Program tanımları M.S. PROGRAMINEURASIAN STUDIES (THESIS AND NON-THESIS)
The Eurasian Studies is an interdisciplinary M.S. program designed to study the history and culture of Eurasian societies, to introduce domestic sources of international change in the region, to provide academic atmosphere for students from different countries with different backgrounds enabling them to exchange their views and to train qualified regional specialists. The interdisciplinary character of the Eurasian Studies Master's Program enables multilateral and diverse discussions by combining different experiences and point of views. While the region itself is studied from various disciplines and theoretical perspectives, current faculty specialization comprises countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Additionally, the Eurasian Studies Program works in coordination with KORA (Center for Black Sea and Central Asia) established in Middle East Technical University (METU) to accumulate knowledge and expertise on the region.
The foundation of the Eurasian Studies Program is the outcome of the developments at the beginning of 1990s following the dissolution of the USSR. The ending of the Cold War has affected regional politics including Turkey. As a result, a new, multi-centered region has entered into the field of social scientific inquiry. This region differs from Europe and America in terms of its economic, political and socio-cultural legacy. It is a question for world politics and academic concern whether these differences and the transition process will bring about a dynamic development or an environment of conflict. The emergence of Eurasia as a new actor in international social, economic, and political arena has escalated the obscurities and the need for academic study on the region. Within this new context, it became essential to collect and evaluate new data through long-term academic inquiries. The determination of national and international actors and the study of spheres of competition, conflict and cooperation will contribute to the cultural heritage of the world. Within this perspective, the Eurasian Studies Program aims to become a part of the international scientific community.
The student profile of the program includes students from almost all parts of Eurasia. Owing to its interdisciplinary approach, the program welcomes applicants from a wide variety of disciplines ranging from literature and history to petroleum engineering.
Fields of Study:
The Politics of State-Building in Eurasia; Political Economy of Transition; Society, Politics, and Culture in Eurasia; Comparative Ethnicity and Nationalism; Cultural Construction and Politics of Gender; Political Economy and International Oil; Global Environmental Issues; International Security; Foreign Policy and Human Rights; Foreign Russian Policy.
PROFESSORS
Altunışık, Meliha (METU/International Relations): B.A., Ankara University; M.A., METU; Ph.D., Boston University.
Politics of the Middle East, Turkey and the Middle East, The International Political Economy of Oil, Politics of Caspian Oil
Ayata, Ayşe(METU/Political Science and Public Administration): B.S., METU; Ph.D., University of Kent at Canterbury.
Turkish Politics, Political Parties, Women in Politics, Gender and Ethnicity
Bölükbaşı, Süha(METU/International Relations): B.A., Ankara University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Virginia.
Various Aspects of Turkey's Foreign Policy, Relations with Greece, Cyprus, the Middle East, and the Caucasus, Central Asian Politics
Togan, İsenbike (METU/History): B.A., University of Istanbul; Ph.D., Harvard University.
Central Asian Turkish History, the Far East, and Gender Studies
ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS
Akçalı, Pınar (METU/Political Science and Public Administration): B.S., M.S., METU; Ph.D., Miami University.
Comparative Politics, Comparative Ethnicity, Central Asia
Dietrich, Ayşe Pamir(METU/Eurasian Studies): B.A., Gazi University and Ankara University; M.A., Ankara University and University of New York; Ph.D., Cornell University.
Russian Language and Culture
Tokluoğlu, Ceylan (METU/Sociology): B.A., M.A., METU; Ph.D., Carleton University.
Comparative State Formation, Nationalism and Ethnicity, Early Turkish Republican Period
ASSISTANT PROFESSORS
Aydıngün, Ayşegül (METU/Sociology): B.A., METU; M.A., Bilkent University; Ph.D., METU.
