Turkish Course Descriptions

The following courses are offered regularly as a part of our Turkish language program and Turkish minor. For all TURKSH catalog listings and current scheduling information please check the PS Mobile Course Catalog.

Core Turkish Language Courses

The greatest part of the first term will be devoted to the presentation and practice of the basic sound patterns of the language, its fundamental sentence patterns, and sufficient vocabulary to illustrate and practice them. An introduction to the writing system will be offered together with the opportunity to acquire elementary writing and reading skills.
At the end of the second term of the first year of study the student should be able to produce all the significant sound patterns of the language, to recognize and use the major grammatical structures within a limited core vocabulary. The student should be able a) to engage in simple conversations with native speakers about a limited number of everyday situations and b) to read and write simple material related to the situations presented.
The first term of the second year will concentrate on the further development of fluency in oral production and the improvement in the student's ability to understand the flow of speech as uttered by a native speaker. Increased attention will be paid to reading as a means of augmenting a recognition vocabulary and writing as a drill and as a means of consolidating and communicating the knowledge gained.
At the end of the second term of the second year the student should be able to converse comfortably with a native speaker on a variety of non-specialized subjects. The student will be offered an opportunity to experience and more fully understand the culture of the people who use the language through readings of various types. More complex writing tasks will be expected at this level.
Students in this course will: refine and consolidate their language skills in everyday communicative situations covered in Turkish 1 through 4; expand and build on their language skills in more complex communicative situations that require creative and resourceful use of the Turkish Language; learn to express themselves creatively in both spoken and written Turkish at higher levels of articulation with context specific vocabulary, cultural formulas and grammar forms; and, advance their skills in reading and comprehending various types of texts with advance level grammar forms. Focus will be on communicative competence grounded in solid knowledge of grammar, writing, listening and reading comprehension skills.
Students in this course will: refine and consolidate their language skills in everyday communicative situations covered in Turkish 1 through 5; expand and build on their intermediate level language skills in more complex communicative situations that require creative and resourceful use of language skills; learn to express themselves creatively in both spoken and written Turkish at higher levels of articulation with context specific vocabulary, cultural formulas and grammar forms; and advance their skills in reading and comprehending various types of texts with advance level grammar forms. Focus will be on communicative competence grounded in solid knowledge of grammar, writing, listening and reading comprehension skills.
Students in this course will: refine and consolidate their language skills in everyday communicative situations covered in Turkish 1 through 6; expand and build on their language skills in more complex communicative situations that require creative and resourceful use of the Turkish Language; learn to express themselves creatively in both spoken and written Turkish at higher levels of articulation with context specific vocabulary, cultural formulas and grammar forms; and advance their skills in reading and comprehending various types of texts with advance level grammar forms. Focus will be on communicative competence grounded in solid knowledge of grammar, writing, listening and reading comprehension skills.
Students in this course will: refine and consolidate their language skills in everyday communicative situations covered in Turkish 1 through 7; expand and build on their language skills in more complex communicative situations that require creative and resourceful use of the Turkish Language; learn to express themselves creatively in both spoken and written Turkish at higher levels of articulation with context specific vocabulary, cultural formulas and grammar forms; and, advance their skills in reading, comprehending, interpreting, translating and transcribing various types of texts with advance and superior level grammar forms. Focus will be on communicative competence grounded in solid knowledge of grammar, writing, listening and reading comprehension skills.

Elective Courses for the Turkish Minor

This course is an introduction to contemporary Turkish culture and society.  [collapse collapsed] Drawing on case studies from literature, film, music, print and social media sources, students will examine major issues and trends that are relevant to everyday experiences of people in Turkey. Topics  include language and culture,   ideological currents like secularism, Islamism, and nationalism, social construction of gender roles, civil society movements like ‘Gezi protests,’ literary metaphors and myths, musical genres, traditional arts, culinary traditions, holidays and celebrations, Turkey’s relations with the European Union, the Middle East and  the USA. Using an interdisciplinary approach, students will explore different points of views and perspectives on these topics through critical thinking, debate and discussion in class.  Students will also have first- hand experience of Turkish culture through ‘Turkish Breakfast,’ ‘Turkish Coffee,’ a session on Ebru (traditional paper marbling),  guest speakers and performers.  Students will be provided with online readings and videos from open sources, and instructor handouts for readings.
This course satisfies General Education requirements (F2) and (F3) Global Awareness and Cultural Understanding--A Course in a Specific Geographic Region & A Course in Cross Cultural Awareness.
The topic and content of this special topics course are variable.
Through this class, students will read literature about the impact language has on interactions between different cultures. There is discussion of the differences in communication within and between various communities.
While giving an overview of the types of languages present in each area of the world, this course explores the composition and trends within and between language families. The course incorporates study of language structure differences as well as sociolinguistic variations.
Over the last several centuries, EurAsia's domination by successive nomadic steppe empires (stretching from Europe to China) was displaced by new imperial challengers from the periphery (notably Russia, China, and Britain). This course examines the nature of that transition by charting the history of EurAsian empires from the Mongols (thirteenth century) to the present day. From Genghis Khan to Tamerlane to Stalin; between Russian spies, Chinese armies, and the Taliban; spanning silk roads, great games, and more. The empires of the steppe were truly vast in scale, integrating territories usually studied in isolation from one another, and so this course provides important context for separate courses on Russian, eastern European, Chinese, and middle eastern history. The chronological scope of this course is similarly epic, spanning over seven centuries, and thus placing in relief recurring themes related to empires in world history. The thematic emphasis is on geopolitical strategies for imperial rule, but the course will also examine culture, religion, and political economy.
This course will examine Europe's post-war xenophobic, racist and exclusionary policies. We will use memoirs, photo-journalism, film and interviews to understand recent discrimination against refugees, guest workers, Jews, linguistic and religious minorities. We will also put the question into scholarly context, as we examine how historians, sociologists, psychologists and anthropologists try to understand the way in which Europeans construct the categories of "us" and the "others".
This course traces the history of the Ottoman Empire from its origins as an obscure band of frontier warriors, to the highpoint of its geopolitical power in the sixteenth century, and on to its further evolution as an increasingly complex and peaceful society, down to the opening of the period of European imperialism and nation building. It will address not only the Ottomans' political power, but also those economic, social, and cultural factors that helped explain that power and gave the empire such a distinctive place in the history of Western Europe, Balkans and the Middle East.
This course aims to introduce students to Islamic and Middle Eastern History from the time of the Prophet (ca. 600 C.E.) to the Iranian Revolution in 1979. We will proceed chronologically, focusing mainly on political events. However, a special emphasis will be given to the formation of the Islamic tradition, its evolution across different regions and cultures in time, and its interaction with other traditions. In the modern era, we will particularly explore the Islamic societies' political, cultural, and military encounter with the rising power of the West in the Middle East. In addition to the several historical processes and developments such as modernization, nation-building, Islamic fundamentalism and globalization, which have shaped the history of the Middle East in the last two centuries, our class discussions will also touch on the main theoretical perspectives that have stamped the studies of Islam and the Middle East. Here, concepts such as orientalism, defensive development, and modernity will constitute our main focus.