Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler

 ELECTIVE COURSES

 ABBREVIATIONS 

• T: Theoretical
• P: Practical
• C: Credits
• ECTS: European Credit Transfer System
• UC: University Compulsory (courses which are compulsory for all students)
• UE: University Elective (elective course opened by the university)
• FC: Faculty Compulsory (compulsory courses opened by another department within the faculty)
• FE: Faculty Elective (elective course opened by another department within the faculty)
• DC: Departmental Compulsory (compulsory course opened by the department)
• DE: Departmental Elective (elective course opened by the department)

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Compulsory Courses

PSIR101 – Introduction to Political Science

This is an introductory course which will guide the students to develop their understanding of what politics is as a field of academic study. In order to do that, the course is designed in a way to teach basic concepts of political life, such as politics, ideology, political action, political party, interest group, state, nation, constitution, public policy, human rights, and citizenship.

PSIR103 – Introduction to World Politics

This course provides an in-depth introduction to the essential concepts, theories, and current issues of world politics. Students will explore the dynamics of international relations, including the roles of state and non-state actors, the impact of globalization, and the impact of historical and cultural settings on current political issues.

ECON101 – Economics I

This course instructs students in the principles of economics, serving as the base for learning micro issues through practice. Topics covered include economics and thinking as an economist; elasticity; consumer choices; competitive market; production decisions; monopoly; monopolistic competition; oligopoly and game theory.

WENG101 – Academic English I

WENG 101 is a first semester freshman academic English course. It is designed to help students improve the level of their English to B1+ level, as specified in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The course connects critical thinking with language skills and incorporates learning technologies. The purpose of the course is to consolidate students’ knowledge and awareness of academic discourse, language structures and lexis. The main focus will be on the development of productive (writing and speaking) and receptive (reading and listening) skills in academic settings.

WTUR101 – Turkish I

This course is designed to introduce students with the basic grammar and writing skills and help students to further develop their Turkish language abilities and have a better understanding of the culture. The students will be able to participate in simple conversations, read and comprehend various authentic texts, listen to conversations and answer questions.

WATA101 – Principles of Atatürk I

The content of the course covers the history of the revolution that the Turkish nation went through under the leadership of Ataturk. The reasons for the collapse of the Ottoman Empire are examined and how the State of the Republic of Turkey was established from a de facto destroyed state is evaluated in the light of documents. The founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal realized by Atatürk Turkish Revolution, the nation-state and modernity and secularism case of Turkey in the context of phrases and meanings corresponding to the Kemalist thought to teach the students.

WICT101 – Introduction to Information Technology I

This course provides an introduction to fundamental concepts of computer systems and computer architecture. Students will develop a broad understanding in all areas of information technology and will be introduced to computer hardware and software concepts, infrastructure, software development and databases. Students will also learn hardware and software installation, basic network connectivity, identification and prevention of basic security risks.

AIAI101–Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

This course provides a foundational overview of Artificial Intelligence (AI) concepts, applications, and ethical considerations for students from all disciplines. It introduces basic AI principles, including machine learning, data- driven decision making, and everyday AI technologies, without requiring prior technical knowledge. Students will explore how AI impacts society, industry, education, and creative practices, and develop critical awareness of its opportunities and limitations.

PSIR102 – Modern Political History

This course will offer a historical survey of the modern state and the foundational ideas that have shaped it. The curriculum covers a wide range of modern and contemporary histories, including the emergence of the sovereign state in Europe, the First World War and the rise of the nation-state, the Cold War, and contemporary social, economic and political challenges to state sovereignty and autonomy in the era of globalization.

ECON102 – Economics II

This course demonstrates the further concepts of economics by discussions of consumer behavior, production theory, derivation of individual and market demand, competitive and non-competitive market structures.

LLAW101 – Introduction to Law

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the basic principles and basic concepts of law. Law and interpreting law, law systems and solving problems with law logic. It aims to get easy and basic education for students.

Indicative Readings:

WENG102 – Academic English II

This course is designed to further help students improve their English to B2 level, as specified in the Common European Framework of References for Languages. The course aims to reconsolidate and develop students’ knowledge and awareness of academic discourse, language structures, and critical thinking. The course also incorporates use of technologies. The course will focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking and introducing documentation, and will also focus on presentation skills in academic settings.

