This course aims to introduce students to the definition and origins of myths with special emphasis on classical and biblical mythology. Interpretations of the underlying meanings of mythological stories, their role in reflecting the human psyche and culture are explored through close readings of seminal texts thorughout the semester. Weekly course plan and the course assessment methods may be subject to change.

ELL 216 Creative Non-Fiction teases out the implications of the impetus that prompts an artist to ‘translate real life into real art’. Locating the said stimulus at the core of the production of creative non-fiction, this course introduces students to its major forms, where such ‘translation’ takes place across a spate of media and genres, ranging from documentary theatre to biographical film on the one hand, and from new journalism to the essay on the other. On successful completion of this course a student will be equipped with a conceptual and theoretical skillset whereby to: 1. Identify the basic features of creative non-fiction and how some prominent writers have tackled them. 2. Explain the ways in which creative non-fiction deals with the relationship between what is factual and what is fictional whilst addressing its recipients. 3. Show an awareness of some of the key debates about the nature of non-fiction. 4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of recent developments in the production of non-fiction. 5. Generate comprehensive analytical essays on the representative examples of ‘non-fiction novel’ as part of written exams.

This course provides an overview of the history, the evolving treaty framework, the polical institutions, the decision-making processes and key policies of the European Union. The course will address the questions related to particular choices of institutional design, policies and enlargement of the European Union in line with preferences and priorities of individual member states and the EU institutions as well as the changing international context.

The primary aim of this course is to provide students with a thorough understanding of the basic rules concerning substantive EU economic law, the regulation of the internal market as well as its external trade policy through an interactive approach. The purpose of the course is two-fold: first, to provide a sound introduction to the basic features of the law applicable to internal and external regulation of the EU's economic activities, and second, to explore the operation of selected aspects of EU law in practice in the contemporary international legal and economic context. These objectives will be achieved by analyzing the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU and related international courts and key primary and secondary legislation with regard to the liberalization of internal trade and the creation of common commercial policy through harmonization of its external trade practices. The primary skills objectives of this course are to develop critical analysis and argument, together with legal problem-solving and skills of independent study.

This course aims to give students an understanding of diverse range of principal topics and issues of discussion to explore external relations of the European Union (EU). We will cover two main aspects of EU’s external relations: (i) theories and institutions of the EU’s external relations, and (ii) contemporary issues where EU plays a vital role. Topics that will be discussed in the course include the Eurozone financial crisis, EU-Russia energy dynamics, EU leadership in international climate policy, Turkey’s accession, the “Arab Spring”, the crisis in Ukraine, "Refugee Crisis", Iran Nuclear Programme and Brexit.

This course aims to provide a general framework on the major issues in political economy, and on the interaction between economy, markets, and society. Throughout the course economy is analyzed as an instituted process. The course begins by challenging the mainstream approach, which argues for the detachment of economy from politics, and emphasizes the political nature of the economic sphere. Within this framework, Mercantilism, Liberalism and Marxism are explained as the main approaches. The first major focus of the course is capitalism as a system. The capitalist system is analyzed with its implications both at the domestic and international levels. The second major focus of the course is neo-liberal globalization. Contemporary capitalism and globalization are discussed within the framework of the global crisis and the European and Turkish examples are analysed.

This course aims to give detailed information on EU-supported funds and programmes in the form of grants, loans or tenders including structural funds, Union programmes and pre-accession instrument for candidate countries. Science diplomacy is covered to comprehend the relationships between EU, candidate and other countries. Influence of recent developments in technological, economical, social and political advances on EU funding schemes are reviewed. Types of EU funds along with EU-Turkey fiscal cooperations are discussed to provide an overall perspective on this issue. Topics such as project management, risk management, writing proposals, project milestones, deliverables and work packages are addressed. Focus will be on the selection criteria for EU projects as well to explain how to succeed in project applications.

The course has been prepared in two distinct parties: The first step encompasses the foundations and the structues of the French state. The second step sheds light on the development of the French State within the EU and on the international level. Taking into consideration that the modern Turkish Republic has been inspired largely from the French State structures and ideology, it would be obviously very helpful for the public administration students to be knowledgeable in this field.

This course aims to discuss the late Ottoman history between 1789 and 1908. The course will focus on the main economic, political and social events in this period. We will focus on the transformation of the economy, institutional changes, demographic movements and the main political issues. However, besides having a grasp of the main developments in this period, this course also has a major conceptual aim, which is to analyze the changing nature of the Ottoman state. Therefore, the functions of state, the forces behind change, conflicting interests within the Ottoman political, and the evolution of social structures are important issues to be discussed in this class.

