About the seminar

This advanced seminar about contemporary Turkey addresses some of the key challenges which Turkey confronts in the 21^st century.It offers a review of the major political developments in the past year with a detailed assessment of the state-mafia relations through the most recent wave of confessions. The seminar then discusses the status and rights of sexual minorities through the analysis of the LGBTQi movement in Turkey. It also deals with the headscarf issue, political and politicized cause which is today formulated in radically different terms than in the past decades. Finally, the seminar explores the forms of contentious politics and social mobilisation going beyond the binary understanding of power relations as a zero-sum game between government and the opposition.

Prerequisites

The prerequisite for the seminar is either good knowledge of Turkey or having followed one of the seminars “Turkey under the AKP” or “Contemporary Turkey: selected socio-political topics”.

Organization of the seminar

The seminar is held online starting from 1^st October 2021. Zoom link: https://cuni-cz.zoom.us/j/93771626220

The seminar takes place in the form of double seminar. It is held on Fridays between 9:10 and 12:25 with a short break. Last seminar session is scheduled for 5^th November 2021. Students have until the end of November to complete the course assignment.

Plan of the sessions

1.10.2021 – Seminars 1&2

§ Introduction to the seminar, syllabus and evaluation of the seminar

(short break)

§ Wrap up session: “Last year in Turkey” (open to alumni from previous years) Pre-registration required for this seminar only: https://cuni-cz.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqcOChqzstGdLrashBjbdC64lrg5RseutU

8.10.2021 – Seminars 3&4

§ “Perpetrators and Perpetration of State Violence in Turkey”, guest speaker Yeşim Yaprak Yıldız (Goldsmiths, University of London)

(short break)

§ LGBTQi rights in Turkey (introduction to the topic)

15.10.2021 – Seminars 5&6

§ LGBTQi rights in Turkey (continuation) with guest speaker Yıldız Tar from association Kaos GL

(short break)

§ The headscarf issue in Turkey: the history and present (introduction to the topic)

22.10.2021 – Seminars 7&8

§ The headscarf issue in Turkey: the history and present (continuation)

(short break)

§ Protest politics in Turkey (introduction to the topic)

29.10.2021 – Seminars 9&10

§ Protest politics in Turkey (continuation) with special focus on Boğaziçi University protests with guest speaker Seda Altuğ (Assistant Professor at the Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History, Boğaziçi University)

(short break)

§ Final quiz (45 minutes)

5.11.2021 – Seminars 11&12

§ Students’ oral presentations

Evaluation of the seminar

Final quiz

The final quiz takes place during the regular seminar hours. It tests students’ factual knowledge of the topics dealt with during the seminar but contains also analytical questions which build on the discussions we had in class. It takes around 45 minutes and accounts for 40% of the grade.

Oral presentation

Oral presentation is done individually or in pairs and deals with a topic that students chose based on the seminar content (the topic is to be determined after discussion with the seminar convener but doesn’t need to exactly reflect a specific seminar theme – it is rather students’ interest in the topic and their capacity to link it to the themes discussed during the seminar which matter). The oral presentation takes 10-15 minutes (depending on the total number of registered students) and is organized – with visual support – during the final session of the seminar (seminars 11&12).

Written essay

Written essay is based on the oral presentation, it deals with the same topic but it can contain further information as well as incorporate feedback from the oral presentation (including answers to convenor’s and fellow students’ questions). It is written either individually or in pairs. It has between 2 500 and 3 000 words (bibliography is not comprised in the count). The final submission date is fixed on November 30, 2021 midnight via email on lucie.drechselova@ff.cuni.cz. Later submissions will not be accepted.

Oral presentation and written essay together account for 60% of the grade.

80-100 points	1
65-79 points	2
50-65 points	3
Less than 50 p.	Failed