School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Slavonic Studies

Polish Joint Honours

(September 2007 to May 2008)
(seven hours per week at times to be arranged)
(Course Convener: Dr Elwira Grossman)

ENROLMENT MEETING: Thursday 20 September 2007 at 11.00 am, in Room 133, Level 1, Hetherington Building, Bute Gardens.

Aims
This course is intended to:

1. provide students with a thorough knowledge of modern standard Polish;
2. develop translation skills, as well as the skills of oral and written communication in Polish to a very high level;
3. impart to students an in-depth knowledge of Polish literature, history and culture, especially as regards selected works of literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the main literary trends and movements of those periods, with considerable attention being given to the early period of Polish history;
4. increase students' ability to work effectively, as well as to further the acquisition of generic and transferable skills which will be of value in later life.

Learning Objectives
By the end of the course students will be able to:

1. produce with confidence written and oral Polish on a wide range of topics of academic or general interest, demonstrating a sound knowledge and understanding of grammatical structures, stylistic register and vocabulary, as well as a very high level of practical competence;
2. translate from and into Polish, with or without access to works of reference, texts of a considerable complexity and sophistication;
3. demonstrate understanding of oral and written Polish taken from a wide range of sources and reflecting a wide range of grammar, style and vocabulary;
4. make effective use of dictionaries and other works of reference;
5. demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of the main literary trends in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Polish literature, as exemplified in selected texts, and key cultural and historical developments from the ninth to the twentieth century;
6. demonstrate a close reading of selected Polish works of literature;
7. discuss and to write critically on a wide range of aspects of Polish literature from the Renaissance to the twentieth century;
8. make effective use of works of literary criticism, both in English and in Polish;
9. make effective and appropriate use of audio, video and computer-based technology;
10. produce by stated deadlines carefully structured, cogently argued, appropriately documented and well-written pieces of written work;
11. apply the analytical skills acquired through the study of language and literature to a wide range of problems which may confront them in different situations and contexts;
12. apply their knowledge and understanding of Poland and their acquired inter-cultural skills, gained both through their period of residence in Poland, as well as through their studies in Glasgow, in a wide range of situations and contexts.

All students take the following:

Course 90UX: Translation from Polish into English (30 credits)
Course 90UH: Translation from English into Polish and Essay in Polish (15 credits)
Course 90UI: Oral in Polish (15 credits)
Course 90VL: Polish Literature from the Renaissance to the Twentieth Century (15 credits)
Course 90UG: Twentieth-century Polish Literature (15 credits) (not available in Session 2007-2008)
Course 88DQ: Dissertation (for Polish Joint Honours students only) (15 credits)[see Regulations below]

and EITHER 1 x 30-credit Option OR 2 x 15-credit Options from the list below to a total of 120 credits:

Course 90VF: Subsidiary Czech Language (Beginners) (30 credits)
Course 90VJ: Subsidiary Czech Language (Intermediate) (30 credits)
Course 90VH: Subsidiary Russian Language (Beginners) (30 credits)
Course 90VI: Subsidiary Russian Language (Intermediate) (30 credits)
Course 90TY: Introduction to Comparative Slavonic Philology (15 credits) (not available in Session 2007-2008)
Course 90TZ: The Slavonic Languages (15 credits)
Course 90UJ: Czech, Polish and Russian Women's Writing in English Translation (30 credits) (not available in Session 2007-2008)
Course 90UF: Post-War Polish Theatre (15 credits) (not available in Session 2007-2008)
Course 90UE: Polish Cinema (15 credits) (not available in Session 2007-2008)
Course 90UP: The Mass Media of Central and Eastern Europe (15 credits) (not available in Session 2007-2008)
Course 90UQ: Further Issues Concerning The Mass Media of Central and Eastern Europe (15 credits)
Course 90VT: Polish Identities: Readings in Polish Cultural and Intellectual History (15 credits)
Course 89BL: Russian Cinema (15 credits)
Course 89CX: Holocaust Literature (15 credits)
Course 89CV: Slavonic Drama (15 credits)
Course 89FS: The Lost Empire: Byzantium and the Slavs, 800-1600 (15 credits)(taught jointly with the Department of History) (not available in Session 2007-2008)
Course 89FT: 'Domesticating the Dictators?': Women's Writing under Stalin and Franco (15 credits)
Course 87CR: Russian 20th-Century Visual Culture (15 credits)

