THUS 2023 projects

The main component of the summer program is an active participation in the selected hummanisites and social sciences research project offered by the staff members of the Nicolaus Copernicus University, please see the topics and their descriptions below. Interested students are welcome to contact possible advisors for more details concerning the foreseen projects and discuss the dates that the project could be undertaken.



THUS 2023 PROJECTS

(Priority) Clergy of the Uniate Church in the face of creating their image in the public perception (18th century)


The Union of Brest in 1596 initiated the existence of a new church organization in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - the Uniate Church, an Eastern Christian trend that recognized the pope's authority. Since then during the 17th century The Uniate Church developed organizationally, but also created its own religious, intellectual and cultural achievements. However, the greatest flourishing of the Uniate Church took place in the 18th century, when reforms aimed to regulate the influence of the Latin Church, the system of management of diocese was strengthened, and more care was given to improving the quality of parish ministry. Uniate hierarchy formulated new requirements for the education, morality and opinion of the local community about the candidates for priests.
In view of the existence of a top-down tendency to correct the priestly state, it seems reasonable to ask: was it important for the Uniate clergy themselves how the local community perceives them?
The research problem should be resolved in several steps. The legal and economic situation of uniate clergy in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century will be discussed during the meeting with participants. Students will conduct a query in libraries in Toruń on the creation of image, understanding of honor and manifestation of belonging to the social state by people in the 18th century. Then they will start working with manuscripts from the court books of The Uniate Church, in which they will look for signs of care of Uniate priests for their own image in local community. The result of their work will be short presentation.

Research goal: Determining the attitude of the Uniate clergy to the problem of creating their image in the public perception

Research tasks:
  1. definition of the legal and economic situation of the Uniate clergy in the former Republic of Poland;
  2. a library search on the creation of appearance and image by the people of the 18th c.
  3. research on the attitude of Uniate priests to the issue of reception in social circles on the basis of manuscript sources
Supervisor: dr Wioletta Zielecka-Mikołajczyk (zielecka[at]umk.pl)
Time: July 2023

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

The West and East in wills from XVII-XVIII century (on the example of the Ruthenian Lands of the Polish Crown)


The wills as a source information about people and ideas of the modern period have taken up permanent place in historiography. So far, they have been considered in the context of research on the law, mentality and broadly understood "world of things" of testators. The least known sources of this type include wills from the Ruthenian lands of the Crown. The region was the meeting place for two different Polish and Ruthenian cultures. We can see this a cultural mix for example in city’s life, legal culture and especially in religious practice. That is why we can try to find in the wills evidence of the interpenetration of cultures. Maybe we will be able to notice some changes in this matter between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries?
The research problem should be resolved in several steps. The wills as a historical source will be discussed during the meeting with participants. Students will conduct a query in libraries in Toruń on issues: differences between Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church, funeral practise in Western and Eastern Churches, differences between Eastern and Western clothes, jewellery, things related to home and eating. Next, they will start work with texts of wills from XVII-XVIII centuries and look for evidence of interaction between The East and The West. The result student’s work will be short presentation.

Research goals: Research tasks:
  1. identification of the importance of wills as a source for historical research in the former Republic of Poland
  2. library research on cultural differences between the Eastern and Western Churches, mutual influences of East and West on the example of mobiles, i.e. clothes, jewellery, household utensils in the 18th century
  3. work with testaments
  4. looking for traces of Eastern and Western influences in wills.
Supervisor: dr Wioletta Zielecka-Mikołajczyk (zielecka[at]umk.pl)
Time: July 2023

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Urban Space in / and / of Literature


The aim of the project is to investigate the functioning of literature in Toruń's urban space. Toruń is known at the international level mainly thanks to the figure of Nicolaus Copernicus and monuments inscribed on the UNESCO list, but it is also a venue of important scientific, cultural, and sporting events. Is literature one of the areas in which the town is gaining increasing importance?
The implementation of the project will make it possible to assess the chances of developing the Toruń brand in the field of literature, the possibility of attracting the inhabitants and examining their attitude to literary tradition. The project can be a case study on how a town with less than 200,000 inhabitants and no specific outstanding literary heritage, can fulfil its potential.