WTUR102 – Turkish II

Basic rules of Turkish, phonetics (sounds, alphabet reading rules), vocabulary (words as structure) recognition, relations between words), sentence knowledge (sentence structures, general structure and sentence types), reading and writing (reading rules and writing techniques, spelling rules, comprehension of spoken and written language. spelling rules.), reading –comprehension (reading comprehension techniques, applications on texts), listening (listening comprehension, listening comprehension) making necessary comments by taking notes, applications on texts suitable for students’ own professions), speaking (learning speaking techniques, learning shapes such as certain emphasis, and intonation).

WATA102 – Principles of Atatürk II

The political, social, economic and cultural transformation in the Republic of Turkey; the six principles of Atatürk; Turkish Foreign Policy during the Atatürk period.

WICT102 Introduction to Information Technologies II

This course contains two parts. In the first part, the students learn about the hardware setup of a personal computer and the relations between the processor, memory, and secondary devices. The laboratory part includes basic computer usage and office programs (MS Word, Excel). The second part discusses the basics of problem-solving approaches, components and construction of computer programs, flow-charting, and modular programming issues. The basics of C programming language are covered in the classroom.

ACYP102- Cyprus History and Culture

This course introduces the historical, cultural, and social development of Cyprus from ancient times to the present. It examines the island’s diverse civilizations, cultural heritage, traditions, and identity within a broader Mediterranean and regional context. Students will gain an understanding of Cyprus’s historical transformations and cultural diversity, fostering awareness of its contemporary social and cultural dynamics.

PSIR201- History of International Relations I

In this course, students are provided with the contextual and theoretical tools they need to understand contemporary international relations. The origins and mechanisms of the state system, the sources of international conflict and violence, and international economic relations will be analysed throughout the course.

PSIR203- Comparative Politics I

This course will provide an introduction to the field of comparative politics, explaining how it evolved and which theories and approaches inform its current scope. The topics that will be covered in this first part of the course are the comparative method, democratic and non-democratic regimes, political culture, and civil society.

SSRM201- Social Science Research Methods 

This course is an introduction to business research, focusing on the methods and tools used in empirical research. Students will learn about various types of study, such as non-experimental and experimental research, as well as qualitative and quantitative research. The course will also cover the steps involved in the research process, from defining the problem and reviewing the literature to designing the study and analyzing data. Students will also learn about statistical methods and formulas and how to analyze, interpret, and visualize data. Additionally, the course will cover how to write a proper research report, including its content, layout, and references. By the end of the course, students will have the knowledge and skills to design and use practical tools for conducting research surveys, analyze research data using basic statistical methods and tools, and write a report and present the research findings.

STAT201- Introduction to Statistics

This is an introductory course in statistics. Displaying and describing data, the normal curve, regression, probability, statistical inference, confidence intervals, and hypothesis tests with applications in the real world will be examined.

WETN201- Principles of Ethics

This course discusses the ethical questions raised by the pursuit of a good life, especially in relation to the notions of academic integrity and civic duties. Cases where the boundary between private and public interests has been blurred will be examined in order to understand how ethical theory might inform academic and public life.

PSIR202- History of International Relations II

This course will examine how the world is changing and why it matters for the students of international relations. Based on that, the course will cover various issues in the global era and discuss order and disorder in this context.

PSIR204- Comparative Politics II

In this second part of the Comparative Politics course, the student will be provided an overview of constitutional regime types (presidential, parliamentary, semi-presidential) as well as an introduction to varieties of party politics and electoral systems.

PSIR206- Theories of International Relations

The course aims at providing an overview of the major theoretical traditions and conceptual frameworks for understanding international politics, including relations between states and interstate institutions.  The course focuses also on global political processes. The key objective of the course is to cover realism, liberalism, constructivism, and English School in this context. The course is also to introduce students to the theoretical approaches – Marxism, feminism, critical theory, poststructuralism, and postcolonialism.

PSIR208- Diplomatic Communication

This course aims to acquaint students with the language of the diplomatic community. It focuses on the verbal and non-verbal modes of diplomatic communication as well as diplomatic protocol and etiquette. 

