Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures
Minor in Polish
Students on Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Spring 2026 requirements POLISHMIN
Students will develop intermediate language proficiency and its application to real-world settings; cultural literacy demonstrated in a general knowledge of the target culture, its history, products, and practices; the ability to analyze cultural texts and situations and the mechanisms by which they function; and the ability to analyze problems from multiple critical perspectives.
Requirements
The minor requires at least 15 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
- Minor Requirements. At least five (5) courses:
- Fourth-Year Polish II
- Supervised Individual Reading (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- Central European Cinema (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- Topics in Slavic and East European Literatures, Cultures, and Languages (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- Topics in Slavic Literatures and Cultures (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- Advanced Intermediate Polish II
- Advanced Intermediate Polish I
- Introduction to the Slavic Languages (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- Central & East European Immigration and Ethnic Identity in the U.S. (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- The Vampire in European and American Culture (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- Introduction to the Slavic Languages (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- Central and East European Immigration and Ethnic Identity in the U.S. (requires special approval; see academic advisor)
- Intermediate Polish I
- Fourth-Year Polish I
- The Structure of Polish
- The Bold and the Restless: Polish Film from the 1950s to the Present
- Topics in Polish Literature, Culture, and Language
- From Anxiety To Revolution
- Faces of War and Freedom
- Introduction to Polish Culture
- Summer Intensive Intermediate Polish II
- Summer Intensive Intermediate Polish I
- Intermediate Polish II
SLAV-P 474 Fourth-Year Polish II
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Refinement of active and passive language skills, with emphasis on vocabulary building and word usage. Extensive readings, discussion, composition writing. Individualized remedial drill in grammar and pronunciation.
SLAV-X 490 Supervised Individual Reading
- Credits
- 1–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of the department
- Description
- Reading, in the original, of materials in field of Slavic studies of particular interest to student.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in SLAV-S 498 and SLAV-X 490.
SLAV-T 366 Central European Cinema
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Broad cultural overview of Central European cinema, highlighting major developments of cinema in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the former Republics of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia in the post-Stalin era. Special attention will be given to the individual style and aesthetics of several major film directors.
- Spring 2026CASE AHcourse
- Spring 2026CASE GCCcourse
SLAV-T 365 Topics in Slavic and East European Literatures, Cultures, and Languages
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Focus on Slavic and East European literatures, cultures, languages, linguistics, cinemas, etc.; intensive study of an author or authors, a period, a literary or cultural development, linguistic phenomena, etc. Readings and lectures in English.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated up to 3 times with a different topic for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
SLAV-T 230 Topics in Slavic Literatures and Cultures
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics from Slavic and East European literatures and cultures.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
- Spring 2026CASE AHcourse
SLAV-P 302 Advanced Intermediate Polish II
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- SLAV-P 301 with a grade of B or higher; or consent of department
- Description
- Morphological, lexical, and syntactical analysis of a broad spectrum of textual materials with special emphasis on meaning. Development of oral and written fluency and comprehension.
SLAV-P 301 Advanced Intermediate Polish I
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- SLAV-P 202 with a grade of B or higher; or consent of department
- Description
- Morphological, lexical, and syntactical analysis of a broad spectrum of textual materials with special emphasis on meaning. Development of oral and written fluency and comprehension.
SLAV-T 282 Introduction to the Slavic Languages
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines the evolution from Indo-European through Proto-Slavic to over 18 modern Slavic languages and their sound and writing systems. Students acquire foundational concepts in linguistic analysis which they use to analyze an array of language materials, drawing conclusions about language evolution and the forces which shape it.
- Spring 2026CASE NMcourse
SLAV-T 271 Central & East European Immigration and Ethnic Identity in the U.S.
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines ethnic identity and its many manifestations through relevant disciplinary lenses in the social sciences; explores the history and development of Central and East European ethnic communities in Indiana, the Midwest, and the rest of the US; and asks what it means to be "ethnic" in America.
- Spring 2026CASE DUScourse
- Spring 2026CASE SHcourse
SLAV-T 260 The Vampire in European and American Culture
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores the eastern European origins of the vampire and how the vampire in its look, nature, vulnerabilities, and threat has changed over the centuries, from premodern belief systems to European literature to cinema and games, to subcultures today.
- Spring 2026CASE AHcourse
- Spring 2026CASE GCCcourse
SLAV-T 252 Introduction to the Slavic Languages
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- An introductory course on the linguistic analysis of Slavic languages.
- Repeatability
- With departmental approval, may be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
SLAV-T 241 Central and East European Immigration and Ethnic Identity in the U.S.
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- An area studies exploration of the ways in which people of Central and East European heritage express and adapt their ethnic identities in a United States context.
- Repeatability
- With departmental approval, may be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
SLAV-P 201 Intermediate Polish I
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- SLAV-P 102 with a grade of C or higher; or consent of department
- Description
- Continuation of work in structure and vocabulary acquisition through written exercises, study of word formation, drills, reading, and discussion of short stories.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of SLAV-P 201, SLAV-P 211, or SLAV-P 313.
