With the support of the Pannónia Scholarship Program, lecturers and students from the Institute of English and American Studies of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Debrecen took part in a one-week study trip to Poland. The primary aims of the visit were to learn about best practices in teaching and research, to deepen course-related knowledge in an international academic environment, and to explore future cooperation opportunities planned with the University of Gdańsk.
The Pannónia Scholarship Program has been available since the 2024/25 academic year to students, lecturers and staff of Hungarian universities operating under foundation-based governance.
In its launch year at the University of Debrecen, 850 students and lecturers took advantage of the opportunity to travel abroad. The program enables participants to take part in partial studies, professional internships or research projects anywhere in the world, as well as short, group-based study trips linked to specific courses, coordinated by lecturers and carried out through visits to partner universities or industry partners.
With the support of the scholarship program, a group of undergraduate and master’s students from the Institute of English and American Studies of the Faculty of Humanities visited Gdańsk between 19 and 23 January 2026. The trip was coordinated by Balázs Venkovits, director and associate professor of the IEAS, and Zsuzsanna Lénárt-Muszka, assistant professor.
“During university classes and meetings, the members of the group discussed the history of migration from Central and Eastern Europe to the United States together with Polish students, while during the visit to the European Solidarity Center, students from the University of Gdańsk acted as guides. The intensive program allowed our students to gain meaningful intercultural experience and to compare the degree program of the two universities,” Balázs Venkovits told the hirek.unideb.hu news portal.
As part of the programme, the group also visited the Emigration Museum in Gdynia, which provided an excellent example of how the history of migration can be presented in an engaging yet academically grounded manner.
“We will integrate the experiences gained there into the courses offered by the Center for International Migration Studies of the University of Debrecen, and we hope that a similar institution to the Polish museum can soon be established in Hungary as well,” the director of the IEAS emphasized.
“The study trip to Poland was both a source of professional inspiration and a genuine community experience. The new cultural experiences and shared moments added lasting value to my university years,” said Fatime Filep, an MA student in American Studies and one of the participants of the trip.
Another key objective of the mobility program was to explore opportunities for cooperation in education and to lay the foundations for long-term collaboration between the institutions.
Two lecturers from the Institute of English and American Studies discussed plans for cooperation between the two institutions with their host, historian Professor Anna Mazurkiewicz, vice dean of the University of Gdańsk.
“We consulted with several colleagues about joint modules and potential forms of cooperation that could involve our students, our institutions, and relevant sub-programs of our doctoral schools,” explained Zsuzsanna Lénárt-Muszka.
The one-week mobility program successfully combined student-centered learning, intercultural experience and institutional networking. For the students, the visit deepened their understanding of migration studies in an international context, which is also an integral part of their studies at home.
The study trip also contributed to the expansion of institutional relations, the creation of opportunities for joint educational and research activities, and the groundwork for participation in international programs, both at the institutional level and within the courses of the Institute of English and American Studies.
(UD Press - BZs)
