Second-year of study B.A. proseminars (2BA PROSEM) for summer term 2025–2026

What is this list?

This is a list of proseminars we intend to launch in the summer term (February–June) in some of our full-time B.A. programmes whose second year of study is the academic year 2025–2026. This list is intended for:

1. Students at the Faculty of English who are about to enter the second term of the second year of their full-time B.A. programme: this is your reference point before your enrolment into proseminars;
2. Candidates for our full-time programmes: this list gives you a snapshot of what proseminars were on offer for the study cycle that started in 2024.

How to navigate the list?

The lists are first sorted by study programmes, then by the name of the teacher. The format of each entry is the following: title of the proseminar, the name of the teacher, and the description of the proseminar.

Which proseminar is for whom?

The programmes in the lists and their abbrieviations are:

• English Philology (Filologia angielska) — FA
• English-Celtic Philology (Filologia angielsko-celtycka) — FAC
• English Linguistics: Theories, Interfaces, Technologies — ELTIT
• English Studies: Literature and Culture — ESLC

The programmes in Dutch Studies (Studia niderlandystyczne) and in English and Chinese Studies (Filologia angielsko-chińska) are not covered by this list.

Proseminars for FA, FAC, and ELTIT

The courses in this section are available to students of any of the three programmes unless stated otherwise.

The language of exclusion and inclusion: An introduction to Critical Discourse Studies

dr Samuel Bennett

You have probably all seen hate speech language on TikTok, Facebook or IG, or seen it on the news; you have perhaps even experienced it yourself.

This pro-seminar is aimed at students who are interested in how language is used (and abused) in politics, society, the media and in our own private interactions.

It introduces students the field of Critical Discourse Studies. We start from a view that there is a relationship between language and society - each impacts upon the other – and that language use cannot be understood without looking at social inequalities (power inequalities, gender relations, race, class, etc.)

Students taking this pro-seminar will look at the relationship between language and inequalities and their consequences, including:

• How people are constructed negatively or positively through language
• How social media shapes current public debates and communication
• How we justify and legitimise our argument
• Whose voices are heard, whose are silenced and how this can be challenged

During the course we delve into current issues in the UK, the US, Poland and the wider world, including: National identity, migration, climate change, the rise of the far-right, and LGBTQ rights.

Assessment will be based on a group project presentation (35%), a self-reflective essay (35%) and active class participation (30%).

TBA

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Introduction to language and cognition

dr Agata Dymarska

(Note: this course is not available for ELTIT students)

How do we make sense of the world and form an understanding of the surrounding environment? How do we remember information? What happens when things go wrong, when people suffer from a memory disorder or visual impairment, or when their attention is redirected and divided?

The course will introduce students to the field of cognitive psychology, both through its foundational theories and through research methodology and interpretation. We will consider the meaning and origins of cognitive science, as well as its relevance in today’s world. The seminar will cover topics such as language processing, object recognition and categorisation, forming and maintaining memories. We will also explore how cognition is linked with language, including in bilingual individuals.

The seminar will include lecture-style classes, student presentations and discussions, independent reading, and practical activities.

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Artificial Intelligence in English Language Teaching

dr Mateusz Jekiel

Artificial Intelligence is becoming an increasingly visible presence in education, reshaping how teachers design learning activities, support learners, assess performance, and reflect on their professional practice. In English Language Teaching, generative AI tools are now used for materials creation, feedback, tutoring-style interaction, and lesson planning, raising both pedagogical opportunities and ethical challenges. This proseminar introduces key concepts behind contemporary AI and explores how these technologies can be used responsibly and effectively in ELT.

The course combines short input sessions with workshops and discussion. Students will work hands-on with selected generative AI models, practise prompt writing and prompting strategies for ELT, and evaluate chatbot output in terms of accuracy, coherence, bias, and reliability. We will examine current trends in education, AI competency frameworks for students and teachers, and practical implications for assessment, learning design, and professional development. Ethical and social issues run throughout the course, including transparency, data privacy, academic integrity, fairness, sustainability, and institutional guidelines for AI use.

This proseminar emphasises active participation, curiosity, and experimentation. Credit is based on in-class engagement and short Moodle tasks, with regular attendance required. The course is intended for future English teachers and students interested in educational technologies.

Introduction to Creative Writing

dr Anna Jelec

People say that writing is a talent you are born with. They are wrong. In Polish, this mysterious writer’s gift is called mieć lekkie pióro - to wield a quill lightly – suggesting that to write well is to fight an opponent with an unusual weapon. And that metaphor of writing is much closer to the truth. Because the truth is, writing is a skill and a craft that can be taught, just as sword fighting can. You do not need talent (though it helps). All you need to write well is to know the rules, read, and practice.

This course teaches the rules of writing, the skills of a writer, the elements of a story, and the importance of writing practice. Each week, we will learn a bit of creative writing theory (what is a plot, how to come up with a character, what makes a scene, what makes a genre, how to write dialogue, etc.); we will discuss a variety of examples from film, books, short stories, TV series and poetry; and then put knowledge into practice. Creative Writing is a practical course that involves regular writing. At the end of the semester you will have a portfolio of writing samples.

