Highlights of Hungarian Literature, Cinema and Art

This course is designed to offer a comprehensive introduction to Hungarian culture through some representative literary and art works. Students will be acquainted with some of the most fascinating manifestations of Hungarian art and will be invited to look into the social and historical circumstances under which they were created. Participants of the course will read short stories and poems by renowned Hungarian authors in English translation and will watch and discuss the most influential and captivating movies of the past few decades. Representative works of Hungarian painting, photography, and music will also be integrated in the investigation to give a wide range of perspectives. While the course is designed to reveal art against the backdrop of historical and social processes, the discussions will also explore the internal world of art and the ways in which works are constructed and linked. Ethical and aesthetic questions raised by the works will be highlighted as well. Besides, placing the literary texts and films into relevant regional and European contexts will contribute to their deeper understanding. The joint examination of the autonomous yet interconnected art forms – literature, cinema, the fine arts, and music – will enable students to immerse in aspects of Hungarian culture and explore the culture of a Central European nation.

Course leader

ELTE Faculty of Humanities- School of English and American Studies

Target group

The course is open to all who are studying or graduated in the humanities or social sciences, and also to anyone interested in the culture of the Central European region with a focus on its literature, film, and other arts.

Course aim

The joint examination of the autonomous yet interconnected art forms – literature, cinema, the fine arts, and music – will enable students to immerse in aspects of Hungarian culture and explore the culture of a Central European nation. The course will follow a mostly chronological order with a thematic unit for each day. The centre of each theme consists of a film and a short story or a selection of poems, complemented by an introductory lecture with diverse cultural references to other arts and a guided discussion in a seminar form. Visiting museums and other public places of culture will be included in the curriculum.

Exploring the topics together, students will learn about 20th century and contemporary Hungarian culture as well as about various intercultural and intermedial aspects of literature, cinema, and arts in general. Simultaneously, they will have the opportunity to improve their speaking skills and critical thinking.

Credits info

6 EC
Our courses offer ECTS points, which may be accepted for credit transfer by the participants' home universities. Those who wish to obtain these credits should inquire about the possible transfer at their home institution prior to their enrollment. The International Strategy Office will send a transcript to those who have fulfilled all the necessary course requirements and request one.

Fee info

EUR 750: The course fee - that includes tuition fee, accommodation (student residence halls with shared rooms 2-3/ room), meals (breakfast and lunch for each day), local transport and the cost of the leisure time programs - is 750 EUR. (Early bird registration till 10th of February 650 EUR)

Scholarships

Early bird registration until the 10th of February (650 EUR).