Programme description

Polish Studies: Anthropology and Culture teaches how to understand literature and language in various contexts: esthetic, historical, social and political. It is an interdisciplinary programme combining courses in philology, cultural research, and modern humanities. You will learn about the history of Polish literature, culture and language, and modern methods of its interpretation. You will learn how to write critical, scientific, and applied texts and communicate successfully with others. You will learn how to manage cultural events and publishing and attend traineeships at the best publishers in Kraków (Karakter, Znak, Wydawnictwo Literackie) and prestigious cultural institutions (Book Institute, Krakow Festival Office – Conrad Festival, International Cultural Centre, MOCAK).

Information regarding Faculty

The Faculty of Polish Studies has category A granted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. 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. 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. 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 fields of studies 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, the Center for Polish Language and Culture in the World, and the School of Polish Language and Culture. Polish Studies: Anthropology and Culture programme is conducted in the Chair of Anthropology of Literature and Cultural Studies, located in the very centre of Kraków. Candidates who chose this field of study will take classes in the scope of practical learning of foreign language, and its literature and culture, in selected institutes of the Faculty of Philology.

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, f. e. Academic Circle of Anthropologists of Literature and Culture.

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 associations at the Faculty of Polish Studies
• Student Government of the Faculty of Polish Studies

From our students

Jagoda, a student of the Faculty of Polish Studies
Time spent at the university is a chance to learn new things, make friendships for a lifetime and build your own identity. It is also a valuable experience and possibility to see how real-life looks like.

From our lecturers

Dr hab. Jerzy Franczak, prof. of the JU
What do I teach within our programme? I conduct M.A. seminars in Polish Studies: Anthropology and Culture. Over the past years, we have been working on the politics of modern literature and the great rebels of the 20th. c. among others. Currently, we are working on scenarios of an end in literature and philosophy, focusing on interrelated phenomena of the decadent movement, catastrophism, post-apocalypse and posthumanism.
What else do I do apart from academia? For years I have been involved in cultural journalism. I still write reviews and essays published in periodicals on paper and online. But the essential part of my life outside the university is my literary work. I published fifteen books in total – mainly novels and short prose.

Prof. zw. dr hab. Anna Łebkowska
What do I teach within our programme? I conduct my course called "Literatura w perspektywie antropologii kultury" (Literature from the anthropology of culture perspective). During classes, we focus on the relationship between literature and anthropology of culture, models of experiencing space and time, post-memory, cultural memory, issue of cultural gender as a literary-cultural category, nomadic and performative subject, category of body, anthropology of subject, and many other aspects.
I conduct M.A. seminars dedicated to anthropology of literature as well. Recently, we have been working on: "Sensuality, emotions, corporeality in the literature and culture of 20th c.;" "Human – inter-human and non-human in the literature of 20th and 21st c."

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

The increasing role of information and interpersonal communication in the information-media society causes a growing need for widely educated philologists who efficiently use the Polish language and can prepare and edit various (applied, promotional, informative, training, and popularising) texts. Numerous cultural units and institutions, magazines and publishers' editorial offices, information and social portals, press offices, and advertising agencies are currently hiring.

Polish Studies: Anthropology and Culture graduates have knowledge and professional skills that are perfect for their needs. Students take part in traineeships at the best publishers in Kraków (Wydawnictwo Literackie, Universitas, Znak, Lokator), media (Radio Kraków, RMF Classic), museums (MOCAK, Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology), galleries, theatres and other cultural institutions. Thanks to that, they are ready to work at magazines and publishers' editorial offices, press offices, cultural and art institutions, advertising, promotion, marketing, public relations, and co-create information and social media portals, where they may perform the assigned tasks responsibly and creatively.

It is possible to get pedagogical education by attending optional methodology and cultural animation courses.

Further education possibilities

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

What alumni say about us

Aldona Kopkiewicz – poet, writer
Author of books such as "sierpień" (The Silesius Poetry Award 2016), "Szczodra" (The Kościelski Award 2019), and "Na próbę" (2020). She writes prose and essays, and she is also a playwright. She is a laureate of the National Science Centre scholarship and National Centre for Culture grant. She defended her doctoral thesis in literary science at the Faculty of Polish Studies of the JU.
Discovering all dimensions of literature is not only a great adventure but also an introduction to the understanding of the rest of the world. You will feel how exciting reading may be only during these studies. I would choose it one more time.

Michał Sowiński - literary critic, editor working for “Tygodnik Powszechny”
He collaborates with “Krytyka Polityczna” magazine as well. Co-author of "Literatura polska po 1989 roku w świetle teorii Pierre'a Bourdieu. Podręcznik" and "Rozmowy o przyszłości. W którą stronę zmierza świat?". He hosts a literary podcast called “Conrad na fali.”
When I graduated from the cultural anthropology specialisation at the Faculty of Polish Studies 10 years ago, the «Trust me, I'm an Anthropologist» meme series was popular. Everyone laughed at it a lot, but it turned out to be the truth – people trust anthropologists, especially cultural anthropologists. Strong philological basis plus interdisciplinary tools to critically analyse each nook of the reality (in addition – to the knowledge of the "hottest" names in modern humanities) give broad possibilities to work not only in the archaeology of memes. It is worth it.

Offer for school

The following events are conducted in Polish – to find out about the offer for English-speaking audience, please get in touch with the organizer directly. Additionally, due to the current pandemic, some faculty and university events may be canceled or conducted in a form other than that described below.

We invite all schools to take part in the cycle of meetings "University Closer to You – visits to the Jagiellonian University". The aim of the meetings during the tours is to familiarize students with the history of our University through a rich educational offer (lectures, workshops, laboratory classes, etc.). The current programme of the event is available on the organizer's website – the Centre for Communications and Marketing of the Jagiellonian University.

The Jagiellonian Library offers tours of both the old and new parts of the building. The tour programme includes presentations on the history of the Library and the building itself, as well as a visit to the Department of Depositories. The offer of the Collegium Maius includes lessons on "The Trail of Science" and "The Trail of History and Art," as well as interactive online classes. We also invite you to explore the educational offer of the Botanical Garden, the Nature Education Centre, the Confucius Institute, and the Museum of Anatomy.

Contact

The study programme is conducted at the Chair of Literary Anthropology and Cultural Studies, 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. Grodzka 64
31-044 Kraków, Poland
Phone: (+48) 12 663 18 21, 12 663 10 36

www.antropologia.polonistyka.uj.edu.pl
polonistyka.uj.edu.pl

Other programmes that may interest you

• Polish Studies and Comparative Literature (Faculty of Polish Studies) – programme in Polish
• Polish Language in Social Communication (Faculty of Polish Studies) – programme in Polish
• Polish Studies—Teacher Training (Faculty of Polish Studies) – programme in Polish