This course is basically a survey of European economic history, and aims to introduce the students to the main discussions about European economic development. In this respect, some of the major questions that will be addressed are: was European economic development unique? Can we delineate transitional phases from the middle ages to early modernity, and later to capitalism? What is the relationship between colonialism and industrialization? How can we interpret the first globalization phase in the 19th century, and compare it to the globalization of the late 20th century? Apart from these themes that are discussed chronologically, another aim of the course is to engage in a critical reflection on economic history. Therefore, we have to reflect critically on the following assumptions and questions: Where is Europe? What is the most appropriate unit of analysis to study economic history? Is it possible to delineate the economic realm as separate from political, social, military, or cultural realms? How can we compare European economic history to the economic history of other parts of the world?

This course aims to familiarize the students with the history of Anatolia in Medieval times. It surveys the history of polities, empires, and peoples that contributed to the making of Anatolian history. In doing this the course adopts a critical and plural perspective to understand and appreciate the political, social and cultural pluralities in the medieval period.

This course introduces the students to the theories behind different kinds of historical research and writing. It focuses on and discusses the most influential of the contemporary historical schools of the twentieth century and their theoretical perspectives, conceptual tools, epistemological assumptions, methods and approaches to sources.

The aim and the purpose of the course: There are different ways to approach specific methodologies for the writing of history. Among these perspectives, the emphasis of this course will be on comparative historical sociology and global history, for a couple of reasons. Even though comparative historical sociology is usually considered to be a subfield of sociology, its general approach, and specific methodologies employed by the historical sociologists are historically grounded. These characteristics allow historians to have a constructive dialogue with another discipline that they generally avoid. Second, the comparative dimension is crucial for historians to think outside of their specializations. This is especially important for the historiographical traditions that attribute some kind of uniqueness to their historical trajectories—both in the West and the rest of the world. Thirdly, comparative historical sociology is interested in very big questions about the dynamics of the modern age, and problematizes many of the feature of the modern world—from the emergence of modern nation-state, to the construction of modern identities; this approach will be immensely helpful for historians to avoid ahistorical approaches and narratives. Finally, even though it is taken for granted that we have been living in a globalized world, thinking history globally requires a good deal of critical reflection, and concomitantly, the field of global history has produced specific approaches and methodologies. Historians should have a good understanding of this diversity.

This course will stress political and intellectual developments and cover milestones like the First Constitutional Period, the Revolution of 1908, the establishment of the Unionist authoritarian regime and the Tripolitan, Balkan and first World Wars.

This course will focus on political and intellectual developments during the years of the early Republican period, the transition to a multi-party democracy, the transformations after the coup d'état of 1960 and the period after the 1980 coup d'état through case studies.

This course surveys the history and agency of nonhuman animals in the making of the modern world history. It investigates the interactions between nonhuman animals, humans, and the environment from a global perspective. The course aims to challenge human exclusivism by offering the students a diverse set of readings from different disciplines and perspectives. It further seeks to introduce the students to major studies, names, and topics of animal history and studies and to familiarize them with the theoretical and methodological challenges of the field.

This course aims to discuss the major developments in the Middle East from the end of the 19th century to the present. More specifically, it aims to evaluate the socio-economic dynamics of the Middle East within the context of two globalizations. Even though the emphasis will be on the political economy of the region, the course will also look at how the region was labelled as the Middle East, and imagined with reference to certain ideological constructions after the 19th century. The course follows a chronological order and yet it also aims to critically reflect on the different methodological and historiographical approaches. In this sense, the students will be expected to develop not only a historical narrative but also a methodological approach to contextualize the dynamics of the region.

The main purpose of this course is to comparatively examine the political structures of four major countries in Western Europe with which Turkey has close relations. Federal Germany, France, Italy and England constitute these four important examples of public administration. Examining their electoral systems, governance and politics methods, and analyzing their similarities and differences will constitute the basis of the course.

Colonialism as a form of hegemony spread during several centuries, before finally engulfing the larger part of the globe by the year 1900. And yet, its practice was so diverse historians still struggle to define, delineate, and explain it. Special attention will be given to approaches such as postcolonial theory, south-to-south transregional interactions, and discussions on colonial violence that see colonialism not as a phenomenon isolated in time and space, but as founding experiences of modernity both for the colonizers and the colonized with repercussions that effect societies around the globe until today.

