Intermediate Polish II

PLSH BB Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Part two of a two part intermediate course in modern Polish language, culture, and art for students with previous study of the language. Further development of vocabulary and oral expression within a comprehensive review of Polish grammar. All four major communicative skills (speaking, listening comprehension, reading, writing) are stressed as students learn to use the language both as a means of communication and as a tool for reading and research. Introduction to Polish literature through fiction and poetry, history and contemporary events, including readings from literary masterpieces from Polish literature from the era of the Renaissance to contemporary times including Jan Kochanowski, Wisława Szymborska, Zbigniew Herbert, Czesław Miłosz and others. Film clips and newspaper articles will introduce students to a variety of styles of contemporary Polish. Systematic study of word formation and other strategies are taught to help free students from excessive dependence on the dictionary and develop confidence in reading.

Intermediate Polish I and Intermediate Polish II together prepare students for continued study of Polish in advanced-level courses and for study or travel abroad in Poland. 

Course Notes

This course will be offered MWF with 75 min class meetings. The department will make an effort to schedule the course based on the availability of interested students. Please contact the course instructor or the Director of the Slavic Language Program (Steven Clancy ) with any questions. For information on meetings during the first week of classes, please see https://slavic.fas.harvard.edu/language-courses. • • • Part two of a two-part series. Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in Polish BA in the fall and Polish BB in the spring within the same academic year. - - - See language course notes on the Slavic Department website for information about sectioning, pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, and auditing: https://slavic.fas.harvard.edu/language-course-notes

Recommended Prep

Polish Ba or placement at the B-level. Familiarity with fundamentals of Polish grammar, particularly case endings and elementary competence in spoken Polish.