SOAN 290: Contemporary Polish Politics, Society, and Culture Poland

SOAN 290 (4 credits)
4 weeks in Poland
Professor Krzysztof Jasiewicz

This course is a topical seminar that focuses on an interdisciplinary examination of the Polish society through formal study and direct exposure to its people and culture. It will focus on social, political, and economic issues related to the transition away from Communism that Poland and other Central European countries have been undergoing over the course of the last twenty-plus years. Those issues will be examined in a broader historical and cultural context. The chief educational objective of the course is to demonstrate to American students that the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness can be achieved (1) despite major historical, cultural, and geopolitical adversities, and (2) within a framework of political, social, and economic institutions that are markedly different from those they have known in the United States.

The program will be based in Warsaw with trips to Kraków, Gdańsk and Lódź. An optional trip to Prague in the Czech Republic may be added to the itinerary.

The course will meet both the FDR SS-4 and Sociology/Anthropology major requirements.

Program Fee (paid to W&L): $3,300. This fee includes: tuition at Collegium Civitas, accommodation, ground transportation, group meals (daily lunch, welcome and farewell dinners), airfare to Prague and one night's hotel stay there.

Estimated Additional Expenses: $1,700. This includes airfare ($1,200) and other meals not included in the program fee.

For more information, please contact Professor Jasiewicz at jasiewiczk@wlu.edu.