Research goals: Investigation of the functioning of literature in Toruń's urban space in its various aspects: personages of authors born in or related with Toruń, commemorative spaces connected with literature, Toruń as the place of film adaptation of literature, the literary images of Toruń, the literary plots in Toruń’s touristic strategy as well as the assessment of the chances of developing the Toruń brand in the field of literature, the possibility of attracting the inhabitants and examining their attitude to literary tradition

Research tasks: Depending on the students' scientific interests, research tasks may relate to:
Supervisor: dr Magdalena Kowalska (mkowalska[at]umk.pl)
Time: July 2023

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

The EU Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) – selected aspects


The European Union's security architecture is currently co-created on several levels, by various decision-making centres. The countries themselves play a crucial role, so the first level is governmental. The second level is the cooperation of these countries on the supranational institutional level within the EU. The third is trans-Atlantic cooperation within the framework of a specialized international organization, NATO. Interestingly, analysis of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in the current stage of development brings together all these three levels. The EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), of which PESCO is a part, is not a military alliance, but rather a ‘post-national’ global security actor. Yet in security terms, it is hard to see how the EU as a post-national security actor differs fundamentally from other multilateral institutions designed to provide security and defence for a group of states through the promise of reciprocal military support (and some element of joint planning), whether for offensive or defensive purposes. CSDP members are looking for the same fundamental benefits from cooperation as members of other types of cooperative bodies, namely more security (conceived as greater capacity for action and greater credibility of promises, threats and deterrents) at a lower cost. However, cooperation related to the CSDP (Eilstrup-Sangiovanni, 2014) had not been carried out to the full extent. This situation has been changing significantly beginning in December 2017, when the EU Council decided to initiate permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) in the field of security and defence.

Research goals:
  1. Analysis of the participation of a selected EU Member State in CSDP defence projects
  2. Identification of the role of individual EU agencies in activities supporting cooperation between EU member states
  3. To analyse selected forms of financing the EU defence policy
  4. The importance of permanent structural cooperation in the field of defence (PESCO)
Research task: Development of a methodology to address the research objectives, analysis of source documents and materials provided by the mentor on the topic.

Supervisor: dr Michał Piechowicz (piechowicz[at]umk.pl)
Time: July 2023

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Belligerent Russia


This project examines Russia as a revisionist power that seeks to revise world order. Its desire for expansion, its demand for an exceptional status on the international stage, and its refusal to renounce violence in the relations with its neighbours did not emerge in a vacuum. Russia's aggressive nature is rooted, on the one hand, in its strategic culture and, on the other, in the West's appeasement. The misreading of the Kremlin's imperial instincts and the hope that it would become part of the liberal and democratic world through cooperation and trade have proved to be a fatal mistake.
The program will focus on Russia's international strategy, the domestic roots of its belligerence and future trends.

Key areas include:
  1. Russian world politics/world order views
  2. The domestic factors behind Russia's international strategy
  3. Ideas, institutions and processes of foreign policy-making in Russia
  4. Prospects for Russia's future (and international security)
Supervisor: dr Agnieszka Bryc (a.bryc[at]umk.pl)
Time: July 2023

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Russian Political Thinking in Time of War


After the basic theoretical approaches are operationalized, it is necessary to calibrate the research tools and then select the research sample. It is assumed that Russian political thinking is currently shaped not only by the Kremlin, but also by the military (more broadly: silovikov), nationalists and, to a lesser extent, regional and economic elites. Examining the ways of thinking of these elites is currently only possible through the analysis of official speeches and publications in the media in Russian language subordinated to a given elite. Inferences about the mindsets of these elites must therefore be regarded as having limited validity.

Research goals: Determining the political thinking of the most important political elites of Russia through the analysis of public speeches and media texts in Russian language. It is therefore necessary to classify individual manifestations of Russian political thinking between fundamentalism and totalitarian political gnosis.

