POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
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
POL3824	Issues in Turkish Foreign Policy	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:	Departmental Elective
Course Level:	Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery:	Face to face
Course Coordinator :	RA GÜNCE SABAH ERYILMAZ
Course Lecturer(s):	Prof. Dr. MUSTAFA SABRİ SAYARI
Recommended Optional Program Components:	None
Course Objectives:	This course focuses on the issues and matters in Turkey’s foreign policies. The basic issues that have been in the agenda of Turkish foreign policy since the end of Cold war will be critically discussed. These issues include: the changing nature of Turkish foreign policy after the end of the cold war; Turkey’s policies toward the Middle Eastern, Turkey-EU relations, Turkey-US relations, Turkey-Russia relations; the Kurdish issue in Turkish foreign policy, the nature of decision making in Turkish foreign policy; the recent debates on the neo-Ottomanism and Islam in Turkish foreign policy formulations.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
I. Read and understand on the basic issues and problems of Turkish Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War period
II. Recognize the recent issues in Turkish Foreign Policy, including Turkey’s EU membership and Turkey’s recent policies toward Cyprus and Middle East.
III. Analyze the domestic dimensions of Turkish Foreign Policy
IV. Compare the recent understanding of Turkish Foreign Policy to the previous eras.
V. Write analytical papers on the issues and problems in Turkish Foreign Policy.
VI. Implement the basic approaches of Foreign Policy Analysis to the discussions of Turkish Foreign Policy

Course Content

This course explores Turkish Foreign Policy from a historical and contemporary perspective, analyzing its evolution, key actors, and major challenges. The first part of the course provides a historical background, tracing Ottoman diplomacy and Turkey’s integration into the Western alliance. The second part examines Turkey’s foreign policy trends in the post-Cold War period, including shifts in regional and global strategies. Key discussions include Turkey’s role in the Middle East, its security relations with Greece and Cyprus, and its strategic partnerships with the U.S., the European Union, and Russia. Special emphasis is given to Turkey’s geopolitical position and the conceptualization of its power within the international system. The course combines theoretical approaches with empirical case studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of Turkish Foreign Policy in a rapidly changing global landscape.
The teaching methods of the course include "Discussion, Individual Study, Lecture, and Reading."