Recommended reading:

• Mark Turner „The Literary Mind”
• Helen Sword “Stylish Academic Writing”
• Stephen King “On writing”
• Umberto Eco. “How to travel with a salmon”
• Blake Snyder “Save the Cat!”
• Lisa Cron “Story Genius”

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Short introduction to Indian literature in English

dr Beniamin Kłaniecki

(Note: this course is not available for ELTIT students)

In this proseminar, students will be introduced to both canonical and more niche works of Indian fiction in English. We will be exploring India – the world’s biggest democracy – by charting the history of its English-language writing from the British Raj to the post-millennial moment, often described as a New India. The reading list includes literary texts (and selected film adaptations) representing diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and minority voices. As part of this course, we will also reflect on the role of the English language in India and its influence on India’s culture and literature. This proseminar is an introductory course designed for students with a wide range of interests, including those drawn to literature, culture, history and the cultural politics of English, as well as those willing to challenge the (neo)colonial cliches about India still circulating in the public space. This course offers an opportunity to learn about India from its writers, poets and artists, while exploring the historical forces that have shaped the India of today. Assessment will be based on active participation and in-class performance. No prior knowledge is required, and all students are welcome.

TBA

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Australian society and culture

dr Zuzanna Kruk-Buchowska

(Note: this course is not available for ELTIT students)

This course provides students with an introduction to Australian culture and society, emphasizing the nation’s multicultural landscape. First, students will be acquainted with an outline of Australia’s history as well as its political geography and institutions. Next, we will look at the history of its policies regarding First Nations and immigrants, and we will critically analyze their impact on contemporary socio-political issues. The topics covered in this section of the course include, among others: Terra Nullius, Stolen Generations, Native Title, White Australia Policy, Australia’s Migration Program, and immigration detention centres (for example on Nauru Island). We will also consider the country’s position within the broader Pacific region. Last, we will look at the contribution of Australia’s First Nations and selected ethnic groups to contemporary Australian society and culture, challenging the idea of British cultural dominance in Australia.

In order to complete the course you will be expected to read the assigned materials, actively participate in class discussions, complete course work, and prepare a presentation on a selected topic.

Analyzing accents of English

dr Jarosław Weckwerth

In this proseminar, we will explore some methods of analysing phonetic and phonological variability among accents of English (in the Labovian and Wellsian traditions). A general introduction to the analysis of accent differences (applicable more generally to any comparative work in phonetics/phonology) will be followed by examples of seminal studies from the history of accent research, and more detailed presentations of selected major accents of English. We will then practice impressionistic but technical phonetic/phonological description of actual real-life speech harvested online. We may occasionally venture into adjacent topics in dialectology, such as comparative description at other levels of linguistic structure (e.g. morphology or lexicon). The course will lead to mini-projects in which students will each conduct a basic quantitative study of a selected feature (such as rhoticity, glottalization, vowel shifting, etc.) in a real-life audio sample.

Requirements: (1) A very good understanding of the material of the 1BA course in Phonetics and Phonology. (2) Willingness to engage with real linguistic data using audio on the computer. (3) An ability to ingest basic technical literature.

Assessment: (1) Class attendance. (2) Completion of reading assignments on Moodle. (3) Completion of the final written mini-project.

Bibliography

• Bauer, Laurie. 2002. An introduction to international varieties of English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Collins, Beverley, Inger Mees and Paul Carley. 2019. Practical English phonetics and phonology. (4th edition.) London: Routledge.
• Hickey, Raymond. 2014. A dictionary of varieties of English. Oxford: Wiley.
• Labov, William, Sharon Ash and Charles Boberg. 2006. Atlas of North American English. Berlin: De Gruyter.
• Wells, John. 1982. Accents of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

News Breaks or News Fakes: Introduction to A Transnational History of News

prof. UAM dr hab. Matylda Włodarczyk

Is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) a recent development? When and how did the insatiable appetite for news develop? How did news sources become sites of fakes and manipulation? The course introduces (socio)pragmatic approaches to historical news discourse, focusing on social identities, gender, culture, distribution of power, marginalised groups, aspects of multimodality, etc. The proseminar focuses on discourse structures and language devices used in the processes of shaping public opinion (e.g. presentation of fake news) that characterise both historical and contemporary media. This involves issues of reliability of contents and representations created by periodical press from the 18th century onwards. Specific genres of news to be covered include, among others, classified and commercial advertising, letters to the editor, crime reports. A transnational perspective on news circulation is adopted allowing for comparisons across Polish and English historical news.

Students will be responsible for the reading assigned for a given class and will be evaluated on the basis of oral and online written assignments. Following the introductory part of the course, the students will be asked to prepare individual (or group) presentations on a selected topic.

Options in foreign language vocabulary and grammar learning and teaching

prof. UAM dr hab. Paweł Scheffler

Vocabulary and grammar are two language subsystems which are crucial in foreign language (FL) learning and teaching. Despite the fact that there is extensive research and literature on these two areas, a number of important issues remain unresolved. For example, it is not clear to what extent teachers should use their learners’ native languages when introducing new vocabulary items. Although research indicates that providing native language equivalents enhances retention, there are still many language teaching specialists who oppose the idea. In the context of grammar teaching, there is a long-standing controversy concerning the contribution of metalinguistic knowledge to language development and language use.

In the seminar, we will discuss these and a few other key issues in FL learning and teaching. We will also consider the question of research design in FL studies. Course credits will be granted on the basis of a written test.

Acoustic phonetics - applications for second language pronunciation

prof. dr hab. Geoffrey Schwartz

This seminar will provide an introduction to the acoustic properties of speech, and give students hands-on experience with speech analysis. The aim of the course is to help students understand the less-than-transparent relationship between symbolic representations of spoken language, as exemplified by spelling or transcription, and the dynamic properties of actual speech. This understanding will also provide students with tools to improve their own pronunciation in a foreign language. Along the way we will engage in detailed comparisons of Polish with various varieties of English, and compare varieties of English with each other. Students will learn basic technical aspects of speech analysis, and after successful completion of the course should be equipped to engage in experimental phonetics research.