Katjana Gatterman on her one-week stay at Charles University, Prague
It was snowing when I arrived having taken the train from Amsterdam. This made the city even more beautiful, despite the freezing cold. My welcome by the colleagues, however, was very warm.
I spent one week at the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism at the Charles University in Prague at the beginning of December 2022. It was snowing when I arrived having taken the train from Amsterdam. This made the city even more beautiful, despite the freezing cold. My welcome by the colleagues, however, was very warm. I am especially grateful to Sandra Lábová for hosting my stay!
During my visit, I gave two guest lectures. One dealt with the opportunities and challenges for political journalism in the European Union and the other one with the role of European investigative journalism with respect to conflict. I really enjoyed the stimulating discussions with the students on both occasions. Moreover, I got to know several inspiring Master Thesis topics during a feedback session with Mundus students and am curious about the final versions in the summer!
I was given a desk in a fantastic office overlooking Charles Bridge (and when I stepped outside, I was able to enjoy the magnificent view onto the Castle, see pictures) that I shared with welcoming colleagues. During my stay, there were plenty of occasions (often involving delicious food or coffee!) to get to know colleagues and their expertise. I learnt about fascinating research related to photo journalism, celebrity politics, political campaigning in the Czech Republic, human rights, media history, public discourse about economics, and the relationship between gender, sports, and self-representation on social media.
Overall, my stay was short, but provided me with a very rich and truly inspiring experience and I hope it is not too long until we meet again. I am grateful for the Mundus Faculty Scholarship that provided me with this opportunity and would like to deepen the collaboration between Prague and Amsterdam in the future with respect to both teaching and research.