The project was designed by and will be led by Heather Wright, associate professor of political science and director of women’s studies, and Michael Anes, associate professor of psychology and department chair. It was developed as an extension of their Wittenberg in Poland summer field study and titled, ‘Exploring the tension between democratic pluralism and nationalistic exclusion of the other.’
“The project creates an experiential learning opportunity for participants by increasing firsthand knowledge and understanding of Polish history, culture and language,” Wright said.
She said the project will examine the historical roots of current political forces in Poland, the impact of present politics on various minority groups, Polish immigration policies and intergroup attitudes, and opportunities and challenges brought by immigration with discussion of displaced Ukrainian people and Middle Eastern people arriving via Belarus.
The project will also involve increasing, strengthening and diversifying the coverage of Polish issues in Ohio public schools and at Wittenberg, especially as it relates to the effects of Ukrainian immigration and the Holocaust.
Participants in the four-week project will include three higher education Wittenberg faculty, seven high school teachers, and four Wittenberg juniors or seniors intending to become teachers.
The group will travel the Polish landscape from Krakow and Zakopane in the south to Gdansk in the north, interacting with Polish scholars, politicians and citizens through seminars, workshops and site visits.
The goal of the project is a volume of 9-12 curricula for potential statewide distribution for use in social studies, political science and Holocaust education; six to eight new or revised courses focusing on Poland/Central Europe at the university, which may eventually lead to a new minor in Central and Eastern European studies; in-person and online presentations by GPA participants to local and national audiences.
“By increasing the number of Wittenberg faculty and Ohio high school teachers with expertise in these issues, along with the number of short-term curricular projects that educators have available to integrate into existing courses or from which new courses may be built, we hope to help the participants disseminate the knowledge and materials to more pre-teachers, high school teachers and college faculty,” Anes said.
The Fulbright program, led by the U.S. government in partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide, offers international educational and cultural exchange programs for students, scholars, artists, teachers and professionals to study, teach or pursue important research and professional projects.
For more information, visit https://eca.state.gov/fulbright, or for more information on the university program, visit www.wittenberg.edu/academics/inted/wittenberg-poland. Questions should be directed to both Wright at hwright@wittenberg.edu and Anes at manes@wittenberg.edu.
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