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Refugees, Minorities, and the Language of Rights
REFUGEES, MINORITIES, AND THE LANGUAGE OF RIGHTS: RE-NEGOTIATING STATE AND SOCIETY IN CONTEMPORARY POLAND
Jagiellonian University, Krakow, June 10 – July 07, 2018
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Never has Polish society seemed more divided than it is today. Rocked by public protest and censured by the European Union, Poland appears to be at war with itself. Cooperation across party lines in the Sejm has stalled, while anxieties about asylum seekers, controversies over reproductive rights, and accusations of domestic traitors have spiked to unprecedented levels. What is the genesis of these sharp rifts between the Polish state and the constituencies it serves? How should we understand state-society relations in the post-communist period? This program considers contemporary political issues in Poland in the context of long-term historical precedents. The first modern Polish state, born out of the wreckage of World War I, was overwhelmed with refugees, returning migrants, and asylum seekers; ethnic and religious minorities made up forty percent of the population. The period since then has seen repeated challenges to the human rights of Polish citizens, from the Nazi occupation to the Communist regime. Through it all, Poles have become practiced at organizing and asserting their rights in public life. The history course considers state-society relations in modern Poland, examining the country’s position within Europe, the experience of the Polish minority in the UK and elsewhere, Poland’s own history of minorities and refugee treatment, and the language of rights within which protests and resistance are often staged. How have Poles practiced political pluralism in the past three decades of democratic rule? Are today’s tensions an aberration or an extension of longstanding fault lines in Polish culture? Who in Poland has rights, who does not, and how has this changed? A complementary culture class will explore literary and cinematic representations of state-society relations.
COURSES:
All participants will earn 8 ECTS credits/ 3 college credits for each class (45h of instruction for each course).
- Refugees, Minorities, and the Language of Rights: Re-Negotiating State and Society in Contemporary Poland, tought by UIC History Professor Keely Stauter-Halsted (8 ECTS / 3 college credits)
- Polish Art & Culture in the 20th Century, tought by local Faculty (8 ECTS / 3 college credits)
- Polish Language Practicum, tought by local Faculty (6 ECTS / 1 college credits)
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Guided tours of Krakow's most famous sites: Old Town, Kazimierz, Wawel, Nowa Huta and more!
• Day study tour to Auschwitz
• Two day study tour to Polish Highlands – Zakopane
• Welcome and Farewell dinners
ORIENTATION:
Upon arrival in Krakow, students will attend orientation, which will include health and safety recommendations, cultural information, and a guided tour of Krakow.
ELIGIBILITY:
The program is directed to undergraduate students with good academic standings from US and Canadian colleges. Only 15 students will be accepted to attend the program.
COSTS:
The program fee of $2995 includes tuition, housing, daily breakfast, airport transfers, public transportation pass, welcome and farewell dinners, orientation and excursions. Additional expenses include: airfare, most meals and personal expenses.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:
May 15, 2018
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For more information please contact:
Mr. Michal Zajac
cash@uj.edu.pl
Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities
Grodzka 64 room 209
31-044 Krakow, Poland
Tel. (48) 12 663 18 10
Fax. (48) 12 663 18 20
