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. The language of instruction for language classes is Polish, and students are required to prepare and present materials in Polish.
Students attend a one-hour lecture and two seminars per week.
Students are expected to read widely beyond the set texts. During seminars the history of Polish literary criticism will also be discussed. 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. In addition, each student will be expected to give at least one presentation per year. Option 56 is a take-home paper.