Department of Foreign Languages

The Department of Foreign Languages (SPNJO) conducts teaching activities in all fields and types of study at PUEB.

Full-time students learn English, French, Spanish, German and Russian – at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. For part-time students there are courses of English at intermediate and advanced levels.

Moreover, the Department offers courses preparing for the achievement of international certificates in foreign languages.

Additionally, students can also take part in paid foreign language courses.

The Maria Marcinkowska Prize-Scholarship Competition is held every year.

Mgr Maria Marcinkowska was a teacher of Russian at the University of Economics (at that time the Academy of Economics) in Poznań. She was deeply devoted to both the Department of Foreign Languages and her students.  Through her teaching and commitment, she earned the respect of the University’s staff and the affection of students. Her last will was to leave a bequest to the University and to create a scholarship for students of the Academy of Economics.

The Maria Marcinkowska Prize-Scholarship Competition was established in 1985, following the wishes of the donor, through a decision of the University Senate. The Competition Committee comprised professors of the University and academic teachers of the Russian language employed at the Department of Foreign Languages.

For over 35 years, the Russian Language Section has diligently organised the Maria Marcinkowska Russian Language Competition to assess students’ proficiency in Russian. By 2020, 34 editions of the Competition had taken place.

In the current term of the rectoral authorities, 2020-2024, the competition committee is composed of prof. dr Piotr Banaszyk, Chairman of the committee, and academic teachers: prof. Jan Polowczyk, dr Natalia Popovich, mgr Magdalena Bystrzanowska and mgr Anna Malinowska, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages at PUEB. The Competition’s Jury evaluates the students’ use of the Russian language for grammatical accuracy and linguistic proficiency while they discuss various economic and general subjects.

The Competition winners receive one-time cash prizes funded by the Vice-Rector for Education and Students and are exempt from the final Russian language exam. All students qualified for the oral part of the Competition receive commemorative certificates of participation.

Subsequent generations of students participating eagerly in the event have made the Competition a permanent part of Russian language teaching and a tradition of the University.

It is worth noting that the mgr Maria Marcinkowska Competition is the only private foundation established from a university teacher’s savings and made available to the university to promote foreign language skills among students.

Last year’s 35th edition of the competition was attended by 35 students who had completed two years of Russian language study at PUEB. A group of 14 entered the finals. In accordance with the rules of the competition, the committee selected 7 winners at the A1 and B1 levels.

We are pleased to announce that the French and Spanish Section has submitted its project ARQUITECTURA DE LENGUAJE- EL ARTE DE HABLAR EN ESPAÑOL – ANTONI GAUDÍ POZNAŃ 2022 to the competition organised by the European Language Label (European Label for Innovation in Language Teaching and Learning), thus applying for the European Certificate of Quality in Language Education established in 1998 by the European Commission.

Organisers: the French and Spanish Section

The project aims to integrate knowledge of Spanish culture by studying the life, works and achievements of the architect Antoni Gaudi. It also focuses on Spanish language skills, as well as intercultural content in education. Additionally, it aims to practice the efficient use of modern information and communication technologies through mobile applications, e-learning platforms, and educational games to help in effectively acquiring and expanding  knowledge.

The goal is to encourage independence, cultivate interests, enhance cognition, and gain knowledge about Spain. The beneficiaries of the project were students in Spanish, French and English speaking classes.

The form of the project: independent individual or team work, supervised by a language teacher.

Stages:

– development of materials by the French and Spanish Section, based on the exhibition held at CK Zamek Antoni Gaudí Poznañ 2022 and other materials on the life and works of A. Gaudí

– participation of the students in the exhibition,

– taking photograph of elements of the exhibition,

– getting familiar with the materials and presentations prepared by the French and Spanish Section.

– solving quizzes, tests and puzzles in Polish, Spanish and French posted on the Trello Board in the Antoni Gaudí workspace in applications: LearningApps, Quizizz, Canva, Genially, Phraseit.net, H5P, Word, etc.

– information swap and assessment of participants.

Summary: The project achieved its objectives in terms of developing students’ interests, supporting their independence in acquiring knowledge, motivating them to acquire language skills. The innovativeness of the language teaching project consisted in the introduction of new and effective teaching methods and the use of modern technologies for better and more effective acquisition of language skills.

Link to the project (log in to access):

https://trello.com/invite/b/mMBo2EDv/97e215188a5df2921f9d0829307c8a4d/architektura-jezyka-el-arte-de-hablar-en-espanolarquitectura-de-lenguaje-el-arte-de-hablar-en-espanol

Integration of Russian-speaking students at the Poznań University of Economics – an interview with Mr. Prof. Krzysztof Malaga, Director of the Institute of Computer Science and Quantitative Economics, conducted by Dr. Natalia Popovich