MES4270 – Topics in Turkish Studies I
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course focuses on central topics in Turcological studies. The various topics offered in the course are related to past or ongoing research in the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, such as the history of the Turkic languages and peoples, Ottoman language and poetry, other Turkic literary languages (such as ?haghatay) through history, issues of literary history, register variation and language ideology, Turkish in a bilingual setting in Northern Europe, etc.
The course is based on reading, analysis, and discussion of selected texts in Turkish and secondary literature in English. Training in methodology, team work, essay writing, and oral presentation is an integral part of the course.
Topic spring 2024:?Anthropological Perspectives on Society, Culture and Politics in Turkey
Drawing on a range of theoretical ideas and ethnographic texts, this course focuses on various anthropological analyses of Turkey. Students will engage with village, urban, classical and contemporary works. The course will offer a general, rather than comprehensive, review of the anthropological literature on Turkey, alongside an introduction to anthropological theory and methods. Students will be encouraged to reflect on how these studies reveal different aspects of the changing dynamics of social life, politics and culture in/of Turkey.
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Examples of courses that has been given in MES4270:
From Empire to Nation-State: Debates in Ottoman and Turkish Studies
New Perspectives on Politics, the State and Society in the Ottoman Nineteenth Century
Learning outcome
Participants will learn to:
- Read both primary and secondary literature extensively.
- To analyze sources of various kinds relevant to the topic: literary texts (online or print); texts representing various registers of Turkish (written or oral); and political texts.
- Discuss, produce, and present academic knowledge in oral and written forms.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
- MES4000 – Theory, Methodology and Project Description in Middle East- and South Asia Studies
- 80 ECTS credits within Turkish at BA-level or near-native fluency in spoken and written Turkish, and can document this with transcripts from national secondary school.
Teaching
The course is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars organised as 10 classes of 2 hours each throughout the semester. The course presupposes active participation.
Compulsory activities
- At least one presentation on an assigned reading (the number of presentations per student will be determined by enrollment)
- A one- to two-page project proposal to be submitted on Canvas
- Presentation of the research project at the end of the semester
Approved compulsory activities are only valid in the current semester.
Valid absence
If you have valid absence from the compulsory activity, you must submit an application and hand in documentation.
This is how you apply for a valid absence from compulsory activity.
Examination
The exam is a term paper of 8-10 pages (2300 characters per page, spacing 1.5), not including front page and references. The subject of the paper must be relevant to the course and approved by the course instructor.
Compulsory activities must be completed and approved in order to take the exam.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.