At the same time, the basic myths about the West, Ukraine and Russia can be placed within the typology of Raoul Girardet's myths, modified by me, between
  1. the myth of the savior and Lucifer
  2. the myth of conspiracy and unity
  3. the myth of the "golden age" and the myth of the time of oppression.
Research tasks: The basic research tasks will include, after the basic theoretical approaches have been operationalized, the calibration of research tools, and then the selection of sources and the analysis of selected texts. The next step will be to interpret them and determine the place of the ways of thinking of selected politicians among the above-mentioned ideal types.

Supervisor: Prof. dr hab. Roman Bäcker (backer[at]umk.pl)
Time: July 2023

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

(Inter)national memes and jokes


The function of popular jokes functioning in oral communication, as well as humorous texts printed in the press and in special selections, has been largely taken over by the internet and memes – here understood as an image or video accompanied by a piece of humoristic text quickly spread on the web. Although the role of traditional narrative jokes and anecdotes has diminished, they are still present in traditional and electronic media.

Both memes and jokes are based on specific patterns, and the medium of the internet accelerates the internationalization. However, many patterns remain regional or national.

The first aim of the project is to reveal the most widespread and significant meme patterns and motives in the jokes on the basis of statistical data provided by the popular sites containing memes and jokes. Similar ranking lists will be prepared for Poland and the country of origin of project participants, and then their content will be verified in terms of internationalization: which schemes appear in other countries, e.g. Robert Downey Jr. memes, Scottish jokes, blonde jokes, and which are of national character, e.g. long-nosed (proboscis) monkey memes in Poland or lieutenant Rzhevskiy jokes in Russia.

On this basis, we will answer the questions regarding the second research goal – to compare the two lists and to determine the “degree of internationalization” of the humour in the given country. To fulfil this task we are also going to analyze the social reception of individual memes and jokes on the basis of the discourse that arises around them (articles in socio-cultural magazines, internet commentaries).

Research goals:
  1. To find and characterize the most widespread and significant meme patterns and joke motives.
  2. To compare the lists of most popular jokes and memes in the country(ies) in question and to determine the “degree of internationalization” of their humour.
  3. To analyse the social reception of individual memes and jokes on the basis of the discourse that arises around them (articles in socio-cultural magazines, internet commentaries)
Research tasks:
  1. Selection of the most significant sources containing memes and jokes in Poland and in the country(ies) of origin of the project participants.
  2. Analysis of the statistical of the selected sites and preparation of the lists of most popular meme patterns (top-20) and joke motives (top-10).
  3. Verification of individual national lists in terms of the national or international nature of patterns and motives.
  4. Analysis of social reception and discourse around humorous texts and memes in the country(ies) in question.
  5. The comparison of the “degree of internationalization” of the humour in the given country.
  6. Preparing the research report in a form of a presentation or an article. If the participants are interested in writing a co-authored article, which is more time-demanding, it could be finished after the end of the project.
Supervisor: Dr hab. Michał Głuszkowski, prof. UMK (micglu[at]umk.pl)
Time: July 2023

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Social and language adaptation of minorities and immigrants in contemporary Poland


The main aim of the project is to determine and characterize the strategies of language and social adaptation of the chosen national group.

Since the status of minorities is granted only to those ethnic and national groups whose ancestors have lived in Poland for at least 100 years, their cases will be the subject of the analysis of long-term adaptation. In turn, immigrants, especially temporary ones, undertake actions aimed at linguistic and social adaptation in the short-term perspective.

Therefore, the most valuable in our research will be examples of nationalities represented both among minorities and immigrant groups, which enable us to characterize the relationships between old and new diaspora, too.

Ukrainians have the largest percentage share among immigrants in the entire country and our region, and constitute the the second biggest minority. The participants of the project will be offered to focus on this nationality on the example of a selected community of wood production factory workers in Tuchola Forest (Bory Tucholskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodship).

