A diverse set of faculty, research associates, and staff contribute to the University of Michigan's training, research, and outreach activities in Polish studies. For more information, see CREES People.

University of Michigan Faculty

Carpenter, Bogdana Chetkowska:  Slavic Languages & Literatures (Emeritus)
Chivens, Thomas:  Anthropology
Eagle, Herbert J.:  Slavic Languages & Literatures
Gitelman, Zvi Y.:  Political Science, Judaic Studies
Grzymala-Busse, Anna:  Political Science
Jackson, John E.:  Political Science, Business
Michalowski, Piotr:  Near Eastern Studies
Pasek, Ewa:  Slavic Languages & Literatures
Paloff, Benjamin:  Slavic Languages & Literatures, Comparative Literature
Porter-Szűcs, Brian:  History
Poskovic, Endi:  Art & Design
Westwalewicz, Piotr:  Slavic Languages & Literatures
Zaborowska, Magdalena:  American Culture, Afroamerican and African Studies
Zubrzycki, Geneviève:  Sociology

CREES Research Associates

Golebiowska, Ewa: Political Science, Wayne State University
Kennedy, Michael D.: Sociology and Watson Institute, Brown University
Stauter-Halsted, Keely: History, University of Illinois at Chicago

CREES Staff

Ostafin, Marysia

Students can specialize in Polish studies within interdisciplinary undergraduate minor, bachelor's, master's, and graduate certificate programs in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies.The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers an undergraduate concentration in Polish and an academic minor in Polish language, literature, and culture. Students may also focus on Poland in selected minors and in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in anthropology, business, economics, history, law, natural resources, political science, public policy, Slavic languages and literatures, and sociology.

Courses

The University of Michigan offers a range of courses on Polish culture, film, history, language, literature, politics, and society. These include semester-long courses as well as annual mini-courses on Polish culture (see below). For offerings in specific terms, see CREES courses.

Study Abroad: Through the Center for Global and Intercultural Study, U-M students can earn in-residence credit for Polish language and area studies courses in semester- or academic-year study abroad at the CIEE Study Center at the Warsaw School of Economics. In recent years, CREES has offered short-term spring study tours (e.g., Encounters in Poland: Jews, Poles and Others, 2002; Many Polands: A History of Diversity in Northeastern Europe, 2005). Contact crees@umich.edu for information on planned offerings.

• Comparative Literature 740 - Seminar in Major Authors: East European Poets in the West
• History 330 - Poland from the Medieval to the Modern
• History 331 - Poland in the 20th and 21st Centuries
• History 481 - Topics in European History
• History 652 - Studies in East European History
• International Business 568 - Business Issues in Transitional Economies
• First-Fourth Year Polish Language
• Polish 214 - Rock Poetry and Political Protest in Poland
• Polish 215 - Heart of Europe: Poland Today
• Polish 314 - Polish Cinema
• Polish 325 - Polish Literature in English to 1890
• Polish 326 - Polish Literature in English: 1890 to Present
• Polish 450 - Directed Reading
• Polish 525 - Polish Literature from the Middle Ages to 1900
• Polish 526 - Polish Literature: 1890 to Present
• Polish 621/622 - Directed Reading in Polish Literature
• Political Science 342 - Eastern Europe: Revolution, Reaction and Reform
• REEES 396 - Survey of Central and Eastern Europe and the Enlarged European Union
• REEES 397 - Eastern Europe in Transformation
• REEES 410 - Polish Culture Mini-Course (see below)
• Study Abroad 463 - UM/CIEE at Warsaw School of Economics, Poland

Mini-Courses on Polish Culture

• 2012: Malinowski's Other Worlds: Journeys In and Out of Polish Cultural Production, Thomas Chivens
• 2009: Eastern Europe Between the Soviet Union and the European Union, Piotr Westwalewicz and Anna Grzymala-Busse (PDF)
• 2006-present: Revolution in the Attic: The Tradition of Polish Counter-Culture, Piotr Westwalewicz
• 2004-present: Rock Kills Communism: Dismantling of the Totalitarian State in Poland, Piotr Westwalewicz
• 2002: The Psychology of Ethnic Conflict: Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Dr. John J. Hartman
• 2000: Television and Political Socialization of Youth Under Totalitarianism and Democracy, Dr. Adam Fraczak
• 1997: Resource Management of the Baltic Sea, Dr. Anna Szaniawska
• 1996: Polish Film, 1945-1990, Tadeusz Sobolewski
• 1995: Polish Music: Composers, Art, & Politics, 1944-1994, Dr. Danuta Gwizdalanka
• 1994: Church, State, & Society in Democratic Poland, Dr. Marcin Król
• 1993: The Search for Self-Identity in Polish Literature, Dr. Dorota Gostynska
• 1992: The Intelligentsia & National Consciousness, Dr. Jerzy Jedlicki
• 1991: Poland: Law & Constitutional Reform in the Post-Communist '90s, Dr. Zbigniew Solbolewski
• 1990: Polish Art, Culture, & Politics from the 16th-18th Century, Dr. Tadeusz Chrzanowski
• 1989: Polish Culture & Politics, Dr. Piotr Wandycz
• 1988: Polish Literature & Culture in the 20th Century, Dr. Zdzislaw Najder

Copernicus Fellowship for Incoming Graduate Students in Polish Studies

Starting in 2003, CREES has solicited departmental nominations for the Copernicus Fellowship. This award is intended for an incoming doctoral or master's level student at the University of Michigan who expects to focus his/her graduate work on Polish studies. 

