Summer in Poland

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Poland | English and Creative Writing

Dates: May 16 – June 6, 2026
Location: Krakow, Poland
Cost: $2,750
Included: accommodations, in-country transportation, meals, program events and activities, and study abroad fee
Not Included: Tuition, Airfare
Application deadline: February 15th
Deposit: $575 March 1st (non-refundable)
Final payment deadline: $2,175 with summer tuition and fees deadline
Course information: ENG 265, ENG 225, & CRW 387

Requirements: In order to attend a Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program, students must have a 2.5 or higher GPA. Questions regarding this policy may be directed to Emily Dunn (dunn_ea@mercer.edu).

This program offers an immersive academic experience in the historic city of Krakow, Poland, with courses that explore creative writing, American literature, and Religious Heritage. In collaboration with Jagiellonian University, students will engage deeply with the cultural, historical, and literary landscape of Poland through excursions to sites like Wawel Castle, Auschwitz, and the Kazimierz Jewish Quarter. In CRW 387, students use Krakow as creative inspiration for producing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. ENG 225 focuses on Polish poets and the theme of the sacred, prompting students to reflect on spirituality and resilience in the face of historical trauma. Meanwhile, ENG 265 examines American identity through literature, fostering intercultural exchange with Polish peers in co-taught seminars. Beyond academics, the program includes walking tours, museum visits, and opportunities for independent travel, offering a transformative exploration of literature, history, and self in one of Europe’s most storied cities.

For more information about this program please contact Dr. David Davis (davis_da@mercer.edu, 478-301-2358) or the Study Abroad Office (studyabroad@mercer.edu, 478-301-5964).

During this one-week program, students will experience:

walking tour of Krakow
tour of Cloth Hall, St. Mary’s Bascilica, and St. Peter and Paul Church
tour of Collegium Maius
tour of Wawel Castle
tour of Rynek Underground
visit to Krakus Mound
walking tour of the Kazimieri Jewish Quarter
tour of Arthur Schindler’s Factory
tour of Plaszow Memorial Site
day trip to Auschwitz Concentration Camp
literary tour of Krakow
tour of Czartoryski Museum
visit to the National Museum of Art
tour of MOCAK

*These activities are subject to change based on availability when booking.

To apply: Please click on the “Apply Now” button in the overview section and fill out all of the information requested.

Application deadline: February 15th
Decision date: February 16th
Deposit: $575 (non-refundable) due by March 1st to hold your place in the program.
Final payment deadline: $2,175 by spring tuition and fees summer deadline

For the Summer in Poland program, you can choose any combination from the 3 courses below. You have the ability to take any number of the courses, but in order to be eligible for federal and state aid in the summer, you must take 6 credits total.

CRW 387 – Special Topics in Creative Writing

3 credit hours

Course Description

This multi-genre creative writing workshop will use Krakow and its environs as classroom and muse. We will look to the city for characters, images, setting, mood, and plots, drafting poems, stories, and creative nonfiction inspired by our encounters and observations. As we write, we’ll also explore larger questions of travel and the literature of travel: What is it that we’re seeking when we go abroad? What compels travelers to write about their experiences? What kinds of writing constitute “travel literature”? Is it possible for tourists –outsiders by definition – to experience the true culture of the place they are visiting? We will read a mix of stories, essays, and poems on travel as well as readings by Polish writers and residents and visitors of Krakow to guide us through these questions.

Throughout our time together, we will emphasize experimentation and play, focusing on generating new work through daily writing prompts and excursions. Travel can be intensely inspiring and invigorating but also, at times, disorienting and even uncomfortable (hello, jet lag!). We will lean into the disorientation of travel abroad to make new discoveries about ourselves and our writing practices. Students will share some of their pieces in workshops for feedback from the group and will submit a post-program portfolio of revised creative work.

Pre-Requisites: CRW 387 is open to all students; no previous training in creative writing is required. Intellectual curiosity, an interest in creative expression, and a commitment to reading and writing are expected.

ENG 225 – Study of a Literary Theme in Religious Heritage: Poetry and the Sacred

3 credit hours

Course Description

When it comes to serious matters—communicating with the divine, say, or describing the consecrated—prose just won’t do. We need something more flexible and powerful, something that can be both festive and grave, reverent but, and above all else, honest. We need poetry. In this class, we’ll study the ways that poets of a variety of faiths (and no faiths) have accessed the sacred through their art. In particular, we’ll focus on Polish poetry and how it has sought the sacred despite war, oppression, atrocity, and evil.

ENG 265 – American Literature Abroad

3 credit hours

Course Description

This course will co-enroll Mercer students with a class of American literature students at Jagiellonian University. One day each week, the Mercer students will join the Jagiellonian students for a class co-taught by Dr. David Davis and Dr. Michal Choiński, and on the other class days the Mercer students will discuss a series of American short stories that explore the foundations of American identity, the memory of the holocaust, and alienation in contemporary America. Jagiellonian students will be invited to participate in the discussions.

What is included in the program fee:

Meals
Lodging
Transportation in country
Entry fees and required activities
Study Abroad application fee
International Insurance

What is not included in the program fee:

Tuition*
Souvenirs
Airfare
Transportation to and from the ATL airport

*Tuition is dependent upon your current enrollment and your colleges tuition fees for the semester of your program. If you are enrolled as a traditional undergrad on the Macon campus, the credits for this program will be charged at $566 (tuition) per credit hour and $12.50 (facility and technology fees) per credit hour. Each class offered is 3 credit hours.