Welcome to Polish
Polish at Oxford
M.St. & M.Phil. in Medieval and Modern Languages (Polish)
M.St. & M.Phil. in Slavonic Studies
M.Litt. & D.Phil. (Polish)
Staff
Graduate research
Related websites
Apply online
Polish at Oxford
Oxford offers four graduate programmes which, depending on your choice, may include a substantial Polish component, including Polish language, literature, history and society:
- The one-year M.St. and the two-year M.Phil. in Slavonic Studies give students the opportunity to specialize in Polish as their second Slavonic language, and to choose from a range of options including Polish history, literature, linguistics and philology.
- The M.St. and M.Phil. in Medieval and Modern Languages (Literature) allow students to specialize in literary studies, with a compulsory course in literary theory or methodology and a large variety of other options. These can include Polish literature and culture.
- The M.St. and M.Phil. in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology include options in Polish linguistics and philology.
- Finally, there is the one-year M.Sc. and the two-year M.Phil. in Russian and East European Studies. This course has a strong component of history, politics and economics, but also includes a cultural component and literary options.
Oxford also warmly welcomes applications from students who wish to pursue doctoral research in Polish.
Note: Polish language tuition is available for Master's and for doctoral students whose course or research includes elements in Polish studies.
Graduate research
Over the years there has been a diverse community at Oxford of master's and doctoral students in the field of Polish studies. The range of topics studied has included:
- medieval Polish history
- 17th-century Polish history
- Polish-German relations
- Polish-Jewish relations and others
Within Modern Languages there have been graduate students working on:
- the poetry of Zbigniew Herbert
- Polish literary theory
- modernist literature from Vilnius (Wilno)
- Polish syntax and other linguistic topics
Polish graduate seminars, special lectures and talks are a regular feature. So are cultural events, such as a reading by the distinguished Polish poet Ewa Lipska, or an afternoon dedicated to the life and work of Witold Gombrowicz.
At Oxford, topics in Polish language and literature are taught and supervised in the wider context of Modern Languages, including Russian, Czech and General Linguistics. Other Faculties provide expertise in Polish history, politics and society. Library holdings are exceptionally strong and include the superb collections in Polish literature, language and history in the Bodleian and Taylorian libraries. Oxford also has a lively network of Polish graduate students organised around the Oxford Polish Society.
Related websites
- Polish sites and resources from the Taylor Institution Language/Country Resources page
- Language Centre Polishlinks page