Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

All are welcome. Reception starts at 2 PM.

More info about Polish Independence Day

               The Institute of Sociology at Adam Mickiewicz University and the Center for Youth Vocational Guidance in Poznań recently hosted guests from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Eleven students and two instructors, Drs. Kathleen Farkas and Richard Romaniuk, visited the city from March 10th to March 17th.

Their trip was one of the results of Bogna Frąszczak’s visit to Cleveland in 2008 as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program organized by the United States Department of State. During her visit at the Polish-American Cultural Center, she met Dr. Romaniuk, and the two decided to organize a student exchange. After three years of negotiations and two visits by Dr. Romaniuk to the Department of Social Work at the Institute of Sociology directed by Dr. Anna Michalska, the visit of the CWRU students was organized, as the start of what is to be a cooperative relationship between the two universities. Cultural Attaché Andrew Paul of the United States Embassy in Poland and Krzysztof Podemski, Dean of Social Sciences at Adam Mickiewicz University, participated in the inaugural ceremony marking this cooperation. Paul accompanied the students and guests at a meeting with high school graduates in Poznań thinking of continuing their studies in the United States. During this meeting at the Center for Youth Vocational Guidance, the students from Cleveland presented the advantages and disadvantages of American higher education and shared their practical knowledge of studying in different academic fields at universities throughout the United States.

At Adam Mickiewicz University the CWRU students participated in seven lectures given by sociologists from Poznań and in a Polish-American symposium dedicated to the exchange of experiences in the area of solving social problems. The symposium included a presentation of evidence-based practices in social policy. The academic part of the students’ visit also included field trips to social service agencies in Poznań, such as the Association of Social Emergency, a center for the homeless; the Wielkopolska Center for Mutual Aid sponsored by the MONAR Society, a non-governmental organization that aids the homeless and those with AIDS and problems of addiction; and the “Center” Center for Community Action. The students also met with city officials such as Elżbieta Dybowska, Vice-Director of the Division of Health and Social Affairs, and Michał Kaczmarek, representing the “Academic Poznań” group. Dybowska presented the principles behind community programs meant to address problems of drug and alcohol addiction.

Such an active academic program did not allow for too many cultural offerings, but the students did visit Poznań and the local area as much as possible. They attended a performance of the show Magistryton in the “U Przyjaciół” Theater and visited Ostrów Tumski, one of the city’s most important neighborhoods, the Old Town, and the June 1956 Museum and the National Museum. In the Arkady Fiedler Muzeum in Puszczyków, they met with Krystyna Fiedler, the leader of the program, „Leaders of the Polish-American Foundation of Liberty”.

The CWRU students also met with students in social work from Adam Mickiewicz University and scholarship students from the Lane Kirkland Program. These meetings offered the young students from different cultures a chance to discuss their views and different life experiences. The Lane Kirkland students had the chance to present information about the countries they call home, while the students from Poznań and Cleveland shared information about their experiences as students and young adults.

Bogna and Ksenia Frąszczak

In this time of globalization, Cleveland is looking for its strengths and for potential for development. One of our greatest strengths is our population of immigrants. Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS) of Case Western Reserve University is helping to build cultural competency of social workers working in Cleveland’s diverse social environment. We are happy to announce that MSASS has added workshops and classes concerning Poland to its international curriculum this year.

Travel to Poland, Spring, 2012

Mandel School offers travel-abroad courses for college students and health and human service professionals, during spring break

Cleveland, OH—Take an educational holiday overseas in March 2012 during Spring Break and engage in cross-cultural studies of social policies and practices for health and human services. Several three-credit travel courses for Case Western Reserve University students are open to students at other colleges and universities and to working professionals in health and human services. (CEUs may be offered).

Arrangements can be made for credits to be offered as independent study with permission from home college/university.

This trip is led and taught by experienced instructors and faculty from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (school of social work) at Case Western Reserve, who travel with and lodge at the same location as students. Each trip is also designed around a course syllabus and assignments that promote interaction with policymakers and direct-service providers in the country being visited.

MORE INFO & REGISTRATION

Direct all questions about all trips to the following:

Debby Jacobson, PhD, assistant professor & director of International Programs, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences

Email: dxj@cwru.edu

Web: http://msass.case.edu/international

Deadlines:

Deadlines posted on the Mandel School web site are for students of Case Western Reserve University only. Inquire with Dr. Jacobson about updated deadlines. Trip rosters must be finalized by the end of January 2012, so register today to reserve your place.

Passport:

Dr. Jacobson reminds everyone who is interested in these travel-abroad courses that the U.S. Passport application and renewal process may take longer than expected. Begin the process today online.

