The Faculty Life

Life at the Faculty is not just lectures, studying, and exams. The Faculty spirit is made by the people and their activities: student clubs, discussions with experts, study stays, workshops, internships, travels abroad, but also meetings outside the classroom, from coffee breaks to the traditional academic beer tasting. The Faculty supports student initiative and student-organised events, as well as their participation in faculty administration. Students can influence the Faculty management as members of the student council of the FA Academic Senate which is a key institution of the academic self-government and facilitates the union of two different worlds into a single academic community; universitas magistrorum et scholarium – an association of teachers and students.

Academic workers and students of the Faculty extensively participate in diverse activities bringing humanities and the results of the Faculty’s research closer to the public. Many such events take place in the university café Družba, strategically located on Sedláčkova Street in the centre of Pilsen, and thus on the way between faculty buildings. The café is run jointly by the employees, students, and graduates of the FA. The Faculty employees and students hold regular lectures and discussions open to public and focused on current social topics, significant historical events, or the work of the members of the FA academic community abroad. Launches of new books based on our workers’ research are popular as well. Regular student activities include the organisation of conventions but also smaller meetings with important personalities of the public and academic life under the slogan University as an Opportunity. Another important activity of the FA are lectures for the University of the Third Age.

The Faculty is also home to student clubs whose members help with or themselves organise Faculty events. One of the most active clubs at the Faculty of Arts is the Academic Association of Students of Political Sciences in Pilsen (AS CPSSU) which holds regular sessions with experts not only for the academic community members but also the general public. The anthropological portal AntropoWeb is also community-based and publishes multidisciplinary specialised papers and helps students of the Faculty participate in conferences and other events. A number of the clubs operate across the whole university. You can see the list of active student clubs here: https://www.zcu.cz/cs/Students/stud-org.html. Outside of these groups, students organise many other meetings, mostly discussions. Regular discussions take place at the Department of Philosophy within the Current Philosophy Group. The Department of Historical Sciences organises the historical café and knowledge olympics. The Department of Romance Languages holds French breakfasts. Furthermore, our students organise specialised debates, lectures, and student conferences. Each year, the extensive list of those can be found in the Faculty annual report.

The Faculty regularly organises or participates in the following events:

Open day – Every year, the Faculty opens its buildings and lecture rooms to potential applicants and presents the accredited study programmes and study plans in a friendly and accessible manner. Future students have an opportunity to explore the space they would be using and meet lecturers from the individual departments. Traditionally, the open day takes place in January.

Academic beer tasting – This yearly event for students and academic workers takes place at the Faculty premises and presents an opportunity to taste products of the small breweries in Pilsen. This year’s invitation can be found at the Faculty social profiles.

Arabfest – Now a traditional festival of the Arabic culture takes place each spring. It is organised mainly by the graduates of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. More information: http://www.arabfest.cz/

Pilsen Yards – Every year, the Faculty lends the outdoor areas hidden within and between its buildings for guided tours offered by the 700 Years of the City of Pilsen Foundation.

Gaudeamus – The Faculty regularly sends its representatives to the university education fair.

Researchers’ Night – A public event where the UWB and its faculties aim at popularising science.

Science and Technology Days – An interactive exhibition in the centre of Pilsen which presents science in an entertaining manner to elementary and secondary schools and the general public.