The aim of the project is to promote:
- Polish as a non-native language using innovative teaching methods;
- post-industrial Łódź and develop the competences of the students of the teaching Polish as a foreign language minor.
It is intended mainly for students of Slavic studies at the Ruhr University Bochum, the Polish diaspora in the Ruhr, and the teachers at the local Polish schools; it covers the cooperation between the University of Lodz and University Bochum.
The project will be conducted under the slogan of post-industrialism, which is related to the types of relationships that exist between the partner universities. Univeristy Bochum and University of Lodz are members of the UNIC network, the basis of which is the role of universities in transforming and creating the potential of post-industrial cities in key areas (social inclusion, diversity, sustainability, social influence, and mobility). The locations of universities are similar: they operate in cities built on the textile and mining industries, respectively, which having boomed in the 19th and 20th centuries now undergo significant transformations. Both institutions can draw from their experiences in terms ofusing culture and academia as tools for revitalising post-industrial areas and changing the mindsets of the inhabitants of such locales.
The designed actions are intended to highlight the common heritages of post-industrial Łódź and Bochum, their influence on language and culture, and the ability to use those for promoting the regions. This project will help consolidate the position of the Polish language at University Bochum, which as part of Slavic studies offers a course in Polish (apart from Russian), as well as increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of what Polish studies could offer.
This project has social significance in the context of the Polish diaspora living in the Ruhr and the Polish schools that operate there. Some students of University Bochum belong to the Polish diaspora. According to the report of the Governmental Programme “In the FRG the degree of respecting the provisions of the Polish-German Treaty of Good Neighbourship and Friendly Cooperation that apply to the rights of Poles in said country, in particular regarding the areas of education and supporting Polish organisations, is insufficient and differs from region to region. The report indicates the directions of pro-Polish diaspora policy, e.g., development of tourism, international regional and local cooperation, and the necessity to protect Polish cultural heritage abroad". This project fits the strategy in the following manner: The promotion of the Polish language in a region of a rich migration and industrial heritage will benefit the local community, and will help retain and foster the cultural heritage of the local Polish diaspora; There will emerge a space for intercultural exchanges between students from Poland and Germany; and it will utilise the post-industrial tourist potential of the Łódź region.
Under this project, its organisers will organise a visit to Bochum, during which the students of Polish philology at UŁ specialising in teaching Polish as a foreign language under the direction of the UŁ staff will conduct interactive language workshops for students of Slavic studies at University Bochum. They will focus on industrial lexical items and industrial development unique for the culture of post-industrial Łódź. Project participants will establish relations with educators at Polish schools in the Ruhr to promote the Polish language. There are also plans to organise language workshops for the Polish diaspora to help retain Polish cultural identity in the region. UŁ students will visit the local cultural institutions, which will enable them to learn about the post-industrial heritage of Bochum.
Under the next stage, University Bochum students will in turn visit Łódź: there will be language workshops held while touring the city, they will be able to utilise in real life the lexical items they would have learned, they will visit major locations associated with the textile industry, and they will participate in Łódź cultural events.
