Director, Interdisciplinary Polish Studies

Polish Language and Literature

 

Email: bmclees@luc.edu

 

Office: Crown Center 217F

Phone:  773-508-2864

 

Research Interests:

• Polish Language, Culture, Literature and History 
• Polish Diaspora and Bilingualism 
• Teaching Polish Language in the U.S.
• Polish Immigration 
• Polish Drama
• Polish Film

Courses Taught:

• POST 395 Capstone 
• LITR 282 Polish Drama 
• LITR 200 European Masterpieces 
  • Polish Short Story 
  • Post-World II Polish Literature
• POLS 101 Elementary Polish 
• POLS 102 Elementary Polish 
• POLS 103 Intermediate Polish 
• POLS 104 Intermediate Polish 
• POLS 250 Advanced Polish, Composition and Conversation 
• POLS 251 Advanced Polish, Composition and Conversation 
• POLS 270 Contemporary Polish Culture in the Original Language 

Loyola Service:

• Academic Council, At-Large Member, 2020-2024
• Organized an International Conference on Chopin and Paderewski, 2010
• Jan Karski International Conference on Memory and Responsibility, 2014
• Co-creator of the Polish Studies Program at Loyola and its first director, 2007
• Professor Norman Davies Lecture on Polish History, 2006

Service Outside of Loyola:

• Organized a conference for the Polish American Congress education Ommission for Polish teachers, Students, and Parents, Chicago, 2016
• Chiago catholic Immigrants: The Poles, COnference in cllaboration with the Hank Center, November 2015. During this conference facilitated a meeting of Robert Kostro, Director of the Polish History Museum, and John Russick, Director of the Chicago History museum to iniate talks about an exhibit about Polish COmmunity in CHicago. Exhibit Back Home opened on May 20, 2023
• Presented the History of Polish Studies Program at Loyola at the Slavic Conference of the Polish Academy of Science in Warsaw, 2014
• Co-founder of the Jan Karski Education Foundation, Chicago, 2012
• Co-founded the Jan Karski Educational Foundation in Chicago and Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego in Warsaw, 2012
• Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) The Skalny Civic Achievement Award, 2011
• Language Diversity in the USA edited by Kim Potowski, Chapter on Polish in the United States, Cambridge University Press, 2010

Education:

• A.B.D. University of Illinois in Chicago (Polish Literature)
• M.A. University of Illinois (Polish Studies)
• B.A. University of Illinois (Marketing, History and Polish)