Polish Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) is the oldest academic program in existence with the focus on the study and teaching of the
Polish language
Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In add ...
,
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...
, and
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. Polish language instruction began in the fall semester of 1936 and has been offered at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
ever since. The Polish program is offered by the UW–Madison Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+. As a result, with the foundation of the Department of Polish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1936, the teaching of Slavic languages and literatures started.
History
The Polish Studies Program at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
traces its history back to 1935, when the combined effort of the local Polish American community and state legislators led to the establishment of the Department of Polish (1936), the first academic program devoted to the teaching of the
Polish language
Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In add ...
,
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...
, and
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. First Polish classes at UW–Madison were held in the fall semester of 1936 and have been offered there ever since. Initially, Polish classes were taught by visiting professors from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
Witold Doroszewski
Witold Doroszewski (1899–1976) was a Polish lexicographer and linguist.
External links
1899 births
1976 deaths
Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Members of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Polish lexicographers
Linguists ...
from the
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...
(1936–1937), and Joseph A. Birkenmajer (1937–1939). The latter two were also the first chairpersons of the department, which, at the time, consisted of the Polish lecturer exclusively. Edmund Zawacki, who started teaching Polish at UW–Madison in 1939, continued to work there until 1978. Zawacki, the first recipient of a Ph.D. degree in Slavic languages and literatures in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, also became the third chairperson of the department, a position in which he served until 1960. After Zawacki's retirement in 1978, Lillian Vallee took the post of the Polish lecturer in the department, having worked in this capacity for the next four years. In 1982, Halina Filipowicz was hired as the head of the Polish studies, a position she has held until her retirement. In 2019, Łukasz Wodzyński succeeded Filipowicz as the professor of Polish.
In 1942, the Department of Polish changed its name to the Department of Slavic Languages, a move that saw the unit broaden its academic scope to include Russian language offerings. This trend continued in the years to come as several other Slavic and non- Slavic languages were added. During that time, the department started offering classes in Bulgarian, Czech,
Old Church Slavic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic literary language.
Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with standardizing the language and using it in translating the Bible and other ...
,
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...
(all Slavic), as well as some
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages are a language family of over 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and Western Asia. The Turkic l ...
:
Kazakh
Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to:
* Someone or something related to Kazakhstan
*Kazakhs, an ethnic group
*Kazakh language
*The Kazakh Khanate
* Kazakh cuisine
* Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan
*Qazax, Azerbaijan
*Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...
,
Tatar
The Tatars ()Tatar in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different , and Uzbek. Of those, Czech,
Old Church Slavic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic literary language.
Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with standardizing the language and using it in translating the Bible and other ...
, and
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...
continue to be offered to this day, along with
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and Russian. Currently, the Polish Studies Program at UW–Madison makes part of the academic programs offered through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.
In 2011, the then-Department of Slavic Languages and Literature was awarded the Polonicum Award Distinction, presented by the
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...
Center for Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners, in recognition of its achievements in the area of teaching, researching, and promoting
Polish language
Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In add ...
,
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...
, and
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...
. The UW–Madison Polish program won for its engagement in the education and popularization of Polish culture among the wider audience. The award was accepted by Dr. Ewa Miernowska, the program's Polish lecturer since 1993, during the 2011 Awards Ceremony that took place on November 28, 2011, in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
, and included the chancellor of the
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...
, among others.
UW–Madison remains one of the few U.S. universities that offers a Polish major. As of 2020, Polish is one of the four undergraduate majors offered by the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.
Madison Polish Film Festival
The Madison Polish Film Festival, an annual screening of most recent Polish cinematic productions, is organized by the UW–Madison Polish Studies Program and members of the Polish Student Association there, in collaboration with other groups. The Festival has been initiated in the early 1990s by the long-time UW–Madison
Polish language
Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In add ...
lecturer, Dr. Ewa Miernowska, who began teaching
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1993. The first edition of the Madison Polish Film Festival took place in 1991. Thus, the Madison Polish Film Festival ranks among the oldest film festivals (co)organized by the UW–Madison student body. For 25 years since its inceptions, the Festival has screened more than 120
Polish films
List of films produced in the Cinema of Poland. For an A-Z list of films currently covered on Wikipedia see Polish films.
Interwar
* List of films made in Poland in the Interwar Period
1902–1929
* List of Polish films pre 1930
1930s
* List o ...
, becoming a cultural event for both the
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
-based Polish-American community and the local community a large.
