Department of English Studies

Our international faculty includes highly qualified experts in literature and culture, translation, and foreign language pedagogy. Our students learn from native-speaking teaching staff from the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, and Canada. Courses are taught by distinguished researchers. Funded by national and international agencies, such as Poland’s National Science Center, they regularly publish in highly ranked international journals and have had their research recognized with awards from major international scholarly organizations.

Finally, we recognize that learning must occur both inside and outside the classroom. International students comprise approximately twenty-five percent of the Department’s student population, guaranteeing ample opportunities for practicing English outside of the classroom as well. Students may pursue extracurricular opportunities through the English Studies Student Organization (OSKA).

Excellence in teaching

The Department of English Studies comprises international teaching staff and renowned researchers who specialize in a wide range of fields, including British and American literatures, postcolonial studies, film and media studies, applied linguistics, higher education studies, American popular culture, critical theory, comparative literature, and translation theory.

SWPS University is ranked first among non-public higher education institutions in Poland that offer language studies. With over twenty years of experience, the Department of English Studies prioritizes a student-centered and multicultural environment that guarantees students’ development of language and interpersonal skills as well as cross-cultural competencies. We offer a diverse and comprehensive curriculum with a global perspective. Our program is designed for enthusiastic students who want to master their command of English through the study of culture, linguistics, translation, business, and pedagogy while also gaining professional competencies and qualifications that will prepare them for a wide range of careers.

Our undergraduate and graduate programs in English studies combine intensive training in practical language skills with knowledge of the cultural and historical background of the English-speaking countries, linguistics, business, and pedagogy. Students may tailor their education by choosing from one of four specializations: teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), cultural and literary studies, English for business environments, and translation studies. Each track offers specialized modules and electives to allow students to pursue their individual interests while receiving a holistic education in English.

Theoretical background and practical skills

Our student-centered approach to teaching balances practical language skills; theoretical knowledge concerning the , historical and cultural background of the English-speaking countries; hands-on experience in translation, teaching, and business; and professional competencies. We encourage students to develop their skills by devising interesting final projects, such as a student-produced journal focused on vrious aspects of translation studies.

We prepare students for the future by incorporating state-of-the-art technologies in classroom instruction, including a simultaneous interpretation laboratory, computer assisted translation programs, and digital interactive whiteboards. We also use technology to facilitate international exchange of ideas, such as online graduate thesis seminars, organized jointly with Bath Spa University in the U.K.

Our program prepares students for a wide range of careers. Our graduates find employment in the international business environment, state and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, PR and marketing departments, advertising agencies, media and publishing houses, translation agencies, the entertainment and tourism industries, and any economic sector requiring advanced knowledge of foreign languages. Many of our graduates have gone on to start their own businesses, while others have pursued academic careers.

Extracurricular opportunities

The Department organizes special events for students, such as meetings with distinguished scholars or persons from the world of arts and culture, for example a meeting with an American poet Eileen Myles.

Our students are enthusiastic about expanding their English proficiency and learning about the history and culture of the English-speaking countries. Student Organizations provide numerous opportunities to continue education outside of the classroom and offer a creative outlet for students' imaginations and a space for honing practical skills. Follow the links to review student activities:

• English Studies Student Organization (OSKA)
• English Theatre Student Organization (ETO)
• Omnilinguae Research Group

Scope of research

Faculty in the Department of English Studies are active researchers in a wide range of fields, including British and American literatures, postcolonial studies, film and media studies, applied linguistics, higher education studies, American popular culture, critical theory, comparative literature, and translation theory.

Publications

Our academics regularly publish in national and international journals that are highly ranked by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science, such as Angelaki, European Journal of American Studies, Research Evaluation, Romance Quarterly, Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies, Critique, Anglica, Latin American Research Review, Romanticism, International Journal of Research in E-Learning, Glottodidactica, Neofilolog, Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, and many more. They have also published books with international presses such as Routledge, Peter Lang, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, and Springer.

Research resulting in these publications has been funded by national and international institutions such as the Polish National Science Center (NCN), Council of Europe, and the U.S. Fulbright Program, and it includes collaborations with international research institutions.

