POL3511 Social Change and Social Structure in TurkeyBahçeşehir UniversityDegree Programs PSYCHOLOGYGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational QualificationsBologna Commission
PSYCHOLOGY
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
POL3511 Social Change and Social Structure in Turkey Spring 3 0 3 6
This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction: English
Type of course: Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery: Hybrid
Course Coordinator : Prof. Dr. EBRU ŞULE CANAN SOKULLU
Recommended Optional Program Components: None.
Course Objectives: This course begins from the earlier theories on social change and social structure in Turkey, and over the semester familiarizes the students with more contemporary debates. The students who have succeeded in this course will be able to understand the evolution of Turkish political life, political economy, the dominant patterns of inequality in Turkish society, the main social and political actors in a historical perspective and situate the Turkish experience in a global context.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
1. Critically evaluate evolution of Turkish political economy;
2. Analyse dominant patterns of inequality in Turkish society;
3. Identify who the main political actors in Turkey are;
4. Discuss the evolution of dominant political ideologies such as Turkish nationalism and political Islam;
5. Evaluate how to contextualize the Turkish experience in a global context.

Course Content

Turkish politics, political ideologies and political culture, political economy, internal migration and urban transformation, gender, social movements and civil society, religion and Islamic groups, nationalism and ethnicities, international migration and public health policies.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Introduction
2) Social Structure in Turkey: Continuities and Changes Mardin, Ş. (1973). Center-periphery relations: A key to Turkish politics?. Daedalus, 169-190. Keyman, E. F. (2010). Modernization, globalization and democratization in Turkey: the AKP experience and its limits. Constellations, 17(2), 312-327. Bakiner, O. (2018). A key to Turkish politics? The center–periphery framework revisited. Turkish Studies, 19(4), 503-522.
3) A Very Short Introduction to Turkish Politics Ahmad, F. (2008). Politics and political parties in Republican Turkey. The Cambridge History of Turkey, 4, 226-265. Kalaycıoğlu, E. (2012). Kulturkampf in Turkey: The constitutional referendum of 12 September 2010. South European Society and Politics, 17(1), 1-22.
4) Political Ideologies & Political Culture Yeşilada, B. A., & Noordijk, P. (2010). Changing values in Turkey: Religiosity and tolerance in comparative perspective. Turkish Studies, 11(1), 9-27. Öktem, K. (2020). “Ruling Ideologies in Modern Turkey”, in Oxford Handbook of Turkish Politics, Güneş Murat Tezcür (Eds): Oxford University Press. Aytaç, S. E., & Elçi, E. (2019). Populism in Turkey. In Populism Around the World (pp. 89-108). Springer, Cham.
5) The Making of Neoliberal Turkey & Turkish Welfare Regime Öniş, Z. (2019). Turkey under the challenge of state capitalism: the political economy of the late AKP era. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 19(2), 201-225. Buğra, A. (2018). Social policy and different dimensions of inequality in Turkey: A historical overview. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 20(4), 318-331. Pamuk, Sevket. (2007). Economic change in twentieth century Turkey: Is the glass more than half full?. Cambridge History of Modern Turkey. 10.1017/CHOL9780521620963.011. Öniş, Z. (2012). The triumph of conservative globalism: The political economy of the AKP era. Turkish Studies, 13(2), 135-152.
6) Internal Migration & Urban Transformation Keyder, C. (2005). Globalization and social exclusion in Istanbul. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 29(1), 124-134. Pinarcioğlu, M., & Işik, O. (2008). Not only helpless but also hopeless: Changing dynamics of urban poverty in Turkey, the case of Sultanbeyli, İstanbul. European Planning Studies, 16(10), 1353-1370. Candan, A. B., & Kolluoğlu, B. (2008). Emerging spaces of neoliberalism: A gated town and a public housing project in Istanbul. New Perspectives on Turkey, 39, 5-46.
7) Midterm Exam
8) Gender Arat, Y. (2000). ‘From Emancipation to Liberation: The Changing Role of Women in Turkey’s Political Realm.’ Journal of International Affairs, 54(1): 107-123. Deniz Kandiyoti, “Gender and Women’s Studies in Turkey: A Moment for Reflection?” New Perspectives on Turkey, 2010, no. 43, pp. 165-176.
9) Civil Society & Politics of Protest Keyman, E. F., & İçduygu, A. (2003). Globalization, civil society and citizenship in Turkey: Actors, boundaries and discourses. Citizenship Studies, 7(2), 219-234. Tuğal, C. (2013). “Resistance everywhere”: The Gezi revolt in global perspective. New Perspectives on Turkey, 49, 157-172.
10) Religion & Islamic Groups Kaya, A. (2015). Islamisation of Turkey under the AKP rule: Empowering family, faith and charity. South European Society and Politics, 20(1), 47-69. Tuğal, C. (2009). Transforming everyday life: Islamism and social movement theory. Theory and Society, 38(5), 423-458.
11) Nationalisms & Ethnicities Kadioğlu, A. (1996). The paradox of Turkish nationalism and the construction of official identity. Middle Eastern Studies, 32(2), 177-193. Mesut Yeğen, “Turkish nationalism and the Kurdish Question,” Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2007, 30(1): 119-151. Çağlar Keyder, “A History and Geography of Turkish Nationalism,” in Citizenship and the Nation-State in Greece and Turkey, eds. Faruk Birtek and Thalia Dragonas, 2005, London: Routledge, pp. 3-17.
12) International Migration & Turkey’s Emigrants Eder, M., & Özkul, D. (2016). Editors’ introduction: precarious lives and Syrian refugees in Turkey. New Perspectives on Turkey, 54, 1-8. F. Adamson (2019), ‘Sending States and the Making of Intra-Diasporic Politics: Turkey and Its Diaspora(s), International Migration Review, 53(1), p. 210-236.
13) COVID19 Special: Pandemics, Epidemics and Social Change in Turkey Varlik, N. (2015). Plague and empire in the early modern Mediterranean world. Cambridge University Press.
14) PRESENTATIONS & REVISION & Q/A SESSION

