We invite you to read a new series of graduate stories. It features those who chose their field of study by choice, passion or chance. We start with those who gave their heart and mind to German studies.

Patrycja Zakrzewska (Giessen, Germany)

Philology is a comprehensive study and learning about the culture, history, language and politics of a given language area. It is also getting to know oneself, one's identity, and one's boundaries by adopting other, previously unknown perspectives.

I graduated from the Faculty of German Philology in Gdansk (Bachelor's degree, teaching specialisation) in 2012. Not only did I become fluent in the language, but I also developed myself comprehensively. After all, philology is not only an intensive language course but also a comprehensive study of the culture, history, language and politics of a given language area. It's also about learning about yourself, your identity and your boundaries by taking on other, previously unknown perspectives.

By studying philology and specialising in selected topics and areas, you can become an expert and not just a user of the language. Personally, I loved my literature classes (I will probably never read and learn as much from great thinkers as I did during my studies). Also, those classes that at the beginning seemed to be less interesting (like descriptive grammar) gave me a lot: apart from the knowledge in a new field, they enabled me to understand my mother tongue better, to be systematic and to learn other languages faster. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to qualify to teach two subjects - German and English - at school within the same course of study.

In Germany, teaching two or even three subjects is the norm, which allows both greater flexibility on the job market and variety in your career path. With the help of professors from the Gdańsk German Studies Department, I received a DAAD scholarship to study for a Master's degree in Germany at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen (JLU), where I studied German literature and the teaching of German as a foreign language.

Thanks to my thorough preparation I did very well during my studies abroad, I taught German and got a very interesting and developing job in the Department for International Academic Cooperation at the JLU, where we, among other things, take care of foreign students.

Maja Zborowska (Podkarpacie)

One of my best memories from my student days will remain the Sommerwerkstatt devoted to the works of Günter Grass, which took place in 2012 in Gdańsk. During the workshop, I got to know scholars dealing with the works of the author of 'The Tin Drum', as well as the Nobel Prize winner himself!

German Philology is a developing major for people who like to read. Apart from practical German language learning, the studies provide an opportunity to get to know the culture of German-speaking countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I learned how the German Bundestag functions and how the same events in Polish-German history are perceived by our western neighbour. The theoretical knowledge made it much easier for me to deal with various formalities during my stay in Germany.

One of my best memories from my student days will remain the Sommerwerkstatt devoted to the works of Günter Grass, which took place in 2012 in Gdansk. During the workshops, which lasted several days, I got to know the scholars working on the works of the author of The Tin Drum, as well as the Nobel Prize winner himself! I'll never forget the day when I was able to listen to Günter Grass's lecture and then, sitting a few metres away from him, watch the staging of the play 'Crabwalk' on the Darze Pomorza. It was this event that gave rhythm to my further studies at the University of Gdańsk.

That same year, I received a DAAD scholarship for a summer language course in Bremen, which, ironically, was devoted to Grass's work! I met wonderful people from all over the world, some of whom I am still in touch with today. The study period was very intensive, both because of the amount of studying and the many trips I made to Germany.

Currently, I work for the Polish production company Dremex in the Podkarpacie region and I am responsible for contacts with the German shipyard Meyer Werft, one of the customers of our products. It is in Papenburg where AIDA and Disney class cruise ships are built. In the summer season, some of them can be admired in the port of Gdynia.

Dr hab. Miłosława Borzyszkowska, prof UG

I came across the German studies department somewhat by chance, but that is another story. It was a lucky coincidence, looking from today's perspective.

Like any philology, German studies do not close any paths in life but open you up to the world. It allows you to understand reality, others (and yourself) better, by developing your competencies in this field. A philologist gets to know the world through words, looking for the truth about life and human experience in texts, and at the same time gets to know the mechanisms of how words affect people. He or she thus gains an instrument for effectively co-shaping reality. And this is what it's all about when we study language in a socio-cultural context. In doing so, we learn about the changing and diverse world of human imagination, the variety of human motivations, desires and aspirations. And with this knowledge and skills, we seek our place in a complex reality.

The ability to understand the other person, to change perspectives, to express thoughts in words (and thus to convince) are the basic competencies that a student of philology acquires. They also enable flexibility in the labour market. And the labour market, as we can observe for example in the last pandemic year, is changing dynamically. It is even difficult to predict what will be expected in 5 or 10 years from now, from people entering professional life or changing jobs.

'The limits of my language mean the limits of my world' - said a hundred years ago Ludwig Wittgenstein, the Austrian philosopher. A foreign philologist, by learning and exploring another language, thus crosses the horizon of the native language, nation and culture. And by understanding a foreign culture, he becomes a mediator and translator of cultures. German is above all the language of fascinating literature, culture, philosophy and music. It is also the language and culture of contradictions: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Goethe, Nietsche and Freud to Hitler... There are many both fascinating and painful threads in the theme of Polish-German relations, so much to 'disenchant'.

The German economy is one of the leading in Europe, the most stable and receptive for Polish workers. One of the reasons why German companies are so keen to establish branches or subsidiaries in Gdansk is because of the cultural ties. The IFG has been expanding its cooperation with the local community for years. German Studies students usually take up employment already during their studies. Internships, apprenticeships and jobs are in fact waiting at the gates of the campus, in office buildings springing up like mushrooms after the rain. German studies in Gdańsk offer 3 specializations: teaching, business and translation. A rich scholarship offer is also waiting for our students.

In Gdańsk, German philology tastes different, spiced with the city's genius loci. Here, the fascinating history of a place at the crossroads of Polish and German culture intertwines with the pulsating life of today. German is also one of the historical languages of Pomerania, which helps to understand the history of one's own family and place of residence on the German-Polish cultural border. It allows you to get to grips with family documents, to unravel family secrets and the tangled fates of great-grandparents and grandmothers. You can explore the tangled fate of the borderland in the framework of classes (e.g. on borderland literature), projects (also international), thematic walks, etc.

And I will, however, get a little hooked on my personal choice of German studies. As an eighteen-year-old, I chose the Jagiellonian University in Cracow because, above all, I wanted to be close to mountains and rocks and to gain distance to the place where I grew up. The possibility of climbing was a priority, and the German language and culture were two of my passions. Gdańsk - and this should be underlined - also offers a lot in terms of non-university life.

So come and study German in Gdańsk, where:

• the modern Oliwa campus awaits students
• the fascinating history of a place where Polish and German cultures meet the pulsating life of today
• numerous opportunities to gain professional experience all around
• the beaches of the Gulf of Gdańsk are within walking distance of the campus
• Kashubia begins within the city limits, and it takes an hour to reach the open Baltic Sea
• Sopot tempts by its nightlife and Gdynia with the atmosphere of a port city.
• a job with german lies on the street, just collect offers!

... and the whole world is really at your fingertips!

I repeat every year - German philology is like a buffet. How much you will get depends on you. And there is a lot to choose from.

Institute of German Philology UG FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057414431101

In the pictures:

Dr hab. Miłosława Borzyszkowska-Szewczyk, prof. UG and Patrycja Zakrzewska and Maja Zborowska