Dear Friends of Philosophy in English,                                          

 Thank you for your interest in our studies. We invite you to browse our website and learn more about our academic offers. On this page, I would like to share with you how Philosophy in English began. You will come to know our history, the many kind people who helped us begin, and what makes us unique as an educational institution.

Philosophy in English officially began in 2019, but the first seeds of our department were planted in 2015. At that time, several people contacted us, expressing their interest in studying Philosophy in the English language. The Polish language was the main obstacle in their path of educational aspirations, as many of the inquirers were from outside of Poland. In 2016, the World Youth Days attracted an estimated 3 million people from around the world. After getting to speak with many of them, we realized that connecting people from around the world in our city through education was a great idea. Our university excels at teaching philosophy, and philosophy is a gift meant for all people. Teaching in the English language would allow us to exponentially share this gift.

Our dream was given the chance to leave the “World of Ideas” and enter the “World of Shadows” when our university applied for an educational grant and included Philosophy in English in the proposal. The chance to receive financial support to open the studies motivated us to finish our preparations for the programme. The Pontifical University’s project „Skonsolidowany Plan Rozwoju Uniwersytetu Papieskiego Jana Pawła II w Krakowie” was co-financed by the EU with the European Social Fund via the program „Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój 2014-2020 ((POWR.03.05.00-00-Z104/17-00)). Without their assistance, we would not have had the opportunity to begin our work. The project’s rigorous demands ensured that we realized our goal of high-quality results. We are firmly committed to the idea of international education, as we believe that it offers a unique chance for both our teachers and students to develop themselves – as people, academics, and philosophers. The individual is key to philosophy, and through the reciprocation of experience, students and professors are mutually enriched.

The "Philosophy in English" studies were carefully planned; we learned from our partners and carefully worked to follow the Polish government’s educational guidelines, as well as the regulations from the Vatican. Our staff is comprised of well-educated and enthusiastic teachers who are passionate academics and devoted to sharing their knowledge with students. We believe education is pursued by both teachers and students. Our students are involved in the evolution of the programme. Their opinions matter, and their insights are valued. We strive to follow the teaching approach of St. John Paull II and regard each student as an important, unique person. We help our students to work towards achieving their potential during the programme of studies, and also help our candidates in overcoming the obstacles blocking them from studies

There are many people who were involved in helping our program from its early days. Their goodwill, motivation, and inspiring hard work helped the studies to start and run. I would like to give a special mention to some of our friends, whose contributions were vital:

• The current rector, rev. prof. Robert Tyrała and former rector, rev. prof. Wojciech Zyzak, both oof whom supported the idea very much
• My colleagues from the Faculty who helped shape the idea of studies, especially the Dean, rev. prof. Jaroslaw Jagiełło, and former vice dean rev prof. Marek Urban
• The economics department, which helped to build the financial structure of the studies, with its head Ms. Michalina Betlej and vice-head, Ms. Agnieszka Szczepańska
• The education department with its head, dr. Katarzyna Tworek
• My colleagues responsible for recruitment, Anna Cieply, Katarzyna Kudełka, and Aleksandra Mirek-Rogowska
• the promotion office, with Justyna Kastelik and Lukasz Rzepka
• our department of international relations - especially Tomasz Kniaź,
• our patient and caring secretary of the Faculty, Ms. Justyna Kosoń, without whom nothing could be done
• The people responsible for the project, with its head Iwona Bąk, Beata Rębacz, Julia Głąb, Aneta Brzuska and Urszula Giza.
• Our teachers, who have contributed so much: Matyas Shalay, Władysław Zuziak, Grzegorz Hołub, Piotr Andryszak, Aleksander Bobko, Adam Workowski, Adam Olszewski, Zbigniew Liana, Wojciech Grygiel, Grzegorz Chrzanowski, Joanna Mysona-Byrska, Paweł Polak, Roman Krzanowski, and Barbara Żmuda Frydrychowska

I have certainly omitted some other people to whom this project owes a lot. Philosophy in English was, and continues to be, a team effort. Like most things we do in the University, it is the result of our combined efforts. I am honored to be a part of this team, which continues to work stalwartly for the success of our students and the continuation of our University.

Krakow is an incredible city. Our university is located in Krakow’s Old Town. Our students are surrounded by history, legends, and faith. We learn in the footsteps of saints and philosophers, and have the examples of those who came before us to serve as a source of motivation and inspiration. I hope it is God’s will for this program to run, and if it is, it will run just fine. I am convinced our English studies can do a lot of good So now, I invite you to come see our studies and give them a try. Step into the deep and, as our patron, Saint John Paul II, famously said….don’t be afraid!

With fond regards from Krakow,

Dr. Jakub Synowiec