Programme description

New programme in 2026/27 academic year

Contemporary Criticism is a Master’s degree programme designed for students who wish to actively participate in literary and cultural life and to write and speak professionally about contemporary cultural phenomena. The programme combines advanced education in Polish studies – including literary and cultural studies – with intensive practice in critical writing, interpretation and analysis of texts and artistic events. Students explore the latest literature, contemporary cultural trends and the mechanisms shaping cultural life, from literary journals and publishing houses to festivals and cultural institutions.

The programme has a distinctive academic and creative profile. Alongside theoretical and historical courses, a central role is played by critical workshops in which students learn how to formulate their own viewpoints, construct arguments and write reviews, essays and interpretative texts. The curriculum develops advanced language awareness, an understanding of rhetorical strategies and a critical approach to the culture of the twenty-first century.

The programme is firmly embedded in real cultural practice – particularly in the context of Kraków as a UNESCO City of Literature – and prepares graduates for work in editorial teams, publishing houses, cultural institutions and the media. Graduates acquire competencies not only to describe and analyse culture, but also to co-create and actively shape it.

Information regarding Faculty

Study programmes at the Faculty of Polish Studies give a great chance for individual development under the supervision of the masters of modern Polish studies. The Faculty of Polish Studies has been collaborating with institutions concerned with culture and art, especially from Kraków and Małopolska province, for many years. Students engage in various activities of the Kraków Festival Office, theatres of Kraków, cultural centres and museums. In 2018 two Faculty of Polish Studies students were awarded during the 'Studencki Nobel 'contest for the greatest Polish students; talented faculty students are winning the prestigious Diamond Grant programme. The JU students' Linguistics Research Society organizes the Month of First Language – a regular project that includes the Kraków Dictation, advertisement contest, 'commentary and pitch', and linguistics workshops in schools. Particular study programmes collaborate with companies from the media sector during the realisation of the traineeships programme – the Faculty signed agreements with publishers, web portals and magazines and is responsible for the edition of 12 prestigious publications and 7 academic journals.

The Faculty of Polish Studies consists of 17 Chairs, as well as the Center for Polish Language and Culture in the World, and the School of Polish Language and Culture. Contemporary Criticism programme is conducted at the Chair of Contemporary Criticism, which is located in Historic Centre of Kraków. 

Rankings, distinctions, accreditations

• Scientific category A in the main discipline of Literary Studies awarded to the Jagiellonian University in Kraków by the decision of the Minister of Education and Science

Curriculum overview

In the programme curriculum, you may find information about the subjects you will attend while studying this programme. The programme indicates which subjects are scheduled for each semester of the studies, which are mandatory, which belong to the group of elective subjects (so-called optional subjects), which of them end with an exam, and which do not. Each subject in such a programme curriculum has its syllabus, which is a description of what students learn within the scope of that subject.

Student’s life

Time spent at the university is not all about education and class participation; it is also an excellent opportunity to develop hobbies and interests. Many research societies and student organizations operate at the Jagiellonian University, including faculty- and university-wide ones. These societies allow students to spend their free time actively, gain knowledge, develop their talents, participate in engaging, unconventional projects, go on research and team-building trips, participate in conferences, and meet fellow students outside the lecture halls. There are many student associations at the Faculty of Polish Studies.

Students interested in the international dimension of studying can participate in a wide variety of exchange programmes, such as Erasmus+, Utrecht Network, bilateral exchange programmes, European university Una Europa, or the domestic mobility programme called MOST.

More than just studies

• Student Government of the Faculty of Polish Studies

Admission to studies

Admission to study programmes at the Jagiellonian University is conducted electronically in the Online Application System: irk.uj.edu.pl. If you have any questions related to admission, please contact the Admissions Office directly or visit the websites: welcome.uj.edu.pl and irk.uj.edu.pl.

