Adam Mickiewicz University

Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU) in Poznań was founded in 1919 and is the major academic institution in Poznań and one of the top Polish universities. It has recently been granted the status of a research university – label of outstanding performance held by only ten Polish universities. Its reputation is founded on tradition, the outstanding achievements of the faculty and the attractive curriculum offered to students. The mission of the University is to advance knowledge through high-quality research and teaching in partnership with business, professions, public services and other research and learning providers.
The University is a center of academic excellence, where research and teaching are mutually sustaining, and where the context within which research is conducted and knowledge is sought and applied in international as much as regional and national context. In total, 613 research projects are currently being carried out in international and national teams at AMU.
AMU is a member of: EUA – European University Association, EUCEN – European University Continuing Education Network, The Compostela Group of Universities, the Santander Group – European University Network, European Chemistry Thematic Network and other European Research Networks.

The University currently employs 2995 teaching staff, including 918 professors, 1332 assistant professors, 745 senior lecturers and over 2200 non-academic employees and currently its student population is nearly 40 000 students (over 1000 are international students) and 1300 PhD students. Students may choose between 285 degree courses and 180 possible professional specializations, including a wide spectrum of degree courses preparing for the job of teacher.

The department which is going to carry out this strategic research and training project will be the Institute of Applied Linguistics, Department of Intercultural Glottopedagogy (Instytut Lingwistyki Stosowanej/ILS, Zakład Glottopedagogiki Interkulturowej). The institute leads research with special focus on foreign language didactics and research methodology in applied linguistics, including translation studies, discourse analysis and intercultural communication.

The Department of Intercultural Glottopedagogy conducts research in the fields of foreign language teaching, intercultural communication, intercultural and interlanguage pragmatics,
teaching languages for special purposes and intercultural teaching. The term glottopedagogy is connected with the well-established and widely recognized term glottodidactics/methodology of foreign language teaching. Due to the close relations between glottopedagogy and several related branches of academia – above all linguistics and general didactics – the department conducts research into modern approaches, methods and techniques of teaching and learning, taking into account the guidelines included in the language policy of the European Council. One of such guidelines is fostering easy adaptation to living in multilingual and multicultural Europe. This aim includes not only mastering a foreign or second language for communication in selected situations but also developing a positive attitude towards other nationalities, relying on the knowledge of the culture, customs and mentality of its members due to an increasing plurilingualism of European societies.

Team members:

prof. Anna Szczepaniak-Kozak (Ph.D., D.Litt.) from the Institute of Applied Linguistics is the project coordinator.
Prof. Kozak’s main research interests are within the field of applied linguistics, particularly interlanguage (acquisitional) pragmatics, foreign language instruction and teaching-oriented studies of hate speech. She is the author of three books, the co-editor of six monographs, and the author of around 50 scientific papers. In years 2014–2016, she conducted research and training activities in a project financed by the European Commission titled RADAR (Regulating Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Racism). RADAR team conducted research and training activities pertaining to racially-motivated hate speech in seven EU countries. She has also assisted as an e-learning platform moderator and materials contributor in two other European Council projects devoted to the development of learning materials helping migrants and host nationals in contact with migrants to improve their intercultural communication skills.
annkozak(at)amu.edu.pl

prof. Sylwia Adamczak-Krysztofowicz (PhD, D.Litt in teaching German as a foreign language) – The Head of the Department of Intercultural Glottopedagogy. Between 2014–2016 she was the leader of the Polish team in the RADAR project. She was also involved in other international projects devoted to intercultural learning, e-tandems and teacher training development. Her research interests are: glottodidactics in general, didactics and methodology of German as a foreign language, intercultural teaching, intercultural communication, Polish-German intensive exchange seminars and programs.
adamczak(at)amu.edu.pl

prof. Emilia Wąsikiewicz-Firlej (D. Litt. in linguistics, PhD in applied linguistics) is Associate Professor in the Department of Ecolinguistics and Communicology at AMU. Her research delves into applied linguistics and communication studies, focusing on intercultural communication, professional communication, specialized discourse as well as plurilingualism and Family Language Policy. She has published over 50 academic papers, including a monograph on corporate communication. She is also a frequent presenter at national and international conferences and has extensive expertise in multimedia teaching/learning.
emiliawf(at)amu.edu.pl


Anna Berezowska, MA is responsible for project office management and selected output tasks (research assistant and translation services). She graduated with a master’s degree in applied linguistics at Adam Mickiewicz University and is holder of post-graduate studies in project management at Poznań University of Technology. She has participated in multiple international projects and is experienced in international project management. Since 2014 she has also been a PhD candidate in the field of applied linguistics and a teacher for German as a Foreign Language in the Institute of Applied Linguistics.
mamlise(at)gmail.com