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Overview | Summary of Courses

Offered By:	ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Academic Contact:	Dr Mehdi Ilhan

Turkey, with a population of seventy million, vast economic resources and a thriving tourist market, is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. It is a member of NATO and an associate member of the European Union, and has close ties with the Balkan countries and Turkic states of Central Asia.

The official language of Turkey is Turkish, a branch of the Uralo-Altay linguistic family. While Turks have used many alphabets over the centuries, including Armenian, Georgian, Greek and Arabic, Modern Turkish uses the Latin alphabet. The richness of the language's transformations has enabled the Turks to produce works of outstanding literature in a variety of alphabets. Millions of books and official documents written particularly in Ottoman and Modern Turkish provide invaluable insight into the history and culture of not only Turkey, but also the Middle East, Central Asia and the Balkans.

Since Ottoman times, Turks have migrated widely throughout the world. As a result, studies in Turkish language, culture and history are in great demand in universities worldwide, and knowledge of Turkish offers job opportunities in diverse professions, including media, public relations, education and foreign affairs.

Turkish Language, Culture and History courses assume no previous knowledge of the language. Classes cover spelling, pronunciation, vowel harmony and grammar through specially designed exercises and drills which will equip students with the skills necessary to read, write and speak Modern Turkish. Advanced Turkish introduces students to important writers from the Republican and Ottoman periods, while History courses examine Ottoman culture and its heterogeneous population, as well as Modern Turkey in relation to the Middle East and the Balkan states.

Students with no knowledge of Turkish are expected to start with Elementary Turkish. Placements tests for new students with previous knowledge of Turkish language are held at the beginning of the semester to determine their level of entry.

Requirements

The major in Turkish requires a minimum of 42 units (normally 7 courses) consisting of 12 units at first year level (2 courses) plus 30 units at later year level (5 courses).

The sequence of courses for the Turkish major is dependent on the student's reading and language ability.

1. Major for beginners:
MEAS2002 Turkish History: Ottoman State to Modern Turkey or MEAS 2003 Modern Turkey: History, Cultural and Regional Relations plus six Turkish language courses

2. Major for post-beginners:
MEAS2002 Turkish History:  Ottoman State to Modern Turkey or MEAS 2003 Modern Turkey: History, Cultural and Regional Relations plus Turkish language courses dependent on language proficiency and additional courses to achieve the requirement for 42 units to be determined in consultation with the Convenor.

With the permission of the Convenor, a student with appropriate language competence may enter the major at Intermediate Turkish or Advanced Turkish level.