The research will include, among others, the participation of students in sociolinguistic interviews. Basic knowledge of Ukrainian, Russian or Polish will be helpful, but the assistance of the project supervisor and the Polish student will also allow people who only speak English to participate fully in the project. It is also possible to choose a different immigrant-minority community according to the interests of the participants.

If the epidemic limitations (Covid-19) disrupt the field part of the project, it is possible to implement it on the basis of online interviews and materials from social media and press.

Research goals:
  1. Analysis of values and stances in the field of language and social adaptation of immigrant and minority communities.
  2. Characteristics of the factors determining their conscious activities (strategies) of adaptation.
  3. Comparison of the situation of small, relatively isolated community and all representatives of a given nationality in Poland.
Research tasks:
  1. Getting acquainted with the legal status of minorities and immigrants in Poland.
  2. Preliminary analysis of the possibilities to maintain cultural heritage and mother tongue.
  3. A query in social media and the press of the given minority group in terms of detecting attitudes towards the Polish language, bi- and multilingualism, contacts with Poles and family language policy.
  4. Selection of qualitative research methods and preparation of semi-structured interview scenarios.
  5. Interviews with the members of the chosen minority (immigrant group).
  6. Analysis of values and stances as well as strategies towards language and social integration with Polish society and the integration processes between old and new diaspora.
  7. Preparing of the report/final presentation of the project results. If the participants are interested, it is possible to prepare a co-authored publication after the end of the project.
    1. In case of covid-lockdown or other epidemic restrictions, the interviews will be conducted online or replaced with a survey and additional social media queries.

      Supervisor: Dr hab. Michał Głuszkowski, prof. UMK (micglu[at]umk.pl)
      Time: July 2023

      ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

The 2nd half of the 20th century in social memory


The beginning of the historical and political second half of the 20th century is slightly earlier than pure mathematics would suggest, because in 1945, when World War II ended. It is more difficult to precisely define its end, but it oscillates around 1989, when political changes began in Central and Eastern Europe and the Berlin Wall was demolished.

Thus, the second half of the 20th century, understood here as the years 1945-89, was associated with the division of Europe and the world into two military camps and two economic blocs. Normal life was going on both sides of the Iron Curtain, there were also events important for the region, individual towns and villages or families.

Our aim is to compare the picture of these events in the collective memory in Poland and the country(ies) of origin of the project participants. If these are the countries of the former socialist bloc, the end result will be a comparative study of the memory of communism, and in the case of students from Western countries – a comparison of events and phenomena living in collective memory in the then separated social realities.

The project will be based on a qualitative methodology. On the material of semi-structured interviews conducted (online) simultaneously by Polish and foreign project participants with their relatives or friends representing generations who remember the 2nd half of the 20th century from their own experience. The final analysis aims to compare the events reported as important by the informants with the most important points on the timeline according to historical studies.

Research goals:
  1. To compare social memory about the 2nd half of the 20th century in Poland and the countries of origin of the project participants on the example of individual stories.
  2. To gain a different perspective on past events from the interviews by forcing the narrative about them to be directed to an external audience (a foreigner).
  3. To locate the events, which were significant in the lives of selected informants, on a timeline formed by "great history" events determined on the basis of official historical works.
Research tasks:
  1. A query covering official historical works devoted to the period of the second half of the 20th century in order to determine the most important events in Poland and the countries of origin of the project participants.
  2. Selection of criteria that students should follow when selecting informants.
  3. Preparation of scenarios of the semi-structured interviews.
  4. Interviews with the selected informants. The interviews will be conducted by the student from the informant’s country with the participation of at least one other team member (or the supervisor). The presence of the foreigner and the questions asked by him/her (directly or translated) will encourage informants to formulate their thoughts more easily and to look at their own history from an external perspective, which will distinguish our project from numerous studies in the field of oral history.
  5. Analysis of the collected material in two stages: a) the national one, b) the international comparison.
  6. Work on the research report – a presentation or an article.
Supervisor: Dr hab. Michał Głuszkowski, prof. UMK (micglu[at]umk.pl)
Time: July 2023

^ ^ ^ ^ ^