Polish 245

Spring 2004
Section 16678-8L
Tuesday-Thursday 9:30-11:18
001 LZ

Instructor Information:
Instructor: Halina Stephan	e-mail: stephan.31@osu.edu
Office: 303 Oxley Hall 392-8770	Mailbox: Slavic Dept. 232 Cunz
Office Hours: Tue Th 11:30-12:30	Phone: 292-6025

Course Description:

This course ask the following questions:

• What is culture and how is it shaped?
• How does history influence a national identity?
• How does literature and literature convey the national culture?
• Can a national identity survive in the age of globalization?

Students will become acquianted with the culture of Poland, especially as it is reflected in literature and film, as well as with the concept of Central Europe and the European Union. They will also be introduced to the key cities representing cultural traditions such as Krakow, Warsaw, and Gdansk.

Required Readings (at SBX):

The Eagle and the Crow: Modern Polish Short Stories by Teresa Halikowska and George Hyde Short Stories by Boleslaw Prus Futurological Congress by Stanislaw Lem A Conscise History of Poland by Jerzy Lukowski and Hubert Zawadzki (optional) Hand-outs (6)

Assignments:

Regular attendance is obligatory to do well in class. You are expected to complete the reading or web research for each class as outlined below, to submit punctually your questions for the readings via email by 8:00 pm the evening preceeding the class, and to contribute to class discussions. You will be responsible for:

• regular homework assignments
• a PowerPoint presentation in class
• a film or a book review (typed, double-spaced, 3pp)
• a midtem and a final.

Exams:

The exams will include an identification part, short answers, and essays. There may be take-home parts. You will also write a review of a recommended Polish film or a book to be submitted by the sixth week of the course.

Grading:	20% midterm exam (April 27)
	20% final (June 9)
	20 % homeworks and participation
	20 % group presentation (3-4 students/group)
	20 % film/book review (due May 4)

Group presentations (PowerPoint):

Folklore and peasant culture
Gentry identity and gentry traditions
Krakow: the historical capital
Warsaw: the contemporary capital
Gdansk, Malbork and Olsztyn (for the participants in the Poland program)
History of Polish Jews
Second World War in Poland
Culture of Socialist Realism
Modern Polish Culture

Reports to be written on (select one):

Eva Hoffman: Shtetl: Life and Death of a Small Town and the World of Polish Jews (book)
Canal (Andrzej Wajda)
The Pianist (Roman Polanski)
Europa, Europa (Agnieszka Holland)
Man of Marble (Andrzej Wajda)
Man of Iron (Andrzej Wajda)
The Interrogation (Andrzej Wajda)
and others (check with me upon choosing the film)
Films are available at the Slavic Center 303 Oxley Hall

Syllabus
Week One
March 30	Introduction to the course.
Read:	John G. Blair, "Navigating Globally: A Guidance System Called Comparative Cultural Studies." (hand-out) Search the web for definitions of culture: write down three of them. Think about the complexities of defining your own culture for a foreign audience. Write and hand-in a 2 pp. syllabus for an introductory course on American Culture for European students.
April 1	Ways of looking at culture—discussion of the syllabi. Definitions of culture. Objectives of cultural studies. The concept of "otherness." The concept of Central Europe.
Read:	History of Poland in Maps (hand-out) Make a list of FIVE historical experiences which shaped the national identity of the country (email by 8:00pm Monday).
Week Two
April 6	History of Poland: Periods and the defining themes
Read:	"Polish History: The Ethos" (hand-out) "What is Poland Really Like?" by Andrzej Szczypiorski (hand-out) Submit three discussion questions to the texts (email by 8:00 pm Wed)
April 8	The concept of national identity: National mythology
Read:	"Polish History: The Reality" (hand-out) List three "sore spots" undermining the ethos preserved in the cultural memory (email by 8:00pm Mon)
Week Three
April 13	Historical facts and their varying interpretations
Read:	"Polish History: Poland in the Present" (hand-out) Submit three questions about Polish socialism and its decline (email by 8:00pm Wed)
April 15	Socialist Poland 1945-1989
Read:	Prepare information on the European Union. Search the web. Be able to give a short history of EU, its membership, and the organizational principles. Extra credit for a PowerPoint presentation of an interesting aspect of EU. Prepare for a short quiz on the EU.
Week Four
April 20	Eastward expansion of the European Union
Read:	Zygmunt Bauman, "Europe of Strangers" http:/www.europeansynthesis.org/n1/aricolo06.htm; also articolo17.htm (same address) Email three questions to the Bauman text (by 8:00pm Wed)
April 22	Poland’s entry to the European Union (May 1, 2004): Cultural and political impact
Week Five
April 27	Midterm
April 29	No class? Film report Due May 4
Read:	Boleslaw Prus, Short Stories ("Antek," "Michalko" )
Week Six
May 4	The images of Poland in literature: The Nineteenth Century Report on Folklore and Peasant Life
Read:	Boleslaw Prus, Short Stories ("Sins of Childhood," "The Waistcoat," "The Barrel Organ")
May 9	The images of Poland in literature: The Nineteenth Century Report on Gentry (szlachta) Traditions and Gentry Identity
Read:	Borowski, "This Way to Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen"(The Eagle and the Crow), Pawel Huelle, " The Table" Do you think that such literature can accurately convey history? (email by 8:00 pm Monday)
Week Seven
May 11	Modern Poland and the Memory of the World War II Report on the Impact of World War II on Poland
Read:	Hanna Krall, "A Tale for Hollywood." ( The Eagle and the Crow) Ask three questions to the text (email by 8:00pm Wed)
May 13	Modern Poland and the Memory of the Holocaust Report on the Jewish Culture in Poland
Read:	Stefan Chwin, "The Touch," Slawomir Mrozek, "The Elephant," "Spring in Poland," Stanislaw Lem, "The Use of a Dragon" (The Eagle and the Crow) Which one is your favorite story? What do you think it is the point of the story? (email by 8:00 pm Monday)
Week Eight
May 18	Polish Culture under Socialism Report on the Culture of Socialist Realism
Read:	Janusz Anderman, "Poland Still" (The Eagle and the Crow) What is the meaning of this story? (email by 8:00pm Wed)
May 20	Polish Solidarity and the breakdown of the Socialist Bloc Report on Warsaw: History and Culture
Read:	Stanislaw Lem, Futurological Congress
Week Nine
May 25	Lem and the Post-modern Future Report on Krakow: History and Culture
Read:	Stanislaw Lem, Futurological Congress
May 27	Lem and the Post-modern Future Report on Gdansk, Olsztyn and Malbork
Week Ten
June 1	Poland: Democratic Politics, Religion, Identity. Moving into the 21st Century. Report on Contemporary Polish Cultural Life
June 3	Review for the final
Final:	June 10 Thursday at 9:30

Recommended Web sites:

· http://www.poland.pl The official Web site of Poland (useful info on various aspects of life in Poland):
· http://www.polandembassy.org The Polish Embassy in DC Web site:
· http://www.gopoland.com GoPoland: Web Travel Guide to Poland:
· http://www.warsawvoice.pl/poland/index.html Warsaw Voice Guide to Poland
· http://www.polishwriting.net Polish Literature
· http://www.jewishmuseum.org/ History of Polish Jews