CURRENT DEBATES IN TURKISH POLITICS

PSIR536

Course Code: PSIR536
Semester: -
Theory+Practice: 3 + 0
ECTS: 10

Course Type

Elective Course

Course Level

Master's Degree Without Thesis

Year of Study

Semester

ECTS

Name of Lecturer(s)

Associate Professor Hakan Yavuzyılmaz

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

Develop a theoretical and conceptual approach to current issues in Turkish politics
Understand the dynamics of continuity and change in specific topics
Gain the ability to make issue-specific comparisons between Turkey and other cases

Mode of Delivery

Face to face

Prerequisites

Recommended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Description

The aim of the course is to examine the current issues shaping Turkish politics. Key topics include debates on democratization, the development of civil society, the relationship between religion and politics, the rise of nationalism with a focus on religious nationalism, identity politics, poverty, gender policies in the context of violence against women and women's rights, debates on the political system, public perceptions of security, the judicial system, and more. The issues to be explored in the course will be updated based on the leading topics on Turkey's political agenda during the semester in which the course is offered.

Course Contents

WEEK	TOPICS
1^st Week	Introduction to the Course: Main Trajectories of Political Modernization in Turkey
2^nd Week	The Rise of Political Islam
3^rd Week	Secularism in Turkey
4^th Week	Political Parties and Party System(s) in Turkey
5^th Week	Democratization and Dynamics of Democratic Consolidation in Turkey
6^th Week	Core Dynamics of Turkey?s New Regime
7^th Week	Government System Debates and Systemic Transformation in Turkey
8^th Week	Civil Society in Turkey
9^th Week	Transformation of Civil-Military Relations in Turkish Politics
10^th Week	Identities in Turkey
11^th Week	Europeanization Dynamics and Their Effects
12^th Week	Transformation of the Welfare State and Social Policy in Turkey
13^th Week	Gender Equality in Turkey
14^th Week	Turkish Politics After the 2019 Local Elections

Recommended or Required Reading

Akan, M. (2022). Capturing secularism in Turkey: The ease of comparison. In G. M. Tezcür (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of Turkish politics (pp. xx-xx). Oxford University Press.
Arslantaş, D., & Kaiser, A. (2023). The `competitive authoritarian? turn in Turkey: Band-wagoning versus reality. Third World Quarterly, 44(3), 496?512.
Ayan Musil, P. (2014). Emergence of a dominant party system after multipartyism: Theoretical implications from the case of the AKP in Turkey. South European Society and Politics, 20(1), 71-92. https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2014.968981
Ayan Musil, P. (2021). Revisiting the concept of moderation in the age of populism: The case of the AKP in Turkey. Middle East Law and Governance, XX(2021), 1?27.
Ayan Musil, P. (2024). How incumbents create uneven patterns of competition during au-tocratization: The AKP case of Turkey. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2024.xxxxxx
Bakiner, O. (2018). A key to Turkish politics The center?periphery framework revisited. Turkish Studies, 19(4), 503?522.
Bekmen, A. (2024). The parcelled state: A political and historical framework for the current intra-state crisis in Turkey. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 54(3), 502?522.
Bozarslan, H. (2008). Kurds and the Turkish state. In R. Kasaba (Ed.), The Cambridge history of Turkey (Vol. 4, pp. xx?xx). Cambridge University Press.
Casier, M., Jongerden, J., & Walker, N. (2011). Fruitless attempts? The Kurdish initiative and containment of the Kurdish movement in Turkey. New Perspectives on Turkey, 44, 103?127.
Çalışkan, K. (2018). Toward a new political regime in Turkey: From competitive toward full authoritarianism. New Perspectives on Turkey, 58, 5?33.
Çınar, M. (2018). From moderation to demoderation: Democratic backsliding of the AKP in Turkey. In J. L. Esposito, L. Z. Rahim, & N. Ghobadzadeh (Eds.), The politics of Islamism: Diverging visions and trajectories (pp. 127-158). Palgrave.
Çınar, M., & Sayın, Ç. (2014). Reproducing the paradigm of democracy in Turkey: Parochial democratization in the decade of Justice and Development Party. Turkish Studies, 15(3), 365-385.
Çiçek, C. (2011). Elimination or integration of pro-Kurdish politics: Limits of the AKP?s democratic initiative. Turkish Studies, 12(1), 15?26.
Christofis, N. (2023). Kemalism vs Erdoğanism: Continuities and discontinuities in Turkey?s hegemonic state ideology. Middle East Critique. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/mec.2023.xxxxx
Cindoglu, D., & Unal, D. (2017). Gender and sexuality in the authoritarian discursive strate-gies of `New Turkey?. European Journal of Women?s Studies, 24(1), 39?54.
Coşkun, M. (2022). Turkey?s journey from democratization to de-democratization: External democracy promotion versus domestic political competition. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 24(6), 879-895.
Cizre, Ü. (2008). Ideology, context and interest: The Turkish military. In R. Kasaba (Ed.), The Cambridge history of Turkey (Vol. 4, pp. xx?xx). Cambridge University Press.
Dedeoğlu, S. (2012). Equality, protection or discrimination: Gender equality policies in Tur-key. Social Politics, 19(2), 269?290.
Demiralp, S., & Balta, E. (2021). Defeating populists: The case of 2019 Istanbul elections. South European Society and Politics, 26(1), 1-26.
Eligür, B. (2010). The Mobilization of Political Islam in Turkey. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511711923
Esen, B. (2025). Judicial transformation in a competitive authoritarian regime: Evidence from the Turkish case. Law & Policy, 47(1), e12250. https://doi.org/10.1111/lapo.12250
Esen, B., & Gümüşçü, Ş. (2016). Rising competitive authoritarianism in Turkey. Third World Quarterly, 37(9), 1581?1606. tandfonline.com+1reddit.com+1tandfonline.com

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture
Discussion
Presentation

Assessment Methods and Criteria

	Quantity	Percentage (%)
Assignment	3	25
Project	1	50
Oral Exam	15	25
Total(%)		100
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%)		100
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%)		0
Total(%)		100

ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload

Activities	Quantity	Duration (Hour)	Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work	14	5	70
Preparation for Final exam
Course hours	14	3	42
Preparation for Midterm exam
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam
Homework	3	45	135
Project	1	55	55
Total Work Load			302
Total Work Load / 30 (h)			10.06
ECTS Credit of the Course			10

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Work Placement(s)

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

	LO1	LO2	LO3
K1	X		X
K2	X	X	X
K3		X	X
K4	X	X	X
K5			X
K6	X	X	X
K7	X	X	X
K8			X