celebration of the 25th anniversary of Velvet Revolution. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze how players contribute in building the reputation of the Czech Republic in the USA and how they promote their activities. Everything is based on case studies.

This thesis deals with the issue of memory and remembering in the post-communist area. In particular, it examines the form, extent and success of the Holocaust reflection and coping with the past on the example of the speeches of Czech and Polish presidents from 1993 (Václav Havel), or 1995 (Aleksander Kwaśniewski) until the access to the European Union in 2004. Author of the thesis assumes that the fall of Communism and the restoration of the democratic establishment represented a significant impetus for the countries in question to deal with their past. At the same time, they try to prove that the Holocaust memory politics of key political representatives of the Czech Republic and Poland has been one of the important factors in the creation of their post-communist democratic identity - and not only with respect to an unofficial demand of the unifying Europe to cope with the heritage of the past. Through the analysis of selected presidential speeches, the thesis identifies and evaluates the image of Holocaust created by the Czech and Polish presidents on the one hand and the weaknesses in the Holocaust memory politics of both actors on the other. After theoretical and conceptual introduction (chapter one), the experience with the Holocaust in Poland and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and...

Taking its depature point in a translation of a play by a Czech playwright and philosopher, Václav Havel, into Swahili, the article strives at a cross-cultural comparison of a pivotal concept of Havel`s thought, lidství (`humanity´), and an equally central concept of Swahili moral and philosophical thought, utu. The basis of this copmparison is, on the Czech side, an explanation of Havel`s concept and its grounding in existentialist philosophy. The Swahili side is presented in a two-step procedure. First, the semantic field of `humanity´in the Swahili language, comprising utu and several concepts related to it (especially ubinadamu), is analyzed. Second, the concepts belonging to the semantic field of utu are traced in the development of Swahili literature, as a prominent representative of intellecual discourses in the Swahili culture.

Dissertation work Andrej Krob follows Krob`s remarkable journey to theatre from meeting Vaclav Havel during his military service in 1957, through Krob`s arrival to Divadlo Na zabradli in the early sixties of 20th century and especially his collaboration with director Jan Grossman, next to who Krob gradually work his way up from stage technician to the director. From the numerous Krob`s productions is the attention paid to the very first one, almost unknown directorial act, student production of Kral Ubu, presented on chateau Breznice in 1964, however this dissertation is mostly dedicated to the selected and key Krob`s productions of Vaclav Havel`s plays. Meeting this author was for Krob personaly as well as for his directorial poetics progress entirely fundamental. That`s why this work describes and analyses in detail semi illegal production of Havel`s play Zebracka opera, presented by Krob in Horni Pocernice in 1975, which has became establishing production of Divadlo na tahu, as well as Krob`s production of the same play from 1995. Separate chapter of dissertation has been also dedicated to Krob`s video production of Havel`s play Pokouseni from 1988 that brings unique opportunity of artistic performance observation. This dissertation determines at the very end, based on in-depth analysis of the...