Turkey (Türkiye) has many historical political, national, racial and religious issues to explore to understand this complex society. The course will survey both historical and contemporary issues. Particular emphasis will be placed on the examination of the past 20 years of the Islamist AKP and the forthcoming elections in 2023. We will explore questions with the Alevi, the Kurds, the east/west conflict, the dichotomy of secularism and Islamism, political İslam, foreign affairs and the ever-changing relationships with neighbouring countries.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Origin of the Turks; The Ottoman Empire; Emergence of Turkish Nationalism
• Republic of Turkey and Mustafa Kemal (founder of the Turkish Republic); The Turkish Republic after Mustafa Kemal
• Minorities in Turkey; The Kurdish question; The Alevi question. 4. Current issues: Foreign affairs; Relations with neighboring countries; The state of civil society; 2023 election

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Provide a brief outline of the history of modern Turkey
2. Discuss the politics of Turkey in the 20th century
3. Identify the major issues that confront Turkey today