Course Title: Invisible Groups in a New Poland (SASS 575/375)

Student will visit Berlin and Poznan. Lectures at the University of Poznan.

Travel: March 9-18, 2012

Saturday Seminars: February 4 & 18; April 28

Instructors: Kathleen Farkas, PhD, associate professor of social work at the Mandel School & Richard Romaniuk, PhD, MSSA (’98), adjunct instructor at the Mandel School and supervisory social worker at the Cleveland VA Medical Center

Travel Fee*: $2,950 ($250 non-refundable due with application)

Travel fee covers the following:

International airfare

In-country travel (e.g., trains, trams, trolleys, buses)

All meals

Double-occupancy hotel rooms

Instructional materials

Visits to service organizations, agencies

Guest lecturers

*Course Fees

Students of Case Western Reserve pay for their travel-abroad course credits via the regular course-registration process.

Students from other colleges and universities and non-students (e.g., health and human service professionals) pay a professional-development fee of $400 in place of course-credit fees.

Adapted from article written by Paul M. Kubek, Center for Evidence-Based Practices (CEBP) at Case Western Reserve University

In the last issue of the Forum, we published the first part of this history of mathematics in Poland. The article below continues the topic with a description of the influence of Polish mathematics on world science.

In any discussion of mathematics in Poland, one has to mention Professor J. Łukasiewicz, who created multi-valued logic. For example, if someone says that when visiting Warsaw, she always goes to the theater, and out of ten visits to Warsaw, she went to the theater seven times, we would say that the „degree of participation” is 0.7. There have long been computers built for „fuzzy” logic” and not only binary logic (there is current „1”  – there is no current „0”); they run, for example, the metros in many cities in Japan. (more…)

“Polska jest, prosze pani. Ja jestem Polakem!” Powerful words of a powerful climax of a powerful play. Chances are they don’t mean much to you, but they meant a tremendous amount to the audience who heard me recite them on stage; and to me, whose self-esteem had been faltering because of the disease that plagued my eyes.

“Mooooom, please don’t make me go. I know Polish just fine, I can speak it perfectly, see?” It was my eighth grade year, and I had convinced myself that the saints, demons, and Greek gods of boredom had embodied themselves in the abomination of Polish School. Every Saturday morning, my mom heard the same suppliant request: “Let me stay home from Polish School today.” Every Saturday morning, I experienced the same simple response: “No.” Every Saturday morning, I had to sacrifice the new episodes of Pokemon that I held so dear to my heart. Polish School had always been a part of my life, and only recently had I decided that I was “too cool” for it.
(more…)

Are you an American or a resident of another country who wishes to study in Poland? Though you may not be a Polish citizen, and you may not have a command of Polish, you have many opportunities to pursue advanced study in Poland. As the world becomes a smaller place, trends in international education mean that Polish institutions are quickly developing academic programs in which the language of instruction is English, in an effort to attract students from countries of the European Union and elsewhere. Polish universities and colleges, both public and private, already offer a range of degrees in such diverse fields as business, medicine, international relations, history, and agricultural sciences. These programs are located in some of Poland’s largest cities, such as Warsaw, Łódź, and Kraków, but also in smaller cities like Zielona Góra and Nowy Sącz. Whether family considerations or academic concerns determine your location, plenty of opportunities exist throughout Poland for foreigners who want to continue their education in Poland in English. (more…)

We live in such civilized times that driving a car, paying with a credit card, or receiving a computerized exam in a modern hospital are normal. We do not consider how we would function if these “luxuries” were suddenly unavailable. Our busy lifestyles, that we are so use to, do not allow us to undertake such reflections. We never face dangers or struggles that are above our means. We live utilizing all available resources in life, and complain when they are in shortage. But somewhere far away, in what seems like a different dimension, like in a book about a wild tribe, are people who also need to survive. There people live an existence that differs greatly from ours. People, who like us, need food, clothing, and medicine. On occasion, someone discovers this different world that we only know from publications and television. The two worlds collide, first with shock, then with acceptance after seeing how much they are in need. (more…)

One day towards the end of last year, I read in the Plain Dealer that Professor Wiesław Binienda, Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Akron, was recognized by NASA for his achievements in the area of composite materials and their application to jet engines.  At first, I did not recognize the name, but after a while… – yes, of course, this is about the husband of Maria Szonert, who wrote the book on World War II and writes in the American and Polonia press, our friend from the editorial board. The same day in the evening, our editor in chief called:

“Did you hear about Professor Binienda?”

“Of course, I did. He received an award from NASA.  And not only just a paper. The award was rather measurable…”

“Then you have a job to do. He will be our next representative of Polonia featured in the Forum.”

(more…)