Spring 2025 Polish

Location: 1628 UH; Phone: (312) 996-4412.

Last generated: Monday, May 05 2025 09:44 AM CDT

NOTE: 500 level courses require graduate standing

POL 102

Elementary Polish II

4 hours. This class is taught in a blended format. Internet access is required. A high-speed connection is strongly recommended. Prerequisite(s): POL 101; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

Blended - Online & Classroom

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
18059LCD11:00 AM - 11:50 AMMWF1652BSBLin, J; Wolski-Moskoff, IOn campus and online
LCDARRANGEDARR2ONLLin, J; Wolski-Moskoff, IOn campus and online

POL 104

Intermediate Polish II

4 hours. This class is taught in a blended format. Internet access is required. A high-speed connection is strongly recommended. Prerequisite(s): POL 103; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

Blended - Online & Classroom

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
35481LCD11:00 AM - 11:50 AMMWFA0052LCAMajchrowicz-Wolny, K; Wolski-Moskoff, IOn campus and online
LCDARRANGEDARR2ONLMajchrowicz-Wolny, K; Wolski-Moskoff, IOn campus and online
SECTION RESERVED FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE TAKEN POL 103. OTHERS BY PERMISSION ONLY. PLEASE EMAIL LCSL@UIC.EDU. Departmental Approval Required
34332LCD02:00 PM - 02:50 PMMWF3072LHWolski-Moskoff, IOn campus and online
LCDARRANGEDARR2ONLWolski-Moskoff, IOn campus and online
THIS SECTION IS RESERVED FOR HERITAGE LEARNERS. STUDENTS CONTINUING FROM POL 103, PLEASE REGISTER FOR CRN 35481 (11:00-11:50).

POL 120

The Polish Short Story in Translation

3 hours. Taught in English. Creative Arts, and World Cultures course.

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
32280LCD10:00 AM - 10:50 AMMWF2142LHWasik, JMeet on campus

POL 150

Introduction to Polish Cinema

3 hours. Taught in English. Films screened with English subtitles. World Cultures, and Creative Arts course.

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
35482LCD12:30 PM - 01:45 PMTR2152BSBUnderhill, KMeet on campus

POL 202

Advanced Polish through Contemporary Culture

3 hours. Prerequisite(s): POL 104; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
34333LCD01:00 PM - 01:50 PMMWF2072GHMajchrowicz-Wolny, K; Wolski-Moskoff, IMeet on campus

POL 234

The Making of Modern Poland

3 hours. Same as HIST 234. Prerequisite(s):ENGL 160 or completion of any 100-level history course. Individual and Society, and Past course.

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
30602LCD11:00 AM - 12:15 PMTR2072THStauter-Halsted, KMeet on campus
This class explores the antecedents of contemporary problems in Poland. It examines the social, political, and cultural history of the Polish lands from the earliest written record in the 10th century to the present day. The course considers the consolidation and expansion of the Polish state in the medieval and early modern periods, the evolution (and decline) of noble democracy, repeated foreign incursions and Polands changing place in the world. Emphasizing the variable meanings of Polishness over time, we look at the fluctuating boundaries of Polish territory, the shifting membership in the Polish national community, and the diverse population that has comprised this heterogeneous state. Along the way, we consider the role of religious dissenters, the meanings of Sarmatism, and the position of witches, Roma (gypsies), Jews, and other outsiders in Polish culture. In the modern period, the course examines Polish refugees and migrants, peasants and workers. Topics also include the construction of democracy during the interwar Second Republic, the impact of the dual Nazi and Soviet occupations during World War II, the Nazi Holocaust; Communism and the rise of political dissidence, Solidarity and the collapse of the communist system, and the transition to liberal democracy after 1989.

POL 242

Polish Poetry for Beginners

3 hours. Taught in English.

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
48103LCD03:30 PM - 04:45 PMT1852BSBUnderhill, KOn campus and online
Hybrid Format: Meets on campus Tuesdays only, 3:30-4:45 PM / + online Asynchronous When I pronounce the word Future, writes Polish poet Wisawa Szymborska, the first syllable already belongs to the past. / When I pronounce the word Silence, I destroy it. Polish poets have been destroying silence and pronouncing the future for close to seven centuries using the poetic word, rhymed or unrhymed, shouted or whispered to express the human condition, to resist oppression, and to celebrate freedom. In this course we will read and discuss Polish poetry in translation, and ask: how is poetry woven into the fabric of our lives in song lyrics, childrens literature, folk culture, and political activism? Develop your own relationship to the poems we read through a weekly poetry-reading journal. No prerequisites! First-time readers, or experienced poetry writers all are welcome.