Detailed information about admission to this study programme, including information on the method of calculating the result, qualification criteria, fees, deadlines, and a list of required documents are available on the Online Application System (IRK): irk.uj.edu.pl

Transfer from other university or study programme

Transfer from another university, including a foreign one, or change of study programme within the University is possible with the dean's consent after completing the first year of studies and fulfilling additional requirements established by the Faculty Council. For inquiries regarding transfer, please contact the unit responsible for the specific study programme directly.

Graduates

A graduate of Contemporary Criticism is a specialist in contemporary literature and culture, possessing advanced theoretical knowledge as well as well-developed skills in the analysis, interpretation and critical evaluation of cultural phenomena. They are able to write and speak professionally about literature, film, art, theatre and the media, making conscious use of linguistic, rhetorical and methodological tools.

Graduates are prepared to work in editorial offices, publishing houses, the media, cultural institutions and cultural projects, as well as in cultural animation and educational activities. They combine research competencies with critical practice and a strong sense of responsibility for the quality of public debate on culture, acting as active participants and co-creators of contemporary literary and cultural life.

Statements by Graduates of the Chair of Contemporary Criticism

Weronika Stencel (writer, screenwriter, cellist; editor of Dziennik Literacki; host of the Teksturion podcast; author of the book Obiturianci)

“I remember Contemporary Criticism as an open space for literary activity. Literature compelled me to probe deeper, to digest, to confront my own limitations; it clarified what I could not accept and suggested what I expected. My studies were therefore a time of discovery: they pushed me to search and helped me to name the phenomena around me. It was then that I learned to shape opinions, statements, and analyses – and that gave me the sense that language is capable of anything.”

Mateusz Witkowski (editor-in-chief of Popmoderna.pl, journalist, podcaster, literary and music critic)

“These are not studies that equip you with a ready-made toolkit allowing you to conquer the job market overnight. Paradoxical as it may sound: it is something far greater. The two years I spent in the Contemporary Criticism programme awakened my curiosity about exploring various registers of culture, developed my interpretative skills, and opened me up to new critical methodologies. They also allowed for independent exploration, thanks to a well-balanced curriculum. And that is precisely why, in 2014, when I graduated in Literary Criticism, I felt tremendous satisfaction. Today, as in the advertisement for certain caramel sweets, ‘I am a grandfather myself.’ Looking at the current curriculum – rich in topics that go beyond the standard philological framework (including television series and film criticism, not to mention popular music) – I sincerely envy today’s students. It is the most progressive and comprehensive programme Polish philology students could wish for.”

Dr Zuzanna Sala (literary scholar, literary critic, assistant professor at the Chair of Contemporary Criticism, Faculty of Polish Studies, Jagiellonian University)

“One can complete a five-year adventure with Polish philology studies and hardly encounter literary criticism at all. In literary history courses, it almost always serves merely as context: for the reception of works, for the socio-political situation, for discussing philosophical or aesthetic trends and movements. Only courses such as History of Literary Criticism or Critical Workshops allow for a deeper meta-critical reflection – and such reflection is essential in order to engage consciously in commenting on contemporary culture.
Few things have helped me as much in planning and carrying out editorial work as the systematic approach to the critical text that I acquired through specialist courses during my master’s studies.”

Further education possibilities

• Doctoral School, f.e. Doctoral School in the Humanities
• Post diploma programmes
• Second-cycle programmes

Contact

The study programme is conducted at the Chair of Contemporary Criticism, a unit of the Faculty of Polish Studies. The Chair is located in the historic centre of Kraków. For more information, please contact:

dziekanat.wpuj@uj.edu.pl

ul. Gołębia 16, pok. 53
31-007 Kraków, Poland
Phone: (+48) 12 663 14 18

krytyka.polonistyka.uj.edu.pl
polonistyka.uj.edu.pl

Other programmes that may interest you

• Creative Writing (Faculty of Polish Studies) – programme in Polish
• Cultural Studies—Texts of Culture (Faculty of Polish Studies) – programme in Polish
• Polish Language in Social Communication (Faculty of Polish Studies) – programme in Polish