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week	Subject	Related Preparation
1)	Introduction
2)	The Historical Context	• Roderic Davison, "Ottoman Diplomacy and Its Legacy," in Carl Brown ( ed.), Imperial Legacy (New York: Columbia University Press, 1996), 174-199. • Paul Kubicek, "Turkey's Inclusion in the Atlantic Community," Turkish Studies, Vo. 9. No. 1 (2008), 21-35.
3)	The Historical Context	• Roderic Davison, "Ottoman Diplomacy and Its Legacy," in Carl Brown ( ed.), Imperial Legacy (New York: Columbia University Press, 1996), 174-199. • Paul Kubicek, "Turkey's Inclusion in the Atlantic Community," Turkish Studies, Vo. 9. No. 1 (2008), 21-35.
4)	Trends in the Post-Cold War Era	• Sabri Sayan, "Turkish Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Era: The Challenges of Multi-Regionalism," Journal of International Affairs (Fall 2000), 169-182. Charles F. Hermann, "Changing Course: When Governments Choose to Redirect Foreign Policy", International Studies Quarterly ( 1990 ), 3-21. • Ahmet Sozen, "A Paradigm Shift in Turkish Foreign Policy: Transition and Challenges," Turkish Studies, 11:1 (March 2010), 103-123. • Meliha B. Altum~tk and Lenore G. Martin, "Making Sense of Turkish Foreign Policy under AKP," Turkish Studies (December 2011), 569-588. • Tank Oguzlu, "Middle Easternization of Turkey's Foreign Policy: Does Turkey Disassociate from the West?" Turkish Studies, 9:1 (March 2008), 3-20.
5)	Trends in the Post-Cold War Era	• Sabri Sayan, "Turkish Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Era: The Challenges of Multi-Regionalism," Journal of International Affairs (Fall 2000), 169-182. Charles F. Hermann, "Changing Course: When Governments Choose to Redirect Foreign Policy", International Studies Quarterly ( 1990 ), 3-21. • Ahmet Sozen, "A Paradigm Shift in Turkish Foreign Policy: Transition and Challenges," Turkish Studies, 11:1 (March 2010), 103-123. • Meliha B. Altum~tk and Lenore G. Martin, "Making Sense of Turkish Foreign Policy under AKP," Turkish Studies (December 2011), 569-588. • Tank Oguzlu, "Middle Easternization of Turkey's Foreign Policy: Does Turkey Disassociate from the West?" Turkish Studies, 9:1 (March 2008), 3-20.
6)	Trends in the Post-Cold War Era	• Sabri Sayan, "Turkish Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Era: The Challenges of Multi-Regionalism," Journal of International Affairs (Fall 2000), 169-182. Charles F. Hermann, "Changing Course: When Governments Choose to Redirect Foreign Policy", International Studies Quarterly ( 1990 ), 3-21. • Ahmet Sozen, "A Paradigm Shift in Turkish Foreign Policy: Transition and Challenges," Turkish Studies, 11:1 (March 2010), 103-123. • Meliha B. Altum~tk and Lenore G. Martin, "Making Sense of Turkish Foreign Policy under AKP," Turkish Studies (December 2011), 569-588. • Tank Oguzlu, "Middle Easternization of Turkey's Foreign Policy: Does Turkey Disassociate from the West?" Turkish Studies, 9:1 (March 2008), 3-20.
7)	Conceptualizing Turkey's Power and Position in the International System	• Soner Çagaptay, "Defining Turkish Power: Turkey as a Rising Power Embedded in the Western International System," Turkish Studies 14:4 (December 2013, 797-811. • Azoulas Bagdonas "Turkey as a Great Power: Back to Reality," Turkish Studies,10:3, (September 2015), 310-331. • Mustafa Kutlay and Ziya Oniş, "Turkish Foreign Policy in the Post Western World Order: Strategic Autonomy or New Forms of Dependency?" International Affairs, Vol.97, no. 4 (July 2021), 1085- 1104
8)	Midterm Exam
9)	Regional Security Issues: Turkey and the Middle East	• Jeremy Salt, "Turkey and Syria: When 'Soft Power' Turned 'Hard', Middle East Policy, Vol 25, no:3 (2018-09), 90-86. • Christopher Philips, "Into the Quagmire: Turkey's Frustrated Syria Policy," Chatham House Briefing Paper, (December 2012), 1-15. • Michael B. Bishku, "Turkey and the Palestinian and Jerusalem Issues", Israel Affairs, Vol. 30, no. 1, 2024, 83-104. • Soli Ozel and Behlul Ozkan, "Illusions versus Reality: Turkey's Approach to the Middle East and North Africa", Frzde Policy Brief No. 200, April 2015, 1-7. • Ian Lesser, "Turkey, Iran and Nuclear Risks," in Henry Sokolski and Patrick Clawson (eds.), Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran, Washington, D.C.: The Strategic Studies Institute, 2005, 91-112. • Tuğçe Ersoy Ceylan, "Israel and Turkey: Once Comrades now Frenemies," Contemporary Review of the Middle East, 8:3, 2021
10)	Regional Security Issues: Turkey and the Middle East	• Jeremy Salt, "Turkey and Syria: When 'Soft Power' Turned 'Hard', Middle East Policy, Vol 25, no:3 (2018-09), 90-86. • Christopher Philips, "Into the Quagmire: Turkey's Frustrated Syria Policy," Chatham House Briefing Paper, (December 2012), 1-15. • Michael B. Bishku, "Turkey and the Palestinian and Jerusalem Issues", Israel Affairs, Vol. 30, no. 1, 2024, 83-104. • Soli Ozel and Behlul Ozkan, "Illusions versus Reality: Turkey's Approach to the Middle East and North Africa", Frzde Policy Brief No. 200, April 2015, 1-7. • Ian Lesser, "Turkey, Iran and Nuclear Risks," in Henry Sokolski and Patrick Clawson (eds.), Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran, Washington, D.C.: The Strategic Studies Institute, 2005, 91-112. • Tuğçe Ersoy Ceylan, "Israel and Turkey: Once Comrades now Frenemies," Contemporary Review of the Middle East, 8:3, 2021
11)	Regional Security Issues: Cyprus and Greek-Turkish Relations	• Clement H. Dodd, "Turkey and the Cyprus Question" in Alan Makovsky and Sabri Sayan (eds.), Turkey's New World: Changing Dynamics in Turkish Foreign Policy, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2000, 153-172. • Mustafa Aydm, "Contemporary Greek-Turkish Constraints and Opportunities," in Mustafa Aydin and Kostas Ifantis (eds.) Turkish Greek Relations: The Security Dilemma in the Aegean, London: 2004, Routledge 21-52.
12)	Turkey and the United States	• Sabri Sayan, "Turkish-American Relations in the Post-Cold War Era: Issues of Convergence and Divergence," in Mustafa Aydın and Çağrı Erhan (eds.), Turkish-American Relations: Past, Present, and Future (London: Routledge, 2004), 91-106
13)	Turkey and Europe	• Atilla Eralp, "Turkey and the European Union in the Post-Cold War Er~" in Alan Makovsky and Sabri Sayan (eds.), Turkey's New World: Changing Dynamics in Turkish Foreign Policy, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2000, 1173-188. • Nathalie Tocci, "Turkey and the European Union," in Metin Reper and - Sabri Sayan (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Modern Turkey, London: Routledge, 2012, 237-245.
14)	Turkey and Russia	• Fiona Hill and Omer Taşpınar, "Turkey and Russia: Axis of the Excluded? Survival, 48:1, 2006, 81-92. Ziya Öniş and Şuhnaz Yilmaz, Turkey and Russia in a Shifting Global Order," Third World Quarterly 37:1, 2016, 71-95.