Deported Nationalities of the Soviet Union (Meskhetian (Ahıska) Turks; Crimean Tatars), Central Asia and the Caucasus; Post-Soviet Nationalisms; Ethnic / National Identity Formation; Diaspora; Ethnicity; Nationalism; Turkish Jews in Israel and Turkey; Sociology of Education; Sociology of Language
Bedirhanoğlu, Pınar (METU/International Relations): B.A., Ankara University; M.A., University of Reading; Ph.D., University of Sussex.
Globalization, Neoliberalism, State, Corruption, Capitalist Transformation in Russia, Critique of the 'Transition' Discourse, Neo-Gramscian Perspective in IR, Political, Economic and Social Transformation in Turkey
Erdemir, Aykan (METU/Sociology): B.A., Bilkent University; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University.
Political and Legal Anthropology, Governance, Nonprofit Organizations, Alevis, Islam, Iran, Anthropology of the European Union, Middle East
Ergun, Ayça (METU/Sociology): B.A., Ankara University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Essex
Democratization, Civil Society, Nation-building, National Identity, State-building, State-society Relations, Social Movements, Political Elite in the Southern Caucasus and in Azerbaijan in particular
Finke, Peter (METU/Sociology): M.A., Free University Berlin; Ph.D.,University of Cologne.
Economic Anthropology, Political Economy and Social Change in Central Asia and The Middle East, Post-Socialist Transformation, Pastoralism, Nationalism, Identity and Migration Studies, Norms and Ideology, Social Theory
Tanrısever, Oktay (METU/International Relations): B.S., M.S., METU; Ph.D., University of London.
Russian politics and foreign policy, Russia and the European State System, Regional Politics in the Caucasus, State-building and Nation-building in the Post-Soviet Space, Politics of Federalism, Politics of Nationalism and Ethnicity, Theories of International Relations and History of Political Thought
INSTRUCTORS
Yıldırım, Erdoğan (METU/Sociology): B.A., M.A., Ph.D., METU.
Political Sociology, Sociology of Law, Sociological Theory, Tribal Socio-Political Organization, Turkish Social History
Şen, Mustafa (METU/Sociology): B.A., Ankara University; M.A., Ph.D., METU.
Economic Sociology, Sociology of Transition to Free Market Economy, Contemporary Central Asia, Sociology of Religion, Rural and Urban Sociology
Required Courses
EAS 500 Prothesis Seminar
EAS 501 Society and Culture in Eurasia
EAS 502 The Politics of State Building in Eurasia
EAS 505 Russian for Eurasian Studies I
EAS 506 Russian for Eurasian Studies II
EAS 509 Introduction to Post-Soviet Studies
EAS 589 Term Project (Non-Thesis)
EAS 599 Master's Thesis
Elective Courses
EAS 503 Political Economy of Eurasia
EAS 504 Russian Politics and Foreign Policy
EAS 507 Kazakhstan: A Country of Many Cultures and Languages
SOC 427 Social Analyses of Race, Ethnicity and Society
SOC 429 Anthropology of Turkic Peoples of Inner Central Asia
SOC 515 State and Civil Society in Eurasia
SOC 517 Economic and Social Transformations in Eurasia
SOC 522 Sociology of the Middle East
SOC 529 Migration and Ethnicity in Eurasian Societies
SOC 530 Kinship, Tribe, Confederation and State in Central Asia and The Middle East
ADM 482 Current Issues in Central Asian Politics
ADM 542 Comparative Ethnicity
ADM 673 Readings on Central Asian Perspectives
HIST 562 Patterns of Divergence and Convergence in History: Central Asia
HIST 511 Historical and Contemporary Affairs of the Indian Subcontinent
HIST 536 Cultural Construction of Gender: Women in Central Asia and Turkey
HIST 546 Nationalism in the Balkans until the First World War
HIST 640 Analysis of Historical Sources
IR 463 Russian Foreign Policy
IR 544 Politics in East Central Europe
IR 674 Theories and Politics of Federalism and Nationalism
IR 444 Issues and Politics in Central Asia
IR 486 Russian Politics
IR 534 Political Economy of International Oil
IR 538 Transcaucasia and Central Asia in World Affairs
IR 564 Russia and the European State-System
DESCRIPTION OF COURSES
REQUIRED COURSES
EAS 500 Prothesis Seminar
The objective of this seminar is to familiarize students with the basic concepts, theories and approaches within the field of Eurasian Studies. The seminar attempts to assist students in discovering their specific areas of interest and to enrich their knowledge about Eurasia. In weekly seminars, conducted by scholars from different disciplines students will be familiarized with different approaches on Eurasia. It is hoped that this will allow the students to meet the professors and learn about their areas of research. Students are expected to attend the seminars and read the assigned article for each seminar in advance. Students ill write a term paper of approximately 3500-5000 words in length, word processed, and correctly reference. Paper topics will be arranged on an individual basis with one of the professors of the programme.
