Turkey (Türkiye) is a complex society with many facets to explore to understand the context in which politicians and the public operate. The course will survey both historical and contemporary factors to illuminate the present. Particular emphasis will be placed on the examination of the past 25 years of the Islamist AKP in power and the aftermath of the local elections of 2024. A comprehensive outline of minorities and minority issue will also be undertaken.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Origin of the Turks; The Ottoman Empire and its demise; Emergence of Turkish Nationalism
• The foundation ideology of the Republic of Türkiye and Mustafa Kemal (founder of the Turkish Republic)
• End of one-party state and Post World War Politics; Islam in the political arena
• Minorities in Türkiye.
• The Kurdish question; The Alevi question
• Current state of affairs: Foreign affairs; Relations with neighboring countries; The state of civil society; 2024 local elections. Secularism and Islamism.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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

1. Provide a brief outline of the history of modern Türkiye.
2. Discuss the politics of Türkiye in the 20th and 21st centuries.
3. Identify the major issues that confront Türkiye today.
4. Be aware of issues affecting minorities.
5. Be familiar with ideological foundation of the Republic and the shifts occurring since then.