SLAV-P 473 Fourth-Year Polish I
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Refinement of active and passive language skills, with emphasis on vocabulary building and word usage. Extensive readings, discussion, composition writing. Individualized remedial drill in grammar and pronunciation.
SLAV-P 404 The Structure of Polish
- Credits
- –3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- GER-G448, GER-G451, HISP-S326, HISP-S425, LING-L307, LING-L310, or LING-L431; or completion of the second semester of Polish; or completion of the fourth semester of another Slavic language (Czech; Russian; Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian; Ukrainian); or instructor approval
- Description
- Reviews the core topics in the synchronic linguistics of Polish: word structure (morphology), Polish speech sounds, phonological processes, and issues in syntax. Explores how the linguistic phenomena are different or similar to those found in other, especially Slavic, languages
- Spring 2026CASE NMcourse
SLAV-P 366 The Bold and the Restless: Polish Film from the 1950s to the Present
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- An exploration of the post-World War II history of Polish cinema, made famous worldwide by directors such as Wajda, Kieslowski, and Polanski. Topics of interest include the cinema of moral anxiety (1970s); absurd comedies depicting life under communism; adaptations of literary classics; and new topics and genres in contemporary Polish film.
- Spring 2026CASE AHcourse
- Spring 2026CASE GCCcourse
SLAV-P 365 Topics in Polish Literature, Culture, and Language
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Focus on Polish literature, culture, language, linguistics, cinema, etc.; intensive study of an author or authors, a period, a literary or cultural development, linguistic phenomena, etc. Readings and lectures in English.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated up to 3 times with a different topic for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
- Spring 2026CASE AHcourse
- Spring 2026CASE GCCcourse
SLAV-P 364 From Anxiety To Revolution
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Polish literature and culture from the end of World War II to the present day in the context of Poland's and Europe's historical and sociopolitical transformations. The main focus will be on literary and artistic representations of the shifting landscape of Polish culture. Students will analyze literature, film, and the arts, and interpret wide-ranging expressions of existential, aesthetic, and social anxieties and contestations. Knowledge of Polish language and culture not required.
- Spring 2026CASE AHcourse
- Spring 2026CASE GCCcourse
SLAV-P 363 Faces of War and Freedom
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Polish literature and culture from the nineteenth century to World War II in its turbulent historical and sociopolitical context. Special attention will be given to cultural representations of historical upheavals and the analysis of literary and artistic strategies of responding to the conditions of foreign occupation, colonization, and genocide. Knowledge of Polish language and culture not required.
- Spring 2026CASE AHcourse
- Spring 2026CASE GCCcourse
SLAV-P 223 Introduction to Polish Culture
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Survey of Polish culture from the origins of the Polish state to modern times. Important historical, political, and social developments and trends as seen through literature, art, science, music, architecture, and political documents. Knowledge of Polish not required.
- Spring 2026CASE AHcourse
- Spring 2026CASE GCCcourse
SLAV-P 222 Summer Intensive Intermediate Polish II
- Credits
- 5
- Prerequisites
- SLAV-P 201 with a grade of C or higher; or consent of department
- Description
- Intensive summer equivalent of SLAV-P 202.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of SLAV-P 202, SLAV-P 222, or SLAV-P 314.
SLAV-P 211 Summer Intensive Intermediate Polish I
- Credits
- 5
- Prerequisites
- SLAV-P 102 with a grade of C or higher; or consent of department
- Description
- Intensive summer equivalent of SLAV-P 201.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of SLAV-P 201, SLAV-P 211, SLAV-P 313.
SLAV-P 202 Intermediate Polish II
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- SLAV-P 201 with a grade of C or higher; or consent of department
- Description
- Continuation of SLAV-P 201.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of SLAV-P 202, SLAV-P 222, or SLAV-P 314.
- Minor GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- Minor GPA. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the minor—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Minor Minimum Grade. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the minor.
- Minor Upper Division Credit Hours. At least 9 credit hours in the minor must be completed at the 300–499 level.
- Minor Residency. At least 9 credit hours in the minor must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
Minor Area Courses
-
Unless otherwise noted below, the following courses are considered in the academic program and will count toward academic program requirements as appropriate:
- Any course at the 100–499 level with the
SLAV-Psubject area prefix—as well as any other subject areas that are deemed functionally equivalent - Any course contained on the course lists for the academic program requirements at the time the course is taken—as well as any other courses that are deemed functionally equivalent—except for those listed only under Addenda Requirements
- Any course directed to a non-Addenda requirement through an approved exception
- Any course at the 100–499 level with the
This program of study cannot be combined with the following:
- Polish Track (Bachelor of Arts in Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures) (SLVPOLTRK)
Exceptions to and substitutions for minor requirements may be made with the approval of the unit's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.