In 2010, the Polish Festival Festival in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County, Wisconsin, Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin b ...
, hosted the Polish film director Filip Bajon, whose historical drama '' War of Love'' (Pol. '' Śluby panieńskie''), a film adaptation of the 1832 play by Aleksander Fredro under the same title, opened the Festival that year. In the 2010s, the Festival became a major cinematic event in Madison, attracting hundreds of viewers. For instance, in 2013, the Polish films presented there were screened to more than 400 viewers, in 2015 – to more than 600 viewers, while a year later – to more than 500 viewers. Among the films presented at previous editions are such contemporary
Polish cinema
The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of cinematography, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations.
Af ...
hits as the drama ''
Little Rose
Little Rose ( pl, Różyczka) is a 2010 Polish drama film directed by Jan Kidawa-Błoński. The lead actress Magdalena Boczarska received the IFFI Best Actor Award (Female): Silver Peacock Award at the 41st International Film Festival of India.
...
Testosterone
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteris ...
'' (Pol. ''
Testosteron
Testosterone (T) is a medication and naturally occurring steroid hormone. It is used to treat male hypogonadism, gender dysphoria, and certain types of breast cancer. It may also be used to increase athletic ability in the form of doping. It ...
Planet Single
''Planet Single'' ( pl, Planeta singli) is a 2016 Polish comedy film directed by Mitja Okorn.
Plot Ania and Tomek
Ania, a single 27 year old elementary school music teacher, goes on an online date. When her date, "Ant_Man", does not show up, ...
'' (Pol. '' Planeta singli'', dir. by Mitja Okorn). In November 2020, it was confirmed that the 2020 edition of the Madison Polish Film Festival will take place on December 5–6 and will be held entirely online.
In 2018, the following
Polish films
List of films produced in the Cinema of Poland. For an A-Z list of films currently covered on Wikipedia see Polish films.
Interwar
* List of films made in Poland in the Interwar Period
1902–1929
* List of Polish films pre 1930
1930s
* List o ...
Łukasz Palkowski
Łukasz Palkowski (born 2 March 1976, Warsaw) is a Polish film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
He initially studied at the National Film School in Łódź but dropped out. In 2007, he made his first full-length feature film entitled '' ...
)
In 2019, the following
Polish films
List of films produced in the Cinema of Poland. For an A-Z list of films currently covered on Wikipedia see Polish films.
Interwar
* List of films made in Poland in the Interwar Period
1902–1929
* List of Polish films pre 1930
1930s
* List o ...
were screened during the Madison Polish Film Festival:
*''Mister T.'' (Pol. ''Pan T.'', dir. by Marcin Krzyształowicz)
*''Playing Hard'' (Pol. '' Zabawa, zabawa'', dir. by Kinga Dębska)
*''Taxing Love'' (Pol. '' Podatek od miłości'', dir. by Bartłomiej Ignaciuk)
*''
Clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...
Polish films
List of films produced in the Cinema of Poland. For an A-Z list of films currently covered on Wikipedia see Polish films.
Interwar
* List of films made in Poland in the Interwar Period
1902–1929
* List of Polish films pre 1930
1930s
* List o ...
were screened during the Madison Polish Film Festival (all online due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
):
* ''
I Never Cry
"I Never Cry" is a song by American rock singer Alice Cooper. It was originally released on his ''Alice Cooper Goes to Hell'' album in 1976. The song was written by Cooper and Dick Wagner.
Background
On an episode of his radio show broadcast on N ...
'' (Pol. ''Jak najdalej stąd'', dir. by Piotr Domalewski)
* ''The Iron Bridge'' (Pol. ''Żelazny most'', dir. by Monika Jordan-Młodzianowska)
* ''Icarus. The Legend of Mietek Kosz'' (Pol. ''Ikar. Legenda Mietka Kosza'', dir. by Maciej Pieprzyca)
In 2021, the Madison Polish Film Festival founder Dr. Ewa Miernowska received a prestigious distinction at the annual Polish Film Festival in America in Chicago in recognition of her efforts in promoting
Polish cinema
The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of cinematography, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations.
Af ...
Slavic studies
Slavic (American English) or Slavonic (British English) studies, also known as Slavistics is the academic field of area studies concerned with Slavic areas, languages, literature, history, and culture. Originally, a Slavist or Slavicist was prim ...
*
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...