Polish Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) is the oldest academic program in existence with the focus on the study and teaching of the Polish language, literature, and culture in the United States. Polish language instruction began in the fall semester of 1936 and has been offered at the University of Wisconsin–Madison ever since. The Polish program is offered by the UW–Madison Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+. As a result, with the foundation of the Department of Polish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1936, the teaching of Slavic languages and literatures started.
History
The Polish Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison traces its history back to 1935, when the combined effort of the local Polish American community and state legislators led to the establishment of the Department of Polish (1936), the first academic program devoted to the teaching of the Polish language, literature, and culture in the United States. First Polish classes at UW–Madison were held in the fall semester of 1936 and have been offered there ever since. Initially, Polish classes were taught by visiting professors from Poland. Chronologically, this cohort included Jerzy Kuryłowicz from the University of Lviv (1936), Witold Doroszewski from the University of Warsaw (1936–1937), and Joseph A. Birkenmajer (1937–1939). The latter two were also the first chairpersons of the department, which, at the time, consisted of the Polish lecturer exclusively. Edmund Zawacki, who started teaching Polish at UW–Madison in 1939, continued to work there until 1978. Zawacki, the first recipient of a Ph.D. degree in Slavic languages and literatures in the United States, also became the third chairperson of the department, a position in which he served until 1960. After Zawacki's retirement in 1978, Lillian Vallee took the post of the Polish lecturer in the department, having worked in this capacity for the next four years. In 1982, Halina Filipowicz was hired as the head of the Polish studies, a position she has held until her retirement. In 2019, Łukasz Wodzyński succeeded Filipowicz as the professor of Polish.
In 1942, the Department of Polish changed its name to the Department of Slavic Languages, a move that saw the unit broaden its academic scope to include Russian language offerings. This trend continued in the years to come as several other Slavic and non-Slavic languages were added. During that time, the department started offering classes in Bulgarian, Czech, Old Church Slavic, Serbo-Croatian (all Slavic), as well as some Turkic languages: Kazakh, Tatar, and Uzbek. Of those, Czech, Old Church Slavic, and Serbo-Croatian continue to be offered to this day, along with Polish and Russian. Currently, the Polish Studies Program at UW–Madison makes part of the academic programs offered through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.
In 2011, the then-Department of Slavic Languages and Literature was awarded the Polonicum Award Distinction, presented by the University of Warsaw Center for Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners, in recognition of its achievements in the area of teaching, researching, and promoting Polish language, literature, and culture. The UW–Madison Polish program won for its engagement in the education and popularization of Polish culture among the wider audience. The award was accepted by Dr. Ewa Miernowska, the program's Polish lecturer since 1993, during the 2011 Awards Ceremony that took place on November 28, 2011, in Warsaw, Poland, and included the chancellor of the University of Warsaw, among other guests. The Polonicum Award is presented each year and the Award Committee includes the Minister of Science and Higher Education of Poland, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and the chancellor of the University of Warsaw, among others.
UW–Madison remains one of the few U.S. universities that offers a Polish major. As of 2020, Polish is one of the four undergraduate majors offered by the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.