THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY SUMMER SCHOOL OF THE POLISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE uly 5th, 2013 – the summer vac., but in the Aula of the Collegium Novum a large group of international students are about to start a Polish course. There’s a festive atmosphere in the Aula, and in comes the Rector of the Jagiellonian University accompanied by Professor Jerzy Buzek, former Prime Minister of Poland and President of the European Parliament. It’s already become a tradition in the Jagiellonian University Summer School of the Polish Language and Culture for the inauguration ceremony to be attended by celebrities from Poland’s world of culture or politics. Its students have had the opportunity to listen to inauguration lectures delivered by Andrzej Wajda, Ryszard Kapuściński, Leszek Balcerowicz, Norman Davies, and Alex Storożyński. Over 450 international students from 44 countries on 5 continents attended the 2013 Summer School. The largest group, over 130, came from the USA, but Germany and Ukraine were well represented,
64
alma mater nr 159
too. Just who wasn’t there? There were people from Italy, France, Russia, Belarus, Spain, Egypt, Japan, Korea, China, and many other countries. Can you learn Polish in the space of the summer vac.? Yes, of course. Youngsters in the 14–17 age group come for a variety of reasons and attend various courses, but chiefly to have a good time, visit the beautiful sights of southern Poland, and learn the language while they’re enjoying themselves. They have 45 hours of classes a week, plus excursions. Older students come mainly to learn the language. This year scores of young people, mostly from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, attended the preparatory language course prior to starting a degree programme in Poland. For them learning the language is a gateway to Polish universities. A special programme was designed with them in mind, focusing on disciplines like Medicine, Marketing and Management, Law, the Humanities, and the Social Sciences. Other Summer
School students attended general courses. Some of the Summer School’s students came to earn credits towards their grades in their parent university by passing a Polish examination in Kraków. Some were academics, teachers, journalists, businessmen, for whom a knowledge of Polish will come in useful in their professional activities. And some came to discover the language and culture of the land from which their parents or grandparents came… But the Summer School courses at the Jagiellonian University are more than just language classes. In the afternoon international students have the opportunity to attend cycles of lectures on Polish literature, culture, history, and society. For those who are proficient in Polish there are lectures in Polish, and in English for those who are not so good. The evenings are a time to relax, but the Summer School shows you can relax with Polish. International students learn about traditional Polish customs and holidays, such as Andrzejki (St. Andrew’s
In 2013 Professor Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament (2009–2012), delivered the inauguration lecture for the Jagiellonian University Summer School of the Polish Language and Culture
Photo Archiwum Szkoły Języka i Kultury Polskiej UJ
J