Silesian research
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in Culture | Research by Dr. Ryan Denson
| Weronika Cygan-Adamczyk | Mermaids, the Kraken, dragons, phoenixes—fantastic creatures that have firmly taken root in our cultural consciousness. We read about them in books, see them in movies, and face them in video games. Without them, the worlds of Harry Potter and The Witcher—along with many other iconic stories—would not exist. These supernatural beings...
Guided by Paratexts | Prof. Magdalena Ślawska’s Research
| Author: Olimpia Orządała | A text is no longer a linear narrative. It has become a multi-level arrangement of visual and semantic signposts. Magdalena Ślawska, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof. from the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Silesia in Katowice studies this phenomenon. She emphasises that the graphisation of media discourse is...
Born a Deviant, Made a Genius – or Vice Versa? | Research by Prof. Maciej Bernasiewicz
| Author: Weronika Cygan-Adamczyk | ‘Homosexuality was still considered a sexual disorder in the 20th century, whereas it’s no longer viewed as such by today’s psychiatric standards. This example alone shows us that what we view as the norm, and what we regard as a deviation from it, is very often culturally and historically defined,’...
Messengers from Early Solar System | Prof. Krzysztof Szopa’s research
| Author: Agnieszka Sikora, PhD | Looking back at the origins of the Solar System, one can’t help but wonder what the oldest objects to be found within it are. These are meteorites that originated in a young protoplanetary disk surrounding the forming Sun. During the early stages of the solar nebula, the dust heated...
Tool for Thinking. Conversation about the Polish Language | Interview with Prof. Katarzyna Wyrwas
Several changes to the spelling rules came into effect on 1 January 2026. Among other things, they relate to the use of capital letters and whether certain words should be written jointly or separately. The changes that aim to simplify and standardise the Polish spelling rules have sparked a conversation about how language adapts to...
Inside Simultaneous Interpreter’s Mind | Prof. Ewa Gumul’s research
| Author: Małgorzata Kłoskowicz, PhD | What goes through the mind of a simultaneous interpreter, who in a mere fraction of a second must not only comprehend and interpret the spoken words, but also ensure that the conveyed message is clear to the listener? That’s one of the questions posed by Ewa Gumul, PhD, DLitt,...