Interview with Oldřich Krpec - MA program director of International Relations and European Politics

By Michaela Nespěchalová, February 2024

1. How did you start your academic career? What exactly got you super interested in international relations and European politics?

I have been interested in history, especially military history and armed conflicts, since I was young. As this was not considered appropriate and practical at the time of my childhood, I studied law and then, with real interest, also political science and sociology. During high school I was very interested in economics, it was during the period of economic transition in the Czech Republic. For reasons that are difficult to understand today, economics in the Czech Republic in the 1990s was not considered a suitable field for humanities and social science-oriented students. I became all the more interested in economics later, during my studies in other disciplines and in teaching interdisciplinary courses. An academic career was a natural extension of my lifelong interests.

2. What is the most exciting project you participated in during your career?

Of all the areas I have studied or researched, I am most interested in the current project I am working on as a researcher - it is a study of the development of the defense industry in the CEE region, all of course in the context of the current international situation. But I am also very interested in economic history.

3. You are the IREP MA program director. If you could make a definite change to the IREP program what would it be? Do you think the program currently fulfills the demands of all those enrolled in the program?

The thing that I feel strongly about throughout the existence of this program, but of course also in my involvement in other programs, is the tension between the two roles that we have as academics at the university. Our challenge is to establish ourselves as quality researchers in a huge international competition, which is usually only possible by narrow specialization and focusing on specific research tasks within small slices of the discipline. At the same time, we need to teach students in a comprehensible way, who, with few exceptions, are with us to maximize their employability and to gain practically applicable knowledge and skills. I wish we could manage this tension, and I hope we are succeeding in our program. And therefore that students perceive that they are being taught by established academics from a research university, but that at the same time we are and will be able to continue to improve the program to meet the needs and demands of the students.

4. Can you tell us about your experience lecturing courses in English programs? Are there any specifics teaching international students?

Of course. Students in international programs come from different cultures, with different professional backgrounds, and have different expectations of what their studies should include and prepare them for. The material background and sources of motivation may also differ, and everything is, I would say, more diverse than for students from the Czech Republic or Slovakia. On top of that, there is the language barrier to a greater or lesser extent. Although I have to say that our programs have invested a huge amount of work and effort in selecting capable and motivated students, because quality groups and, thanks to them, quality teaching are of course expected by the most motivated students of the program.

5. What’s your favorite course to teach? Or any course you would want to recommend students to keep an eye out for?

I teach in several courses, but none in this program is more narrowly, specifically focused. So I would rather talk about individual topics that are among my favorites. These are things related to economic history and economic development, but also political history and military conflict. These are my favorite topics to lecture on.

6. What are some of the typical career paths that graduates with a degree in International Relations pursue?

The trend is for general education, with key skills being mastery of scholarly text, the ability to reflect critically on complex topics, and then data analysis and processing, interpretation and presentation. We develop all of this in our programs and this is the primary focus of the study. With such a skill set, a graduate is employable virtually anywhere.

7. Do you have any message for our students and incoming students?

The study of social sciences at Masaryk University, and specifically at our department, is a great intersection between established international quality and excellent accessibility and affordability. I therefore sincerely believe that the program we offer is very competitive and interest in it should continue to grow significantly.