EAS 501 Society and Culture in Eurasia (Ayşegül Baydar Aydıngün-Mustafa Şen)
This course aims at a comprehensive study of contemporary Eurasia with a special emphasis on historical and world context. Focusing upon the great transformation Eurasian societies have experienced, the course will cover the following issues: social, cultural and political effects of transition to free market economy; the rise of nationalism and ethnic cleavages; religious entities, demography, family, migration patterns and etc.
EAS 502 The Politics of State-Building in Eurasia (Pınar Akçalı-Ayça Ergun)
The focus of this course will be on the some theoretical concerns related to nations, nationalism, democracy, governmental mechanisms, institution building and ethnicity in relation to the dynamics of state-building and nationality problems and policies in the context of post-Soviet period states. The course is divided by issue and not by geographical area or republic. These issues include state-building, history, elite structures and electoral behavior where applicable.
EAS 505 ( Ayşe Pamir Dietrich )
An introduction to the Russian Alphabet and the basic grammar of Russian.
EAS 506 ( Ayşe Pamir Dietrich )
A continuation of EAS 505 and reading of simple texts in Russian
EAS 509 (Ceylan Tokluoğlu)
The principal aim of this course is to provide the students of the Eurasian Master�s Program with the necessary tools and methods (main theoretical models and debates in area studies) when studying the region which will be helpful also in the context of the other courses offered by the same Program. It also aims to offer to the students of the region not only a comprehensive conceptualization of the concept of Eurasia but also some essential and basic knowledge about each country both in a historical context and in the light of current developments and transformations.
EAS 511 (Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir)
This course offers a comparative study of imperial cities in Eurasia. The principle aim is to provide students with the necessary theoretical and methodological tools to explore possible ways of studying imperial systems through an investigation of cities and urban life. Students will be exposed to a number of imperial systems in a geography covering the modern day countries of Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Mongolia, Russia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. They will be encouraged to explore the historical, archeological, architectural and sociological data for a better understanding of economic, social, political, and religious structures of empires.
ELECTIVE COURSES
ADM 482 Current Issues in Central Asian Politics (Pınar Akçalı)
This course aims to provide a basic understanding of five Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. These countries are analyzed both on an individual basis and from an historical perspective with specific emphasis on some of their common features. In the final part of the course, these republics are examined within a regional and global perspective.
ADM 673 Readings on Central Asian Perspectives (Pınar Akçalı)
This course is to be offered to those students who have an interest in the newly emerged Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It aims to provide an in-depth analysis on an advanced level about the history of the area, and the socio-economic, political, cultural and religion factors shaping these countries.
HIST 510 Women's Experiences with Hierarchy and the State (İsenbike Togan)
Focusing on two empires, the Ottoman and Chinese, the course will explore the changing role and status of women over time. Taking cultural factors into consideration women's role will be examined within changing patterns of state traditions of these two "sedentary" empires, counter examples will be drawn from Inner Asian nomadic empires, as well as from the tribal peoples of the border areas.
