Faculty of ArtsComenius University Bratislava

Annotations

Nr. Topic Annotations
1. Humor in Times of Social Crises

The aim of the dissertation is to examine the structure, function, and potential of humor during times of crisis linked to contemporary Russian society, particularly in the context of establishment of an authoritarian regime, the persecution of otherness, military conflict, and emigration. The proposed research subject is humorous practice as a form of subversion, an other language, and an alternative linguistic representation of the world. This includes (meta)news in the genre of political satire as well as other humoristic practices that require mapping. Additionally, the dissertation will examine humor in emigration as a mechanism for forming communities and coalitions around various narratives and oppositions, which will be mapped, described, analyzed, and interpreted. The research is expected to be highly interdisciplinary, grounded in the theoretical and methodological framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (N. Fairclough, T. van Dijk, Ruth Wodak), Discourse Theory (E. Laclau, Ch. Mouffe), and the General Theory of Verbal Humor (V. Raskin, S. Attardo). A broader methodological approach will incorporate tools from social semiotics (G. Kress, T. van Leeuwen) and pragmatics. The exploration of this topic requires an excellent command of linguistics, the ability to work with academic texts in English, and proficiency in Russian at a minimum of C1 level.

2.

Reflection of the Marian Cult in Croatian and Serbian Cultural Space

The aim of this dissertation is to provide a comprehensive view of the extent and nature of the Marian cult in the Croatian and Serbian cultural milieu. The starting point of the thesis will be a comparison of Marian veneration from the point of view of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches (dogmatic theology, iconography, etc.), focusing on the typical manifestations of Marian folk piety (prayers, pilgrimages, pilgrimage sites, churches, legends, rituals, songs). An important component of the work will be the interpretation of regional specificities, as well as the comparison of the two confessions in a broader historical context. The issues under study will be analysed on the basis of ethnolinguistic material and literary sources ranging from medieval to contemporary literature.