POL 399

Independent Study

1 TO 3 hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing, consent of the instructor and consent of the head of the department. Instructor Approval Required This course counts toward the limited number of independent study hours accepted toward the degree and the major.

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
13042CNFARRANGEDMarkowski, M
21074CNFARRANGEDUnderhill, K

POL 460

Studies in Polish Literature

3 OR 4 hours. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours for undergraduates, or 12 hours for graduate students, if topics vary. Only 6 hours may be applied toward the undergraduate major in Polish. Taught in English. Polish majors will be required to complete some assignments in Polish. Prerequisite(s): Credit or concurrent registration in CEES 224 or Credit or concurrent registration in CEES 225; or consent of the instructor.

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
31360LCD05:00 PM - 07:30 PMR2072GHBorowski, MMeet on campus
3 hours Capturing Catastrophe "Capturing Catastrophe: Central and East-European Environmental Disturbances in Cinematic Media" The participants will travel across post-socialist and post-dependency states of Central and Eastern Europe to places where the impact of catastrophes has been intensely felt by human and non-human communities over the last thirty years. What challenges filmmakers face when trying to give a cinematic account of an environmental catastrophe? How can a medium which captures a catastrophe intervene in the public discourse and influence collective imaginary? What does a given medium bring to the foreground, and what (and why) is left outside of the frame? The course invites the participants to take a closer look at how these degraded, toxic landscapes are captured by cinematic media not only feature films, but also documentaries, mockumentaries, television shows, fictionalized and speculative cinematic formats as well as performance-based video art. Each session will be centered around an exemplary cinematic work which will provide a starting point for an in-class discussion. The goal of the course is to demonstrate to what extent the cinematic representation of environmental catastrophes is conditioned by cultural, historical and social factors. We will therefore see what social role art and culture have to play in times of ecological crises, providing ways of seeing, knowing and feeling the catastrophes already happening around us and those yet to come. Restricted to Undergrad - Chicago.
31788LCD05:00 PM - 07:30 PMR2072GHBorowski, MMeet on campus
4 hours Capturing Catastrophe "Capturing Catastrophe: Central and East-European Environmental Disturbances in Cinematic Media" The participants will travel across post-socialist and post-dependency states of Central and Eastern Europe to places where the impact of catastrophes has been intensely felt by human and non-human communities over the last thirty years. What challenges filmmakers face when trying to give a cinematic account of an environmental catastrophe? How can a medium which captures a catastrophe intervene in the public discourse and influence collective imaginary? What does a given medium bring to the foreground, and what (and why) is left outside of the frame? The course invites the participants to take a closer look at how these degraded, toxic landscapes are captured by cinematic media not only feature films, but also documentaries, mockumentaries, television shows, fictionalized and speculative cinematic formats as well as performance-based video art. Each session will be centered around an exemplary cinematic work which will provide a starting point for an in-class discussion. The goal of the course is to demonstrate to what extent the cinematic representation of environmental catastrophes is conditioned by cultural, historical and social factors. We will therefore see what social role art and culture have to play in times of ecological crises, providing ways of seeing, knowing and feeling the catastrophes already happening around us and those yet to come. Restricted to Graduate - Chicago or Graduate Non-Degree Chicago.

POL 499

Independent Study

1 TO 4 hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Graduate students may register for more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Senior or graduate standing, consent of the instructor and consent of the head of the department. Instructor Approval Required This course counts toward the limited number of independent study hours accepted toward the undergraduate degree and the major.

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
42567C5ARRANGEDMarkowski, M
13046CNFARRANGEDUnderhill, K

POL 596

Independent Study

1 TO 4 hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Students may register in more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor and consent of the head of the department. Instructor Approval Required

CRNCourse TypeStart & End TimeMeeting DaysRoomBuilding CodeInstructorMeets BetweenInstructional Method
41495CNFARRANGEDMarkowski, M
13048CNFARRANGEDUnderhill, K