PSIR210- Issues in Globalization

The course focuses on regional studies (ex. the state of affairs in Europe), and also issues of global concern such as North South relations, environmental issues, world poverty, energy crisis, war zones, sustainable development and global economic development.

PSIR301- History of Political Thought I

This course aims at introducing the key thinkers and philosophers in the history of political thought, tracing the origins of political theory to Ancient Greece and explaining the major political and social ideas that shaped the medieval era and Renaissance.

PSIR303- Foreign Policy Analysis

The course aims at studying the intentions and actions of (primarily) states aimed at the external world and the response of other actors (again, primarily states) to these actions. Students will learn about the foreign policies of major, middle and small powers through the reading material.

PSIR305-  International Political Economy

This course deals with many different aspects of the International Political Economy. The subject of IPE is concerned with the interconnectedness of various areas such as economics, politics, history, sociology, etc.

PSIR302- History of Political Thought II

This course follows the trajectory of the history of political thought from 17th century onwards, providing an overview of the Enlightenment canon and how this tradition and various reactions to it helped shape modern ideas about politics, society and economics. 

PSIR304- International Organizations

The aim of this course is to inform the students about the functions and roles of international organizations in contemporary international relations. In this course, the international system and theories of international relations are also discussed.

LLAW302- International Law

This course introduces the concept of personality and statehood, and furthermore discusses recognition of states and governments, the relationship between international law and municipal law, jurisdiction over persons, and acquisition of sovereignty over territory and airspace.

PSIR401- Issues in Global Politics

This course provides a comprehensive examination of contemporary issues in international relations, emphasizing the complexities and interconnections that shape global affairs. Students will explore a range of critical topics, including but not limited to nationality, citizenship, power, state, sovereignty, force, security and terrorism.

PSIR403- Nationalism, Identity and Conflicts

This course aims to introduce the politics of identity. The course explores how categories like class, race, gender, ethnicity, nation, religion, and sexuality shape struggles for power and recognition across the world.

PSIR402- Global Security

This course offers a comprehensive study of theoretical and practical tools in understanding global security. It provides for different approaches to security, both traditional and critical, as well as the transformation of the concept of security in changing global contexts.

PSIR404- Conflict Resolution and Transformation

This course aims to analyse key concepts and methodologies in conflict resolution and transformation. It covers processes such as negotiation, peacekeeping, peace-making, peace-building and reconciliation.

ELECTIVE COURSES

PSIR306 Mediterranean States in World Affairs

In this course, students are expected to acquire understanding of the international issues in the Mediterranean, making possible their correlation with wider issues of international politics. The main objective of the course is to analyse and evaluate issues, problems, and proposals in specific areas of international relations and Mediterranean Studies.

PSIR307 Energy and Geopolitics

The course aims to introduce one of the most important global dimensions of energy policy: oil and energy geopolitics. It sheds light on the history of oil, growing Middle East reserves in the 1950s, 1970s oil crisis, and the impact of climate change on energy systems and energy geopolitics in today’s world.

PSIR308 Critical Security Studies                                        

This course introduces constructivist and critical perspectives to the study of security. Different from traditional approaches, it asks what security is, who or what is being secured and for and by whom. 

PSIR309 Politics of Cyprus

This course focuses on the Cyprus Problem which remains as one of the most intractable conflicts on the international stage.

PSIR310 The EU in Global Affairs

The course explores, from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, the political, economic and legal role played by the European Union outside its own borders. It will assess the international significance of European (dis)integration, the impact of global developments on Europe, and the changing role of Europe in the new world order. After examining the key institutions and processes that surround the EU’s international relations, the course will focus on the most pressing policy areas such as security, trade, climate change, and relations with major and emerging powers.

PSIR405 Turkish Foreign Policy                   

The aim of this course is to provide a historical overview of the Turkish foreign policy; investigate the historical, geographical, and social dynamics of the Turkish foreign policy; and analyze the links between the internal dynamics and their reflections on foreign policy.