HIST 511 History and Contemporary Affairs of the Indian Sub-Continent (Mustafa Soykut)
This course has been designed to give the graduate students a general perspective on history of the Indian sub-continent in a thematical way in order to understand the profound historical dynamics shaping the minds of the contemporary policy-makers of the sub-continent. It will try to explain the political and cultural dynamics of the Indian sub-continent making use of cultural and political history. IR 444 Issues and Politics in Central Asia (Süha Bölükbaşıoğlu)
This course is designed for students interested in the contemporary problems of Central Asia and Azerbaijan. Although there is no prerequisite, it is expected that the students have had some exposure to the 20th century developments in the region.
IR 463. Russian Foreign Policy (Oktay F. Tanrısever)
This undergraduate course intends to explore the dynamics of Russian foreign policy in the post-Cold War era. Emphasizing the ambivalent position of Russia between the Eastern and the Western Worlds, the course evaluates the impact of the post-Soviet transition process on the foreign policy orientation of Russia. The first part of the course deals mainly with the Soviet foreign policy, forming the historical background of the contemporary Russian foreign policy. This is followed by a discussion of the basic principles of the contemporary Russian foreign policy with reference to the major issue-areas.
IR 534 Political Economy of International Oil (Meliha Altunışık)
This seminar consists of two parts: The first part examines the regional and international aspects of oil, focusing on the primacy of oil in the Middle East, oil discovery and concessions, the emergence of OPEC and the structural changes in the oil market. The second part addresses the socioeconomic and political effects of oil on oil-exporting states and discusses the rentier state/ rentier economy model, employing extensive case studies.
IR 564 Russia and the European State System (Oktay F. Tanrısever)
This post-graduate course seeks to explore and analyze the evolution of Russia's place in the European state system, especially in the Post-Cold War era.
SOC 427 Social Analysis of Race, Ethnicity and Society (Ceylan Tokluoğlu)
This course reviews the literature on theories of nationalism, nation-building, state-formation, and ethnicity mapping out the major debates and approaches within the literature. The central concepts and the current trends in the literature which imply a necessary link between the process of modernization / industrialization and nation-state building and nationalism are critically reviewed. It also examines social and ethnic relations as part of larger social systems by emphasizing the relationship of ethnicity to nations, state, class, minority groups, gender, power and politics.
SOC 515 State and Civil Society in Post-Soviet Transition (Ayça Ergun)
This course will enable students the understand state and society relations in the post-Soviet transformation. The course aims to introduce students to the main theoretical debates concerning the causes and the nature of political, social and economic transformation from communism; to provide theories of transition, democratization and theoretical approaches to state-society relations while explaining varieties of post-Soviet transition.
SOC 518 Social Movements and Civic Action (Ayça Ergun)
The course will critically examine the major theoretical approaches to the study of social movements and NGOs. The emergence and development of any social protest: recruitement and mobilization, tactics and strategies, and external opposition and control. Do contemporary forms of protest strengthen civil society and democratic development around the world? The objective of the course is to critically apply the theories we discuss to contemporary protest and political activity.
SOC 529 Migration and Ethnicity in Eurasian Societies (Ayşegül Baydar Aydıngün)
The aim of this course is to scrutinize the relationship between identity, ethnicity, migration and culture; the interaction between dominant cultures and minority groups and its impact on ethnic identity formation in Eurasian societies. Case studies for this course come from groups such as the Crimean Tatars, Meskhetian (Ahıska) Turks, Soviet Germans, Soviet Jews and the Russians. In addition to the western theories on ethnicity, the Soviet ethnos theory and the Soviet nationality policy are critically examined to analyze the groups specified above.
SOC 530 Kinship, Tribe, Confederation and State in Central Asia and the Middle East (Erdoğan Yıldırım - This course was developed and taught by Sharon Baştuğ)
The kinship-based structure of tribal organization and its relation to supra-tribal and non-tribal forms of organization in Central Asia and the Middle East. Concept of the segmentary lineage system and its critics; tribal structure as an organizational framework functioning simultaneously at various levels from local to societal; the historical conflict between tribe and state in the two regions.