Polish studies, Polish philology or Polonistics (, or ''polonistyka'') is the field of

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

that researches, documents and disseminates the

Polish language Polish (, , or simply , ) is a West Slavic languages, West Slavic language of the Lechitic languages, Lechitic subgroup, within the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is written in the Latin script. It is primarily spo ...

and

Polish literature Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages used in Poland over the centuries have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Latin, ...

in both historic and present-day forms. The history of Polish studies dates back to the 16th century. The first Polish scholars to study the Polish language were

Jan Mączyński Jan Mączyński (c. 1520 – c. 1587) was a Polish humanist and lexicographer. He was appointed as canon of the Collegiate church in Kalisz. Mączyński was the author of a Polish-Latin Dictionary published around 1564 with 1000 pages and 20,500 L ...

and Piotr Stoiński (Pierre Statorius). Academic activities in Polish Studies include conferences, workshops, and book publications by scholars who work and teach on Polish history, culture, art, and politics. The Polish Studies Association is part of the

American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and facilitates "the exchange of academic information regarding Polish history, culture, arts, politics, economics, and contemporary affairs, and seeks to enhance contacts between Polish and Western Affairs." The Departments of Polish Studies exist in all major universities across

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and in many academic institutions across the world. They offer students a range of academic programmes with

Bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and never has been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

and Masters' degrees in the field.

In the United States

In the United States, students taking Polish studies majors focus on the nation, current and historical inhabitants of Polish lands, both current and historical, and instruction includes a wide range of and humanities, such as culture, politics, and economics.

University programs

Some of the Polish Studies programs at U.S. universities include: * Polish Studies at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

* Polish Studies Center at the

Indiana University at Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

* Polish Studies Program at the

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

* Polish Studies at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

* Copernicus Program in Polish Studies at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

* Polish and Polish American Studies at

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut's oldest publi ...

* Polish Studies at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

* The Polish Studies Program at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, the oldest Polish program in the United States * Polish Studies Program at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

in Seattle

References

;Inline: ;General:
The Centre for Polish Studies (Centrum Kształcenia Języka Polskiego). Warszawa, Poland; 2009

Polish language {{Poland-edu-stub European studies