Wojciech Lewandowski, a visiting Fulbright Slavic Award recipient from Poland’s University of Warsaw, has joined the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures for spring semester 2023. Lewandowski, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Theory and Political Thought at the University of Warsaw, holds a PhD in political science and DSc (habilitated doctor) of political science and administration.
During his stay at Ohio State as the “Slavic Scholar,” Lewandowski will teach Polish 5230: “Poland and Europe: Ideas, Politics, Popular Culture,” a course that examines specific social and political problems of contemporary Poland and Europe. Students will learn to analyze how these problems have been covered in popular culture.
“For years I have been devoted to research of depictions of society and politics in popular culture of both Polish and Anglo-saxon realms,” Lewandowski explained. “I have also been working with diverse international students at my home institution. I hope my stay here at Ohio State will allow me to enhance my intercultural teaching skills, verify anything I have believed to be true about the United States and benefit from the vast university library resources on popular culture. Last, but not least, I plan to meet local scholars with hope for future collaboration.”
Ohio State is one of only three universities in the United States to establish a collaboration with the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission to host a visiting Fulbright Slavic scholar annually. The Polish Fulbright Commission values Ohio State's interest in Poland, with reference to the university’s internationally recognized Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies and the longstanding commitment to the region by the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures.
Throughout his academic career Lewandowski has been interested in incorporating elements of cultural studies into his research and looking at relations between popular culture and politics as well as political ideologies. He has also conducted research on the social and political thought of American transcendentalism, political and ideological discourses as presented in the graphic novel “V for Vendetta," British devolution and axiological crises in the European Union, and more.
Lewandowski is the second Polish Fulbright scholar at Ohio State. Jaroslaw Szczepański served as the first scholar in fall semester 2021.