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: Weekly readings will be uploaded on ItsLearning at the beginning of the semester. Please note that all book chapters and articles listed on the syllabus are also accessible through the BAU Library.
The PPT files will be shared on ItsLearning following each class.
References: Guidelines on assignments will be uploaded on Itslearning at the beginning of the semester.

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Presentation 1 % 35
Midterms 1 % 25
Final 1 % 40
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 40
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Workload
Course Hours 13 39
Study Hours Out of Class 13 87
Presentations / Seminar 1 20
Midterms 1 2
Final 1 2
Total Workload 150

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) To develop an interest in the human mind and behavior, to be able to evaluate theories using empirical findings, to understand that psychology is an evidence-based science by acquiring critical thinking skills.
2) To gain a biopsychosocial perspective on human behavior. To understand the biological, psychological, and social variables of behavior.
3) To learn the basic concepts in psychology and the theoretical and practical approaches used to study them (e.g. basic observation and interview techniques).
4) To acquire the methods and skills to access and write information using English as the dominant language in the psychological literature, to recognize and apply scientific research and data evaluation techniques (e.g. correlational, experimental, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, case studies).
5) To be against discrimination and prejudice; to have ethical concerns while working in research and practice areas.
6) To recognize the main subfields of psychology (experimental, developmental, clinical, cognitive, social and industrial/organizational psychology) and their related fields of study and specialization.
7) To acquire the skills necessary for analyzing, interpreting and presenting the findings as well as problem posing, hypothesizing and data collection, which are the basic elements of scientific studies.
8) To gain the basic knowledge and skills necessary for psychological assessment and evaluation.
9) To acquire basic knowledge of other disciplines (medicine, genetics, biology, economics, sociology, political science, communication, philosophy, anthropology, literature, law, art, etc.) that will contribute to psychology and to use this knowledge in the understanding and interpretation of psychological processes.
10) To develop sensitivity towards social problems; to take responsibility in activities that benefit the field of psychology and society.
11) To have problem solving skills and to be able to develop the necessary analytical approaches for this.
12) To be able to criticize any subject in business and academic life and to be able to express their thoughts.