Introduction to Polish History, Culture and Civilization

Introduction to Polish History, Culture and Civilization

* Faculty/Department: Faculty of the Humanities/ Institute for Cultural Studies

* Course title: Introduction to Polish History, Culture and Civilization

* Course code: PHC/2010

* Erasmus subject area code: kod dziedziny wg klasyfikacji Erasmusa

* Number of contact hours: 30 (15 sessions, 90 mins each)

* Course duration: 2nd semester; classes to be held on Wednesdays from 11.30 to 13.00, as of 16th February

* Venue: classroom 323 (Faculty of the Humanities, the 'old building'),

* Time: 11.30 AM - 1.00 PM

* ECTS credits: 6

* Course description:

The aims of the course are the following:

* To provide the participants with the knowledge of major aspects of the history of Poland down through the centuries

* To offer students an opportunity of better understanding the challenging process of creating and sustaining a civil society and liberal democracy in post-Communist Poland

* To foster a creative comparison between Poland and the participants' own country

* To compare the Polish political, social and cultural arrangements with other EU member states

The classes will be conducted in a seminar format, consisting of lectures and follow-up discussions on the respective subjects which cover the history of Polish society and civilization from the origins of the nation and state until the present-day. Since Lublin and the Lublin region are historic areas with lots of ancient monuments and artifacts (a number of them dating from the Middle Ages), students' individual excursions to such sights are recommended, which should facilitate a deeper insight into the history of Polish society and culture of the area. The history of Poland, as a history of any other country, is a process, best described as a chain of causes and consequences, therefore it is strongly advisable that students attend all the classes, as any absence from the class may later result in misunderstanding some further material.

The projected subjects:

1.The origins of Poland ( till the beginning of the 11th century).

2.Poland in the Middle Ages ( till the end of the disintegration into provinces)

3.Poland in the late Middle Ages ( 14th - 15th centuries)

4.The 'Golden Age' in the history of the Polish nation ( 16th century)

5.The