The study of the political systems in a comparative framework enables students and scholars develop insight into the functioning of the regime and institutions in a country with a new perspective. This course introduces the basic concepts, institutions, and discussions of comparative politics, which will later be applied on the country cases in IR 302.

This course focuses on comparing the institutional composition of advanced industrialized democracies by building on the themes discussed in IR 101 (Introduction to Politics) and IR 301 (Comparative Politics I). The weeks are divided thematically, however the selection of readings aims to introduce students to the past and current political issues in Western Europe -especially in Britain, France, Germany- and in the USA, Russia, Mexico, China, Iran and Tunisia. The various decision-making institutions of these countries and how different configurations of power work in diverse political contexts will be analyzed. A variety of political party systems will be examined and the institutional, structural and historical causes of these divergent systems will be scrutinized.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the contemporary history and politics of international relations. The first part of the course will deal with developments from the end of Cold War until the end of the twentieth century.

This course focuses on the developments that led to the end of the Cold War era and the politics of the post-Cold War period. Starting with the last decade of the Soviet Union and the forces that brought about the demise of Leninism in Eastern Europe, the break-up of Yugoslavia is studied as the paradigmatic case of the post-Cold War era. Other issues include the politics of the Middle East, post-Cold War American foreign policy and the pluses and minuses of globalization.

This course engages normative and critical theoretical texts by considering current social and political issues. The course is organized into three parts to structure the timely with the untimely. The first sets forth general questions regarding theory and modernity in a contemporary context. The second part is organized around basic concepts to elaborate on the importance of their meaning and structuring in our world. These include critical socio-political concepts such as power, authority, structure, and society, which are essential presuppositions in making sense of the contemporary issues we seek to survey. The third part of the course concentrates on ideas that continue to frame our current debates; hence, it proposes the relevance of political theory to the major social and political challenges of the day. The question of justice and freedom, democracy, citizenship, neoliberal globalization, diversities and differences, the ecological crisis and finally, the emphasis on changing the contextualization of rights from macro to micro; the right to the city will be engaged critically.

This course aims to provide a general framework on the major issues in political economy, and on the interaction between economy, markets, and society. Throughout the course economy is analyzed as an instituted process. The course begins by challenging the mainstream approach, which argues for the detachment of economy from politics, and emphasizes the political nature of the economic sphere. Within this framework, Mercantilism, Liberalism and Marxism are explained as the main approaches. The first major focus of the course is capitalism as a system. The capitalist system is analyzed with its implications both at the domestic and international levels. The second major focus of the course is neo-liberal globalization. Contemporary capitalism and globalization are discussed within the framework of the global crisis and the European and Turkish examples are analysed.

This course is designed in order to engage the students to think about social issues within an interdisciplinary perspective at the crossroads of sociology and politics. While acknowledging the interwoven nature of the two fields, the course will display their various theoretical and methodological differences by focusing on some key concepts and debates, including modernity, memory, migration and multiculturalism, among others.

This course will introduce the students to the origins, structures and functioning of international organizations. The course will emphasize the role of international organizations in contemporary world politics and their role in the establishment and diffusion of international norms. The EU will be dealt with broadly within the context of global governance, and each week the EU’s role on current issues in world politics will be focused on. The course is being offered as part of the Jean Monnet Chair of the Erasmus+ Programme, funded by the European Union. Dr. Özge Onursal Beşgül will carry out her duty as Jean Monnet Chair, a post entrusted to those faculty members who have expertise in European Union studies within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, between March 1, 2022-February 28, 2025.

This course is an online course, offered as an elective in the Department of International Relations, open to all undergraduate and international exchange students. The aim is to familiarize the students with the filmography on the topic of migration and minorities, thereby offering an analytical angle into the visual representations of human variety and mobility in and around Turkey. Selected short and feature films will be investigated in terms of the issues they tackle, the perspectives they offer to these issues, their representative power, their cinematographic qualities, the theoretical questions they raise in social science literature, and the policy recommendations they may bring to the complicated issues of minorities and migration in the region. The movies will be taken up as first steps into further explorations of multiple historical and contemporary dimensions surrounding the selected issues. Students are expected to do the recommended readings, engage in literature review and other online activities around weekly assignments following the viewing of the movies.

This course examines the basic aspects of the philosophy of science and the methods of social science research with a particular focus on political science and international relations. Topics to be covered include the paradigms of the social science: methodological traditions (mainly qualitative and quantitative methods) and research designs with various research tools and techniques. The first part of the course will be devoted to lectures and discussions of the research methods. And in the second part, students are expected to conduct their own research projects either individually or as a group.