Oriental Studies – Turkic Studies

Full-time undergraduate and graduate studies in Polish.

The program in Oriental Studies – Turkic Studies is highly interdisciplinary, although the leading discipline is cultural and religious studies. This unique educational program is offered exclusively at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw, which boasts more than 90 years of experience in teaching about Oriental/African cultures and languages, including Turkic. This experience is reflected in the creation of a unique program in Oriental Studies – Turkic Studies. The curriculum is based on years of experience and practice in teaching and researching issues related to the Turkic cultural world, with particular emphasis on Turkey. The lecturers are specialists, in most cases the only ones in Poland, in matters related to this geographical and cultural area, conducting advanced research supported by numerous publications in both Polish and foreign publishing houses. Language classes are conducted by native speakers. Additionally, to enhance their qualifications and language skills, students have the opportunity to apply for a language or scientific internship in Turkey.

The intended learning outcomes have a dual nature: they guarantee the acquisition of extensive knowledge in various aspects of Turkic culture and the ability to use the Turkic language. The studies provide broad knowledge in literature, history, philosophy, religion, and the art of the cultural world of Turkey and ensure the acquisition of advanced language skills and competencies through intensive learning of the Turkic language.

The comprehensive education provided by the program in Oriental Studies – Turkic Studies, which also encompasses broadly understood humanities, allows for future interdisciplinary research and understanding the roots of contemporary world issues and attempts to find solutions to them. It provides students with a wide horizon necessary for understanding today’s problems and conflicts arising from civilizational differences. The program also enables the training of new personnel in the field of cultural and religious studies and other scientific disciplines. Implementing the program in Oriental Studies – Turkic Studies allows for achieving cognitive synergy and shaping a new trend of thinking and social awareness, comprising the much-needed understanding, openness, and tolerance towards others, and recognizing the value of one’s own culture and ethical attitudes stemming from the European and Turkic circles.

The acquired knowledge will allow graduates of the Oriental Studies – Turkic Studies program to navigate the general issues concerning the theory and practice of Turkic culture. Graduates will understand the diversity of cultures and civilizations, enabling them to participate in the process of intercultural communication and cooperation. They will have a foundation for theoretical reflection on Turkic culture. Graduates will be able to analyze fundamental phenomena related to Turkic culture, using sound language preparation and methodological preparation in cultural and religious studies, linguistics, philosophy, history, literary studies, and art studies as tools for analysis.

Graduates will be ready to work in cultural promotion institutions, media, editorial offices, and public administration. The increasingly intensive economic contacts with Turkey create a demand in the job market for experts familiar with the language and cultural-social realities of the countries in this region. Political and diplomatic contacts with Turkey require the employment of specialists in Turkic language and culture, who are graduates of the Oriental Studies – Turkic Studies program. Moreover, graduates will be prepared to pursue graduate studies.

The Turkology Seminar opened in 1932 as part of the newly established Institute of Oriental Studies of the University of Warsaw. Led by the outstanding Oriental studies scholar Prof. Ananiasz Zajączkowski (1903-1973), the Seminar offered courses in Turkic, Arabic, and Persian languages and literatures. After World War II, the Chair of Turkic Studies was established in 1945. As a result of several structural changes, in 1996 Turkology was merged with the Mongolian and Tibetan Studies Programme into the Department of Turkic Studies and Inner Asian Peoples.

Other scholars who contributed to the development of Turkic studies at the University of Warsaw include Prof. Jan Reichmann (1910-1975), Dr. Wojciech Hensel (1943-1997), Dr. Aleksander Dubiński (1924-2002), and Dr. Stanisława Ptaszkowicka-Rymkiewicz (1914-1985). Prof. Tadeusz Majda, the renowned expert on Turkic art, literature, and languages, was director of the Institute of Oriental Studies from 1981 to 1984.

Since 2008/2009, the Turkic Studies Programme has been divided into first-cycle studies (three years) and second-cycle studies (two years). While the main emphasis is placed on proficiency in the modern Turkic language, lectures on Ottoman Turkic and literature are provided as well. The programme covers the history of Turkey and many aspects of Turkic culture, including religion, literature, and art. In 2013, the Azerbaijani language and lectures on Azerbaijan were added to the programme, expanding its range into broader Turkic Studies. The Centre for Azerbaijani Studies was established in 2018 to strengthen cooperation in research and education in the field of Azerbaijani studies.

The staff of Turkology engage in the scholarly life in Poland and abroad, organizing conferences, seminars, and lectures, including the International Congress of Turkology held biennially and attended by researchers worldwide. The Turkic Studies Programme has bilateral agreements on student exchange and teaching staff mobility (including the Erasmus scheme) with several universities in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Europe, and other parts of the world.

The staff of the Turkic Studies Programme conduct research on the language, literature, and culture of Turkey and Turkic-speaking regions, particularly in the following fields:

• History of Turkic literature
• Biographies and bibliographies of Polish Turkologists
• Turkic language reform of 1928
• Modern Turkic history as presented in Turkic literature and media
• Cultural, religious, and social activities of the Turkic Alevi
• Oral tradition of the Polish minority in Adampol, Turkey
• History and tradition of the Karaim ethnic and religious minority
• Azerbaijan study on the language, country, its society, and culture

More detailed information about the study program and the major can be found on the website: www.turkologia.uw.edu.pl

https://orient.uw.edu.pl/en/studies/study-programmes/oriental-studies-turkic-studies/

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