PSIR406 The Middle East in Global Affairs

This course strives to give students a thorough grounding the contemporary international relations of the Middle East, integrated with historical understanding and a critical comprehension of the relevant debates in IR theory as a sub-discipline of social science. It will examine the main theoretical approaches and conceptual tools relating to the study of ME International Relations. While providing an in-depth understanding of the particular topics and events that distinguish the Middle East, the course will also set these within the context of transformations at the level of global politics and the Global South. Thus, the main goal of the course is for students to understand the international relations of the Middle East not just as foreign policy process but as social phenomena.

PSIR407 Global Terrorism

This course introduces students to questions regarding the contemporary nature of terrorism and politically motivated violence by non-state actors, and in particular will examine the global, political, economic and cultural roots of terrorism and terrorist groups. There will be an examination of theoretical debates on terrorism as well as detailed analysis of case studies, past and present.

PSIR408 African Politics

This course is designed to increase students’ understanding of the complexities and historical patterns of political development in Africa. This course will review the roots of present-day political dynamics, including the legacy of colonialism, the decolonization process, and significant political developments in the post-cold war era.

PSIR409 Gender and Politics

This course offers a general overview of the contributions of gender studies to political science by reflecting on the relationship between gender injustice and political inequalities and the social and political construction of sexual and gender identities in light of various strands of feminism. Topics include women’s representation in democratic regimes, gender and political institutions, women as voters and political candidates, gender and social movements, as well as intersectionality and intersectional politics.

PSIR410 Art and Politics

This course will unpack the political context informing art in its various manifestations such as literature, film, painting and music. The relationship between artistic representation and political power will be examined by considering several examples of artistic production in their interaction with politics.

PSIR411 Media and Politics

This course is designed to provide students with a critical understanding of a wide range of issues relating to the relationship between media and politics. The focus will be on the interactions between media, political institutions, actors, and processes, and their role in shaping public opinion and debates around political issues and social problems.

PUBA201 Introduction to Public Administration I

This course is about managing public organizations and the state as a whole. Students will be exposed to different paradigms of public administration. They will develop knowledge about the commonalities and differences between managing private and public organizations. Students will be able to critically assess the relationship between the political executive and bureaucracy.

PUBA202 Introduction to Public Administration II

This course will discuss concepts and theories of public accountability, public integrity, corruption and quality of government. The course will also look at broader implications of different paradigms and public sector reforms embedded within the philosophy of these paradigms. What is public sector reform? Why does it occur? What are the elements of reform? What are the consequences of reform? How do we measure success when evaluating reform?

PUBA204 Introduction to Public Policy

Students will learn key concepts and theoretical approaches used in public policy literature. The course will provide students the opportunity to apply theoretical approaches to the analysis of current events in public affairs. Various policy sectors (environmental policy, agricultural policy, anti-corruption policy etc.) will be provided as examples to understand and analyze different stages of the policy process (problem definition and agenda-setting, policy formulation and decision-making, policy implementation and evaluation).

PUBA401 Management of Nonprofit Organizations

Occupying a unique space between public and private organizations, nonprofit organizations are not governmental organizations, yet they are expected to serve the public interest as governmental organizations. This course dives deep into the subtleties of managing nonprofit organizations different from any other business or governmental organization.

PUBA402 Advanced policy Theories

This course will examine theoretical methods to comprehending the complicated and contested assumptions and premises that underpin public policy. The course will apply and integrate broad concepts such as management theory, administrative law, and political theories in the resolution of public policy.

HRMN301 Organizational Behavior

This course is about understanding how people behave in organizations. It covers topics like the basic concepts of organizational behavior, how individual behavior is influenced by psychological and sociological factors, the relationship between attitudes and job satisfaction, the role of personality and values, how people make decisions, the impact of motivation and emotions, how groups behave, how communication is essential, what leadership is and how it affects behavior, how power and politics play a role, how conflicts and negotiations happen, and how human resources policies and practices shape behavior. By the end of the course, students will understand how to analyze and apply these concepts to real-world situations and have developed critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

HRMN302 Human Resource Management

This course aims to assist students to acquire an academic understanding of human resource management (HRM) at the undergraduate level. It provides a comprehensive review of main concepts, functions, and processes in HRM. Through critical discussions of functions and dimensions of HRM, the course targets to help students answer two essential questions: Why and in what ways HRM is one of the most significant management functions in organizations? and whose responsibility is HR management?

[1] To calculate total credits practical credits should be divided by two and added to theoretical credits