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 

Publications:

• Language Diversity in the USA edited by Kim Potowski, Chapter: Polish in the United States, Cambridge University Press, 2010
• Translation: Poems from Vade-Mecum by Cyprian Kamil Norwid, The Polish Review, vol. XXVIII, no. 3, New York 1983

Loyola Service:

• Academic Council, At-Large Member, 2020-2024
• Roman Pucinski and Polish Politics in America, Conference, 2019
• Polish American Historical Association 75th Anniversary Conference, 2018
• Chiago Catholic Immigrants: The Poles, Conference in collaboration with the Hank Center, November 2015
• Jan Karski International Conference on Memory and Responsibility, 2014
• International Conference on Chopin and Paderewski, 2010
• Co-creator of the Polish Stucdies Program at Loyola and its first director, 2007
• Professor Norman Davies Lecture on Polish History, 2006
• Lira Ensemble fundraising concert to fund Polish courses

Service Outside of Loyola:

• Polish American Congress Illinois Division Achievement Award, 2022
• Organized a conference for the Polish American Congress Education Commission for Polish teachers, Students, and Parents, Chicago, 2016
• Polish American Congress VP for Education, 2016
• Chiago Catholic Immigrants: The Poles, Conference in collaboration 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 initiate 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-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

Education:

• A.B.D. University of Illinois in Chicago, Polish Literature, 1984
• M.A. University of Illinois, Polish Language and Literature, 1981
• B.A. University of Illinois, Business, Polish History and Literature, 1980