The Department of American Literature and Culture and the Department of American Studies, two units within the English Department of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, are comprised of professors dedicated to the study, teaching, and promotion of American Studies both at the University and in the Southeastern region of Poland.

The faculty of the Departments offer a wide range of courses in American history, media, and culture, from introductory to advanced levels, as well as a comprehensive selection of courses in American literature. From the surveys for undergraduates to the thesis seminars, these courses enjoy great popularity. In fact, student curiosity about the United States, American culture, and the English language has created such a demand for comprehensive and systematic study that the number of students requesting these courses regularly exceeds the number of places available. On the average, twenty students graduate each year with a thesis on American literature, culture, or history. The 5-year M.A. American Studies program, the first such program in Poland established in 2002,  graduates approximately 20 students every year.

The Departments sponsor additional learning opportunities as well, many of which are open to the general public. One of the most popular of these events is the series of lectures by visiting American scholars, critics, and writers, who are invited to speak or read at MCSU on a variety of topics. Arranged either by way of the generous support of the Cultural Unit of the American Embassy, the Polish-US Fulbright Commission, or by personal network and effort of department members, these lectures have become a distinctive part of American Studies program. Within the past two decades, the Departments have hosted dozens of the most eminent American writers and poets, including John Ashbery, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dixon, Raymond Federman, Gary Gildner, Ken Kesey, Clarence Major, Harry Mathews, Peter Meinke, William Saroyan, Mary Ellen Solt, Susan Sontag, and Ronald Sukenick, and critics Larry McCaffery, Paul John Eakin, Ihab Hassan, Jerome Klinkowitz, Philip Levine, Geoffrey Moore, Robert Pinsky. American Studies specialists from other countries, including Germany, England, Sweden, Canada, and Japan, have also been guests on campus. Besides lecturing, many of these guests teach seminars or meet informally with faculty and students.

The Departments also benefit from the Fulbright program on a systematic basis. Senior Fulbright scholars from the United States contribute to the active academic life of the Departments by spending a semester or two teaching seminars in areas of expertise beyond those of the regular faculty, by sharing their perspectives on the current developments in American Studies, and by offering lectures on a variety of topics.

American Culture is brought to Poland through extracurricular activities sponsored by the Departments. Students can get acquainted with American drama, for example, by participating in the Student Society of American Studies. Classics of American cinema as well as works by alternative filmmakers are presented by the film club. Photographs and artwork depicting the American scene are often displayed outside the department offices or in the reading room of the English Department library, where students may find an interesting selection of American books and magazines for leisure reading or research. The Departments frequently host conferences or otherwise participate in regional and national meetings on topics in American Studies. Their faculty are among the most active in the Polish Association for American Studies (PAAS).

The Department of American Literature and Culture and the Department of American Studies continue to grow and adapt to the changes in higher education necessitated by a burgeoning economy and social restructuring. Presently, the Departments contribute personnel and information resources in support of eleven English Teacher Training Colleges established within the region, making MCSU the regional center for the organization and promotion of American Studies and of the English language.