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Jagiellonian University
31-007 Krakow
tel. (48 12 422 68 75)

Polonia Institute Programs @

Overview
Polish Studies Program.
Polish Language and Culture Program
Preparatory Program
Advanced Polish Language and Culture Program

Overview

The Institute was established in 1972 as a research facility specializing in the issues pertaining to the Polish diaspora, or "Polonia," that is, Poles and individuals of Polish ancestry living outside the border of Poland. Since then the Institute has expanded greatly and now has a faculty of 33. Its current mission is to provide a spectrum of programs for students interested in various aspects of Polish culture, history, society and language. The programs range from those taught predominantly in English to those taught exclusively in Polish.

The Institute has its own campus located on a steep hill above the Vistula River in a forested community called Przegorzaly. The campus is comprised of three buildings, the so called "Castle" which house a restaurant and cafe; the tower which contains a conference room, and the main building which contains an auditorium, classrooms, a computer room, a bar-restaurant, student and employee housing in hotel-quality rooms, and the offices of the Institute.

All but one of programs offered are two semseters-long, the exception being the Advanced Polish Language and Culture Program which is two year-long. Each program is comprised of a core curriculum of required courses and elective ones. Depending on the program and semester, core curriculum accounts for 10 to 22 of the 24 credits that students are expected to earn each semester. The number of credits a course bears is equal to the number of hours it meets per week.

Polish Studies Program

A two-semester program designed for students interested in Polish history, culture and the social and economic transformations that have recently taken place in Poland. The Polish language component of the program is kept at a minimum (6 and 4 hours/week during the first and second semester, respectively.) All the other courses are offered in parallel in both English and Polish and students can choose to take them in either language. The core curriculum for the two semesters satisfies, respectively, 14 and 12 credits (all the courses are also in Polish.) The balance of the required 24 semestral credits is obtained by taking choosing courses from an elective list.

First Semester

Core curriculum

Second Semester

Core curriculum

Polish Language and Culture Program

A two-semester program of language classes accompanied by general lectures and specialized seminars. The program is designed for students who are interested in learning the Polish language - or improving their command of it - while learning about various aspect of Polish culture, history and society. All courses, unless otherwise noted, are offered in Polish. Diplomas are also awarded to students who choose and successfully complete a single semester.

The program is offered at three levels, with the level in which a student is placed being based on their Polish language proficiency as determined on the basis of placement tests, both oral and written. The core curriculum requirements of the three levels are 22, 18 and 10 credits per semester, respectively. The balance of the 24 semestral credits is obtained by taking choosing courses from an elective list. Unless otherwise noted, each course is given in each semester. The curriculum of the three levels is as follows:

Level I - Basic

Core curriculum

Recommended Elective

Reading and Listening Comprehension (2 credits)

Level II - Intermediate

Core curriculum

*given only in first semester

Recommended Electives

Level III - Advanced

Core curriculum

*given only in first semester

Recommended Electives

Preparatory Program

A two semester program designed to prepare students for the Polish Proficiency Exam necessary for enrollment in degree programs in Economics and those in Liberal Arts at Polish institutions of higher education. Unless otherwise noted, all courses are offered in Polish.

In the first semester, the curriculum follows the Basic or Intermediate Level tracks of the Polish Language and Cultural Program. The placement of students in one or the other these tracks is based on their Polish language proficiency, as determined on the basis of placement tests, oral and written.

The core curricula for the second semester of the Economics and Liberal Arts tracks are given below. Students in the Liberal Arts Track are required to take 4 credit hours of electives in their chosen field of study.:

Liberal Arts Track

Core curriculum

Economics Track

Core curriculum

*for those planning to pursue a degree in the discipline

Advanced Polish Language and Culture Program

A two year program designed for students with advanced knowledge of the Polish language who wish to undertake extensive study of selected Polish topics. The objective of the program is to give students a panoramic perspective on Polish history, culture, and literature. All the courses are given in Polish, employing a wide array of writings from both the academic and popular literature, and using language rich in vocabulary and idiom. As a consequence, students learn a great deal of specific phraseology and linguistic nuances.

The program is especially recommended for students who have taken courses on Eastern Europe at their home universities and wish to focus their interest on Poland. It analyzes the way people in Poland perceive various Slavic issues and places special emphasis on the relationships between the social and cultural aspects of past and contemporary Poland. History, linguistics, sociology and literature seminars form part of the offerings. Students work, with the assistance of a faculty member, on seminar theses which are reviewed and defended final exams. In each semester of the first and second year the core curriculum satisfies, respectively, 18 and 20 credits. The balance of the required 24 semestral credits is obtained by taking choosing courses from an elective list. At the completion of the two-year program, the students receive a special diploma

First Year

Core curriculum

Second Year

Core curriculum

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