Dissertation (15 credits)
Joint Honours students should undertake a dissertation as part of their degree. For Joint Honours students opting to do so in the Polish Section, the dissertation topic will be based on one of the Honours options offered in their Junior Honours year. The students will attend the lectures and seminars for the option as normal, but instead of the standard assessment, will present a short dissertation in English of about 5,000 words. The topic of the dissertation will be agreed with the convener of the option at a meeting shortly after the beginning of the course. In addition to the normal contact hours for the option, it is expected that dissertation students will meet individually with the option convener on at least three occassions to discuss the progress of their research. The dissertation topic will require the student to do some independent research beyond the normal scope of the option course in question.

Detailed information about course components and Options can be found via our web link Compulsory and Optional Elements for Honours Courses.

Language element
a) Comprehension/translation class: two hours per week throughout the two Honours years, though the content varies considerably from class to class. Material ranges from modern literature, magazine and newspaper articles to technical texts, propaganda and children's books. Use will also be made of materials provided by Polish Radio and Television.

b) Modern Polish structure, syntax and stylistics class: one hour per week. A class is devoted to specific questions of usage, rules and abusage of the contemporary Polish language. Various passages in Polish will be analysed and translated to test the students' grasp of grammar, syntax, idiom and style. The class will also study synonyms, cognates, word building, and the relationship of word, phrase and text. Students will write three essays in Polish on subjects chosen from the list provided by the course supervisor.

c) Conversation class: there is a weekly oral class with the Polish Lektor, in part free conversation, in part based on reading and discussing excerpts from the Polish press, professional magazines and selected literary texts.

d) Other facilities: students are free to use the recorded audio-visual materials (language laboratory, taped radio broadcasts, Polish TV programmes, particularly TV serials) available in the Hetherington Building Language Centre Library and the Slavonic Studies Section of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures.

NB! The language of instruction for language classes is Polish, and students are required to prepare and present materials in Polish.

Literature element
The literature course is taught on a two-year cycle, pre-twentieth-century literature one year, twentieth-century literature the next. Students attend a one-hour lecture and one seminar per week. Students are expected to read widely beyond the set texts.

Seminars are so arranged that each student will give at least one presentation per year and introduce a discussion of the work or theme selected.

Assessment
A number of different schemes of assessment are used for this course. Full details of assessment are given in the documentation accompanying each individual Option. Further details of assessment involving course work are given in the relevant link listed at Compulsory and Optional Elements for Honours Courses. The format of the oral examination (20 minutes) is determined by the External Examiner in consultation with the Department; it is normally conducted by the External Examiner alone and is worth 15 credits. A Distinction in Spoken Polish may be awarded by the examiners.

Slavonic Studies Arrangements and University Facilities
Essay titles and delivery dates are posted on the Honours notice boards.

Various materials (eg audio- and video-cassettes) are available on loan from the Slavonic Studies Office.

Students are encouraged to make full use of the language laboratory equipment on Level 1 of the Hetherington Building.

TV Polonia is normally available from 09.00 to 21.30 on Mondays to Thursdays, and from 09.00 to 17.00 on Fridays, during semesters.

All members of Slavonic Studies staff are available to students on the days and at the times shown on notices attached to the doors of their offices.

Past Degree Examination papers are available for sale both from the Slavonic Studies Office and in the University Library.

The attention of all Honours students is drawn to the exceptionally rich holdings of the Slavonic Section of the University Library. We advise students to take advantage of the wide selection of monographs on Level 6, but warn you that most items are available in only one copy. A wide range of periodicals and newspapers is available on the ground floor.

Taught by Dr John Bates, Dr Elwira Grossman and Ms Aneta Stepien