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks:
References:	Haftalık ders okumaları ItsLearning’e yüklenir. Ders izlencesinde yer alan tüm kitap bölümleri ve makalelere BAU Kütüphanesi’nden de erişilebilir. ----------------- Weekly course readings will be uploaded to ItsLearning. All book chapters and articles listed in the course syllabus are also accessible through the BAU Library.

Evaluation System

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

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities	Number of Activities	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Course Hours	13	3	39
Study Hours Out of Class	14	8	112
Midterms	1	1	1
Final	1	1	1
Total Workload			153

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)	Grasp basic theoretical and conceptual knowledge about the field and relations between them at the level of practice.	4
2)	Possess basic knowledge about the causes and effects of political transformations in societies.	3
3)	Possess knowledge about quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods in social and behavioral sciences.	3
4)	Recognize historical patterns while evaluating contemporary political and social developments.	2
5)	Demonstrate interdisciplinary and critical approach while analyzing, synthesizing and forecasting domestic and foreign policy.	3
6)	Conduct studies in the field professionally, both independently or as a team member.	4
7)	Possess consciousness about lifelong learning based on Research & Development.	5
8)	Communicate with peers both orally and in writing, by using a foreign language at least at a level of European Language Portfolio B1 General Level and the necessary informatics and communication technologies.	3
9)	Apply field-related knowledge and competences into career advancement, projects for sustainable development goals, and social responsibility initiatives.	3
10)	Possess the habit to monitor domestic and foreign policy agenda as well as international developments.	5
11)	Possess competence to interpret the new political actors, theories and concepts in a global era.	5
12)	Evaluate the legal and ethical implications of advanced technologies on politics.	3