Possible Ways Forward for Philolog’ies of Smaller Languages. Past, Present and Vision for the Coming Years

Abstract

The article discusses the issue of the need for changes in the curricula of the philologies of smaller languages, what Polish philology means in Hungary and what Hungarian philology is in Poland. The author’s comments are based on many years of professional experience gained at universities in Hungary and Poland, while teaching and conducting research in these philologies. The need to modify the curriculum is due to the general crisis of philological training and the fact that at the time of connecting our countries to the European area of education it was unclear what competences would be required in a bachelor’s and a master’s degree (apart from the evident cases such as teacher training). The current university programs, particularly at the undergraduate level, include “unnecessary” amounts of theoretical knowledge at the expense of practical knowledge on geography, culture, contemporary and broadly defined cultural competences. In the author’s opinion, the new programs should place less emphasis on “classical” areas of philology, including historical linguistics and the history of the literature of 11th to 18th centuries.