As part of the 'Visiting Professors' programme in the winter semester, the University of Gdańsk was visited by the American historian prof. John Dunn of Valdosta State University and his students. During his stay, he conducted research and lectures, and his students were able to learn about Polish culture and history. On January 5, 2022, prof. Dunn returned to the States but continues to cooperate with researchers from the UG Department of History.
MJ: - Your teaching fields are really diverse - modern China, Islam, world military history and Slavic history. Modern China and Islam are obviously very important subjects right now, but what interested you in that last topic? Why is Slavic history important?
Prof. John Dunn: - We are a small university, and most of our historians teach American topics. We have only three professors who teach non-US history - so they have to wear many hats.
I was intruded to Slavic culture through my Serbian mother, took classes in Russian history when I started college, then discovered Polish history, and wanted to learn more. The story of Poles, Russian, Ukrainians, Serbs, etc. is not well covered in American universities, I'm attempting to fill this gap. As almost every Slavic culture has connections to the USA via immigration, it is just as valid to focus on Slavic peoples as any other world culture.
I have minor fields of study from my doctoral studies that include Slavic Europe; also wrote my MA thesis on Polish defense planning between the world wars. I was asked to create a two part history of Slavic Europe. When we hired a medieval scholar, who is a native Pole, he took over Slavic I, but I still teach Slavic II.
- You’ve brought some of your students here for a visit. Someday, they will probably become successful historians. What places they should see here as future historians? What places did you visit with them?
- Your tri-city presents a challenge for my students because it has so much to offer. I strive to give them a taste of history, culture, and nature. They should learn about Westerplatte in 1939, or the defense of the Polish Post Office (one of your excellent small museums), but also see The Last Judgment by Memling, and discover Kashubia.
I also like them to meet UG students, and learn Polish history and culture from their peers. You History Department has been VERY supportive of my efforts, and I often ask for their advice on what to see during our too short visits. Believe it or not, I have had students take this journey twice (this is unusual), because they agree with me when I say - Polish people are friendly, Polish food is tasty, and Polish history is interesting.
- From what I heard from prof. Anna Mazurkiewicz you’ve been conducting research with dr. Piotr Derengowski about November revolution. In what context are you looking at this historical event? What is the point of your research?
- There is only one academic monograph on the November Uprising in English, and it was published in the 1950s. I argue it was the only uprising against Russia that had a chance for success.
My interest began in graduate school when I got carried away and produced a 75 page research paper on the topic. I recently convinced Dr. Derengowski to serve as co-author, and am certain we can produce a general military history of this key event in Polish history - one not so well known in English speaking countries. The Bicentennial is nine years away - we'll have our book out before then!
- You’ve been conducting lectures at University of Gdansk during the winter semester. What do you think of Polish students? How do they differ from American ones?
Excellent question, one I must answer carefully. I only produced two classes for UG, so my data base is small. In general, I would argue that UG students are very prepared for maintaining Gdansk traditions of connecting to the greater world. Every one spoke an wrote excellent English. They were uniformly polite. The classes had grades of pass or fail, yet if I assigned grades on a 1-5 scale, they were all a 4 or 5, a few would have been 5+.
Differences - UG students come to class about one minute before class - never late. Same for online. They all say hello, take notes, and never leave early. I have American students like this, and others who have to be instructed on coming to class on time. Sadly, I also have American students, who are taking the class in their native language, and earn grades of 1 or 2. It is a blessing to work with UG students - many of whom helped me learn more about Gdansk, Poland, and UG culture.
- You’ve been conducting research for your own paper, what is it about?
- Today I am sending photos to the editor of a numismatic magazine on the story of emergency dollars issued by the Bank of England during the Napoleonic Wars. This week, I will have a journal article complete for my second UG co-author - Dr. Magdalena Nowak - looking at how Polish-Americans successfully lobbied the American Post Office to design stamps that commemorated connections between Poland and America. With Nowak's assistance, I am fairly certain we will place this in a refereed journal, giving us both some credit, and reinforcing the good relations between VSU and UG.
- What do you like most about Poland and do you intend to come here again?
- Very difficult question. Maybe I have read too much about 1939-1989, but I am exceptionally happy to see what Poles have accomplished despite the horrible events of those years. Seeing modern Poland allows me to imagine a host of your ancestors feeling all their sacrifices had value.
I hope to return every year, so I can reconnect with my UG friends, and learn more about my favorite country in the world.
- Thank you for the interview.