Copernicus Fellowship Recipients

• 2011-12: Katie Wroblewski (History), Barbara Zukowski (Comparative Literature)
• 2010-11: Natalie Smolenski (Anthropology & History), Anna Topolska (History)
• 2009-10: Jodi Greig (Slavic)
• 2008-09: Jessica Zychowicz (Slavic)
• 2007-08: Arielle Sokol (REES)
• 2005-06: Raymond Patton (History/REES)
• 2004-05: Alicja Kusiak (History)

Click here for detailed information about recent Copernicus Fellowship recipients.

The Copernicus Endowment, based at CREES, supports lectures, conferences, film screenings, and other programs. Noteworthy events have included a semester-long Polish Music Festival in 1995, a conference on the Polish Round Table Negotiations in 1999, the Solidarity Conference in 2000, Aleksander Kwaśniewski's residency in 2006 and again in 2009, and a lecture and exhibition featuring Stasys in 2008. Select audio and video recordings are available on our multimedia page. Recent videos can be seen on YouTube by visiting our Copernicus Endowment Playlist:

For complete information about Polish studies events, please visit the CREES Events Calendar. You may also sign up for our email or U.S. mail notifications.

Annual Copernicus Lectures

Since 1980, income from the Nicolaus Copernicus Endowment has supported the Annual Copernicus Lecture. These presentations at the University of Michigan have featured the rich variety of Polish intellectual and cultural life.

• 2012: Agnieszka Holland, “A Filmmaker’s Approach to Society’s Most Vexing Concerns”
  Agata Tuszyńska, “Wiera Gran: A Singer, A Collaborator? The Other Side of Polanski’s Pianist”  *
• 2011: Robert Hass, Robert Pinsky, Lillian Vallée, Bogdana Carpenter, and Benjamin Paloff, "Miłosz: Made in America"  *
  Richard Noyce, "A Stranger in a Strange Land: Traveling East to Find the World" | Lecture text 
• 2010: Marek Belka, "European Dimension of the Global Crisis"  *
  Piotr Cywiński, "Auschwitz in the 21st Century" *
• 2009: David Ost, Magdalena Środa, and Sławomir Sierakowski, "Poland since 1989: A Critical Appraisal"
• 2008: Neal Ascherson, "Europe: Heir to the Ages or Pregnant Widow" *
  Stasys Eidrigevicius residency
• 2007: Krzysztof Czyzewski, "Line of Return: Cultivating 'the Borderland' in Dialogue with Czeslaw Milosz"
• 2006: Zbigniew Libera, "How Artists are Tamed: Zbigniew Libera and the Polish Press, 1980-2005"
• 2005: Adam Zagajewski, "Without End: A Poetry Reading by Adam Zagajewski"
• 2004: Kora Jackowska, "Rock 'n' Roll Rebellion in Poland: An Interview with Kora Jackowska"
• 2003: Father Stanislaw Obirek, "Intellectuals and Catholicism in Poland Today"
• 2002: Krzysztof Wodiczko, "Pomnikoterapia: Memorial Therapy"
• 2001: Halina Filipowicz and Jadwiga Maurer, "Taboo Topics in Polish and Polish/Jewish Cultural Studies"
• 2000: "The Silences of Solidarity" Conference
  Bronislaw Geremek, "The Lessons of Solidarity"
• 1999: Adam Michnik, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Wieslaw Chrzanowski, et al., "Communism's Negotiated Collapse: The Polish Round Table Ten Years Later"
• 1998: Eva Hoffman, "Shtetl: A History of Conflict and Coexistence"
• 1997: Roman Szporluk, "Poland's Role in Modern East European History"
  Ryszard Kapuscinski, "The Russian Puzzle: Why I Wrote Imperium" (interview, Journal of the International Institute)
• 1996: Krzysztof Zanussi, "Gutenberg is Dead: Perspectives on a Spiritual Culture in a New Era of Communication"
  Adam Michnik, "Central Europe after Communism"
• 1995: Krzysztof Penderecki and Henryk Górecki, "Interviews with the Composers"
• 1994: Wlodzimierz Zawadzki, "Polish Contributions to World Science"
  Jacek Kuron, "An Interview with Jacek Kuron"
• 1993: The Lira Singers, "The Legacy of the Folk Melody in Poland's Music"
  Czesław Miłosz Poetry Reading
• 1992: Jerzy Jedlicki, "Poland's Perpetual Return to Europe"
• 1991: Kazimierz Dziewanowski, "Poland in Transition: Reflections on a Democratic Tradition"
• 1990: Tadeusz Chrzanowski, "The Unique Path of Polish Art"
• 1989: Zbigniew Brzezinski, "Communism's Terminal Crisis"
  Adam Michnik, "The Future of Socialism in Eastern Europe"
• 1988: Zdzislaw Najder, "Joseph Conrad after a Century"
• 1987: Timothy Garton-Ash, "Solidarity and the European Question"
• 1986: Piotr Wandycz, "Poland in World History: Inspiration or Troublemaker?"
• 1985: Czesław Miłosz, Joseph Brodsky, and Jan Skvorecky, "The Struggle for Cultural Survival"
• 1984: Andrzej Kaminski, "Sobieski's Victory at Vienna"
• 1983: Stanislaw Baranczak, "Independent Publishing in Poland" and Poetry Reading
• 1982: Czesław Miłosz and Stanislaw Baranczak, "Two Centuries of Émigré Literature"
• 1981: Tola and Tymon Terlecki, "The Poetry of Jan Kochanowski"
• 1980: Leszek Kolakowski, "The Impossible Language of the Sacred"