Our faculty regularly present their work at major national conferences pertaining to their areas of research, such as the European Day of Languages or conferences organized by the Polish Association of Modern Languages (PTN), International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language in Poland (IATEFL), and the Polish Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning (PL CALL) as well as international conferences organized by the Modern Language Association, Memory Studies Association, European Association for American Studies, and Latin American Studies Association. They have also been invited to lecture at higher education institutions abroad, such as the University of Texas, Notre Dame University, and Texas A&M University, in the United States.

Recent conferences

We are actively engaged in the promotion of research in the field of English Studies. Our conferences include:

• Translation & Culture conference series — organized by our Department
• Annual conference of the Polish Association for the Study of English (June 2024) — organized by our Department
• 11th PASE Congress: Neuro-Driven Language Education (June 2025), where Sylwia Maciaszczyk, Ph.D. was one of the presenters (content in Polish).
• Power and the Image: Its Uses and Abuses (September 2025) — organized by our Department
• Mediation and Mediation Activities in Communication in Foreign Languages (September 2025) — organized in collaboration with the Polish Association of Modern Languages (PTN)

Night of English Studies Experts (Noc Anglistów)

In November 2023, we joined the annual event Noc Anglistów (Night of English Studies Experts), which presents materials, lectures and workshops developed by 17 Polish academic centers. The purpose of this event is to showcase the breadth of research and teaching that falls under the broad umbrella of English studies in Poland.

2023

• Presentation entitled "Polish Blake" by Eliza Borkowska. Watch video
• Presentation entitled "The window that isn't there..." by Mikołaj Wiśniewski. Watch video  

2024

• Presentation entitled "Does AI think?" by Matthew Riemland. Watch video
• Presentation entitled "From data to text or computer linguistics in science and practice" by Emma Oki and Marcin Szwed — presentation in Polish. Watch video
• Presentation entitled "What is Climate Fiction? A Look at Selected Cli-Fi Works" by Emma Oki.
• Presentation entitled "The Most Controversial Presidential Elections in US History" by Mikołaj Wiśniewski.

2025

• Presentation entitled "Creolization: From Language to Culture" by Gavin Herbertson. Watch video
• Presentation entitled "High-Context, Low-Context… High-Drama: Cultural Styles Hidden in Everyday English" by Paulina Grzęda. Watch video
• Presentation entitled "False Friends in English: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach" by Julia Detkowska
• Presentation entitled "Laughing Together, Laughing Apart: How Ethnic Jokes Connect and Divide" by Emma Oki
• Student presentation entitled "The Sound of Storytelling. How Music Shapes Movies and Series" by Maja Bartczak and Katarzyna Nasiłowska from the English Studies Student Organization. Watch video
• Student workshop entitled "False Friends between English and Other Languages: A Multilingual Perspective and Semantic Change" led by the Omnilinguae Research Group.

ERUA Traveling Seminars

Thanks to SWPS University's membership in the Eruopean Reform University Alliance, our students and academics have an opportunity to visit other universities in Europe, exchange ideas, and learn from each other. Recently they participated in the following traveling seminars:

• Multilingual communication in the age of AI — Students from SWPS University (USWPS) travelled to the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)
• Reciprocal visit of students from ULPGC to USWPS in Warsaw (May 2025).

Other collaborations

We are proud to collaborate with the Cassirer Center for International Scholarship and Cooperation at the University of Wrocław, on a short-term student exchange program called "Culture Week". It offers students a unique opportunity to engage in intensive courses led by distinguished faculty from Poland, Czechia, Lithuania, and the United States. The upcoming, third edition of "Culture Week 2026" will take place across two sessions: March 9–13 — hosted in Wrocław and June 8–12 — held concurrently in Warsaw, České Budějovice, and Carbondale (Illinois, USA). The offered courses will include:

• "The Female Gaze: How Women Look, What do They See," Dr Katarzyna Bojarska, SWPS University
• "Communicating Disability: A Socio-Cultural Approach," Prof. Sandy Pensoneau-Conway, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• "Otherness in (Pop) Culture and Aesthetics," Dr. Peter Demeter and M.A. Vera Kaplicka-Yakimova, University of Southern Bohemia, Czechia.