The Polish Studies Program at the University of Florida was founded in 2004 as a joint undertaking of the Center for European Studies and the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages. The goal of the program is the development of an innovative curriculum of courses in Polish language and culture in order to provide students with strong area skills over a broad range of topics within Polish Studies. The program places a special emphasis on the culture and society of contemporary Poland.
From the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989 to its entry into the European Union as one of ten new member states in 2004, Poland’s geopolitical position has shifted radically. Contested conformity to Soviet dominance in the region has been replaced by the enjoyment of the rights and the obligation to uphold the duties accompanying the country’s status of important new European political and economic partner.
The country’s cultural landscape has undergone no less significant a transformation. From a preoccupation with questions of national struggle against the communist state there has been a shift in emphasis in Polish culture to a broad range of topics rooted in the new socioeconomic order – popular culture; artists and the free market; and Poland’s diverse legacy of ethnic, regional, and gender identities.
Finally, the achievement of cultural and academic freedom has given rise to the project of rethinking and rewriting Polish national history, particularly that of the turbulent nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The courses offered by the UF Polish Studies Program reflect the changes in Polish history, culture and society. Although the area study courses covering each of the above topics are not offered each semester, the topics are covered in the language and culture courses and on the rotational basis in special topics courses.
Polish Studies Accomplishments
- Polish Studies has established itself not only as a nationally competitive program but as a cutting edge one by virtue of its interdepartmental and interdisciplinary profile (housed in the Center for European Studies).
- Polish Studies has developed multiple new courses on the language (both designated as “Less Commonly Taught Languages”), literature, art, culture and folklore.
- UF now offers both Certificate and Minor programs in East-Central European Studies (ECES), allowing students to combine their interest in Polish with any number of disciplines. For more information, please visit the CES website.
- Polish Studies students are frequently awarded federal and private scholarships and fellowships.