* Video available at CREES Multimedia

Other Major Polish Studies Events

• Polish Studies in the 21st Century - 3rd International Conference on Polish Studies (September 16-18, 2010)
• Polish Films: Dekalog po Dekalogu and Teraz ja (November 1, 2009)
• Adam Zagajewski Poetry Reading, Zell Visiting Writers Series (December 4, 2008) | video | Zagajewski short bio
• Translation and Polish Literature in the West: A Round Table Discussion in Honor of Bogdana Carpenter (March 15, 2008)
• New Europe / Old Problems - A Symposium and Lecture Series Featuring Agnieszka Graff and Neal Ascherson (December 2007-January 2008)
• The University of Michigan Chopin Project - Performances of Chopin's Complete Solo Piano Works by the Piano Studio of Arthur Greene and Symposium (Winter 2007); Chopin Project Website
• "Democratic Revolutions, International Conflict, and Global Citizenship," lecture by Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of Poland, 1995-2005 (October 25, 2006)
• Adam Michnik Receives Honorary Degree (April 28, 2001)
• "Communism's Negotiated Collapse: The Polish Round Table Talks of 1989, Ten Years Later" (April 7-10, 1999)

The Nicolaus Copernicus Endowment was established in 1973 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the great Polish astronomer's multifaceted genius. Initially created with the cooperation of students, faculty, and Polish-Americans of Michigan, the Copernicus Endowment is sustained today by the energy and financial assistance of hundreds of individual supporters. The principal goal of the Endowment is to enable faculty appointments, programming, and student fellowships in Polish studies. Income from the Endowment makes the Annual Copernicus Lecture possible, and ensures the continued scheduling of public events dedicated to advancing a deeper understanding of the people, culture, and politics of Poland.

To strengthen the Polish studies program already in place and to promote in perpetuity the study of this historically important and increasingly significant country, the Nicolaus Copernicus Endowment Committee reaches out to prospective donors for the realization of this goal. 

Click here to give online.

For more information about how to support Polish studies and the Copernicus Endowment, contact Marysia Ostafin by email (mostafin@umich.edu or copernicus@umich.edu) or phone (734.647.2237).

The following websites offer a starting place for information on Poland and Polish studies.

Selected Polish/Polish Studies Links

• Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland
• Gazeta Wyborcza - a leading Polish newspaper
• H-Poland - Polish studies discussion forum, sponsored by the Polish Studies Association
• Jewish.org.pl: Portal Spolecznosci zydowskiej - website of the Jewish Community of Poland
• Kosciuszko Foundation - an American Center for Polish Culture
• National Library/Biblioteka Narodowa
• NASK - Research and Academic Computer Network/Naukowa i akademicka siec komputerowa, "The first Polish Internet operator"
• Notes Wydawniczy - Polish book review journal
• Poland.pl - "Poland on the Internet"
• Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America
• Polish Studies Association
• Polskie Radio
• Rzeczpospolita - a leading Polish newspaper
• State Archives/Archiwum Panstwowe
• Wielka internetowa encyklopedia multimedialna - Internet Multimedia Encyclopedia

Curriculum Resources

• Slavic Language Learning Site: Polish, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan
• Negotiating Radical Change: Understanding and Extending the Lessons of the Polish Round Table Talks
• Teaching Negotiation: The End of Communism and the Polish Round Table of 1989
• Curriculum Units: 2002 Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Study Tour of Poland
• Outreach World - an online source for instructional materials prepared by U.S. Department of Education-funded National Resource Centers

Other Internet Resources

• Resources on Poland (University Library Slavic and East European Division, University of Michigan)
• Erik Herron's Guide to Politics in East Central Europe and Eurasia (Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies, University of Kansas)
• REESWeb (Center for Russian and East European Studies, University of Pittsburgh)
• Webliographies (Slavic and East European Language Research Center, Duke University)