Interview with associate professor Vlastimil Havlík, Department of Political Science

By Michaela Nespěchalová and Hayk Hakobyan, January 2024

Vlastimil Havlík is an associate professor at the department of Political science at the Faculty of Social Studies and the guarantor of the Bachelor program Politics, Media and Communication and you may know him from the courses : Introduction to Politics, Populist communication and Political and media systems. 

1. How did you start your academic career?

I started to study political science with journalism. Political science was not my first choice because I wanted to be a sports journalist at the time. When I started to study political science, I started to be more fascinated by politics, why people vote for political parties, and why political parties behave how they behave. Therefore, I switched to politics and eventually applied for a Ph.D. position. I was quite lucky that our discipline was still growing and a new job position was opened and I got it. After that, I started to work as a lecturer and researcher here at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University.

2. Can you share an achievement you are particularly proud of? How has it influenced your career and approach to education?

I usually don't think a lot about achievements. I would say I'm quite proud that I got a Fulbright Masaryk fellowship back in 2017. I spent the whole year at Northwestern University in the United States, one of the best universities and one of the top political science departments. I was lucky that I could learn a lot from the best political scientists and I tried to apply those things here when I came back.

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

Thank you for the question. It's perhaps a project I'm participating in now. It's based on the collaboration of Masaryk University, Charles University, and also the Academy of Sciences. It is a project that deals with the socio-economic impacts of different kinds of crises on non-society. We deal with populism and polarisation, which are just more of the most pressing issues.

4. How important do you think it is for academics to participate in international exchange programs and collaborate with scholars from different parts of the world?

I think it's invaluable because I believe that education, research, and knowledge don't have borders; they are international. Therefore, it is very crucial to share our experience and the things we study with social scientists. They are so complex and dependent, so there's no definite truth to anything. Therefore, it's very important to share our knowledge or experience from our context. I would say it's absolutely crucial not to stay locked in your office.

5. If you could describe your teaching philosophy in a single sentence, what would it be? Is it hard and engaging?

It's quite hard, I would say. I've been teaching for 15 years, and I still feel nervous at the beginning of every class, but I like it. I think for me teaching and also learning is about thinking. Teaching and also learning can be compared to adding a piece to an infinite jigsaw puzzle.

6. How can you describe the Bachelor program Politics, Media, and Communication? (Professor Havlík is the guarantor of the program)

This Bachelor program offers a unique perspective in studying politics by combining perspectives from political science, media studies, journalism, and political communication.

7. What are some of the typical career paths that can be pursued after graduation?

There's not a single one. You can pursue another study, work in public relations, work as a data analyst or in public administration.

8. Do you have any message for our students?

Think, do not hesitate to ask us. And be kind. 😊