Department of Turkish Language and Literature
Acting Head of Department: Berat Açıl
Associate Department Head: Sibel Kocaer
Professors: Günay Kut†, Fatma Yılmaz, Halim Kara, Fatih Usluer, Berat Açıl
Associate Professors: Fatih Altuğ, Tülay Gençtürk Demircioğlu, Erol Köroğlu, Zeynep Uysal, Arzu Çiftoğlu Çubuk*
Assistant Professors: Olcay Akyıldız, Nazlı İpek Hüner Cora, Zeynep Oktay, Veysel Öztürk, Gülşah Taşkın, Alaner İmamoğlu
Instructors: Elif Uluğ, Zekiye Ceyda Arslan Kechriotis, Handan Konar*, Aydın Söylemez*, Ülkü Akçay*
Assistants: Arif Can Topçuoğlu, Fatih Aşan, Hüsna Baka Dalp, Şule Pire
*Part-time
•Adjunct
† Professor Emeritus
The undergraduate program at the Department of Turkish Language and Literature aims to examine Turkish language and literature in their historical, cultural, social, political, and economic contexts focusing on primary texts in a variety of literary genres and historical periods. From an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective, students explore Turkish language and literature as well as literary history and criticism, critical theory, and linguistics. Our program provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to integrate their study of Turkish language and literature with world literatures and languages across cultures.
In the first two years of the undergraduate program, students acquire skills in Ottoman and modern Turkish as both research languages and objects of research. They become familiar with the major aspects of Ottoman and modern Turkish literature, while learning the methods and theories of literary analysis. Later our courses critically examine various topics, periods, writers and issues of Turkish literature using specific literary texts. With humanities and social science electives taken from other departments within the university, students are enabled to place their knowledge in Turkish literature within a broader historical framework and acquire a more extensive critical vision. The curriculum is designed in a way that offers courses in both Turkish and English in order to facilitate the students to master Turkish language literature while making it possible for them to follow international scholarship on Turkish literature as well as world-wide literary studies. Their command of primary research languages enables them to take part in the production of knowledge in both languages.
Following Boğaziçi University’s liberal arts tradition, our diverse curriculum teaches the critical skills of analyzing literary texts and writing about them. They learn to combine their skills in critical reading and writing with research skills enabling them to understand texts, periods and movements in their historical and social contexts. This way our students are exposed to different areas of study and different ways of learning and thinking. They gain insight into the intersections between the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences as well as the experience necessary to work in diverse careers and pursue degrees in graduate programs.
Established
1984
ISCED Code
223
Educational goals and objectives
The Department of Turkish Language and Literature at Boğaziçi University offers education at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. Our programs approach literary texts through a comparative and interdisciplinary lens, combining close reading with historical and theoretical analysis. The curriculum addresses issues in both historical and contemporary Turkish language and literature within the broader context of developments in other disciplines.
In our department, students engage with the methodologies and accumulated knowledge of language and literature as an academic discipline, in dialogue with the social sciences, the humanities, and other literary traditions. Our faculty, open to both national and international academic interaction, guide students through this multidimensional learning process. Thus, students integrate their knowledge across various fields with different modes of thinking and learning. While exploring intersections between the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, they also gain experience in working across disciplines and in becoming successful researchers.
Admission and special requirements
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Undergraduate Program: Admission is based on the nationwide university entrance examination (ÖSYM). For transfer students, at least 12 credits must be recognized by the department.
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Graduate Programs: Applicants are required to pass a scientific exam and an interview. Additional requirements include ALES scores, English proficiency, and a minimum GPA as specified by graduate school regulations.
Acknowledgement of previous learning
Graduation requirements
Students may transfer previously earned course credits from other institutions in accordance with university regulations, subject to approval by the relevant academic board. Course content, grades, and institutional compatibility are considered during this process. Specific policies apply for first-year courses, exchange programs, and equivalency assessments.
Program learning outcomes
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Graduates of the Department of Turkish Language and Literature will be able to:
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Critically and academically read, analyze, and evaluate Turkish literary texts while developing strong skills in analytical and critical thinking.
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Analyze Turkish literary texts within interdisciplinary and comparative frameworks, using tools from fields such as literary history, sociology of literature, and contemporary literary theory, and discuss them in historical, cultural, and political contexts.
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Interpret literary texts with attention to their historical background and position them within the history of Turkish literature, recognizing the sociopolitical and intellectual developments that shape literary production.
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Learn and apply existing analytical and methodological approaches to examine various genres of Turkish literature throughout history.
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Use different academic textual analysis methods and theoretical frameworks in the study of literary works from diverse periods and genres.
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Gain knowledge about the historical development, structure, and contemporary dialects of the Turkish language.
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Understand core concepts in language, grammar, and linguistics, including Turkish word and sentence structure, parts of speech, and learn about phonology, morphology, and semantics.
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Develop the ability to examine Turkish texts from different periods in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and style.
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Acquire a strong command of Ottoman Turkish sufficient for reading and understanding texts, and for conducting research using Ottoman sources.
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Improve writing, discussion, and presentation skills in accordance with academic ethics and gain practical experience through application-based learning.
