Professor Trojanowska has directed the Polish Language and Literature Program in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto since 1998. She is a graduate of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (M.A.) and the University of Toronto (Ph.D.). Prior to her appointment at the University of Toronto she taught at the Jagiellonian University, York University, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Chicago.
Professor Trojanowska teaches ten undergraduate and eight graduate courses in Polish literature and culture, and supervises three courses in Polish language. In the last ten years, she has developed a vibrant undergraduate program and created a particularly strong graduate program, by supervising six doctorates, two of which have already been defended, and graduating three students with a master degree. Two of her current doctoral students specialize in Polish literature and two others in theatre studies. She also serves on doctoral committees in other units. All her students take part in national and international conferences, and some have also published their work. Three of them are cooperating with her in a book project, Private Encounters, Public Affairs: Polish Culture and Modernity.
Professor Trojanowska’s own research focuses on discourses of modernity and postmodernity, issues of identity, and theatre studies. She has published on those topics in Poland, Canada, United States, and England. At present she is involved in three research projects. One involves international cooperation with colleagues from Canada, Poland, and the United States. Another, Polonistyka po amerykańsku. Badania nad literaturą polską w Ameryce Północnej (1990-2005), coedited with scholars from Poland and The United States, was published in 2005 by the Instytut Badań Literackich PAN. Professor Trojanowska sits on the Editorial Boards of two professional publications and serves as an elected member in the Slavic Division Executive Committee of the Modern Language Association. From 2001-2006 and 2007-2008 she directed graduate studies in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. She is also a recipient of such awards as the honorary mention for outstanding achievements in the propagation of Polish culture abroad bestowed by the Centre for Polish Language and Polish Culture, “Polonicum,” at the Warsaw University (2006), the Kościuszko Foundation and the Columbia University Harriman Institute Book Publication Subventions (co-recipient, 2004), the Dean’s Excellence Award (1999), and the Chicago Humanities Institute Fellowship (1997-98).
Besides academic activities, Professor Trojanowska also organizes academic lectures, book launches, and symposia, which are supported by our Council and other Polonia organizations. A very successful international conference, “In Search of (Creative) Diversity: New Perspectives in Polish Literary and Cultural Studies Abroad” that was held in February 2006 has turned into a bi-annual event hosted by various Polish Studies centres in North America. In 2008 it was organized again by the Indiana University in Bloomington. In 2010 it will be hosted by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Despite many financial difficulties, the Polish Language and Literature Program at the University of Toronto is presently in a period of unusually dynamic growth, as measured by the breadth of the subjects offered, the number of students, and the research activities. Because Professor Trojanowska is tenured, we can expect her activities to continue for many years to come. It is the responsibility of the Council, which acts on behalf of the Canadian Polonia, to provide the financial support to this Program in order to fully utilize its educational, research and promotional potential.
Professor Trojanowska was recently featured on an Arts and Science web site about the need to give. You can view the page here.
