International Ottoman Studies
Istanbul Medeniyet University, Institute of Graduate Studies (IGS) offers M.A. and Ph.D. Programs in Ottoman Studies in an internationally oriented academic environment. The M.A. program involves courses and a thesis, and can be completed in two years of full-time study. The Ph.D. Program also involves courses, a comprehensive exam and a thesis, and it can be completed in four years of full-time study. Both programs focus on the place of the Ottoman Empire in world History as a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious entity that extended beyond the boundaries of modern Turkey, and aim to prepare students for distinguished careers in Arts and Humanities.
The International M.A. and Ph.D. Programs in Ottoman Studies at Istanbul Medeniyet University are primarily (but not exclusively) oriented towards students from countries and/or regions sharing Ottoman heritage. These students will be encouraged to focus on research topics related to their places of origins and base their research on the sources of their localities along with the archives in Istanbul. By means of this, the program aims to create an intellectual environment where the Ottoman past is studied and analyzed as a common experience of these countries and regions from late middle ages down to the early twentieth century. This scholarly activity is then expected to contribute to the deconstruction of nation state-centric perceptions of Ottoman history by bringing-in alternative histories of the Empire, while at the same time lay the ground for a more balanced and scholarly approach to the Ottoman era in the national narratives of Post-Ottoman states.
The programs offer courses on administrative and political history, economic, social and cultural history, the history of empires and intellectual history. Specific emphasis is given to the development of historiography, of theories about historical processes and of methodologies of historical research. Students will have opportunity to conduct research at the major archives and libraries of Istanbul, the city where the richest part of the cultural, architectural and archival heritage of the Ottoman Empire is conserved.
The programs emphasize close consultation between students and advisers while defining fields of study and tools of research, and designing an individual program of study to help students to specialize in one period or in an interdisciplinary area. Both programs conclude with a thesis on a topic within the student’s area of concentration.
Master’s students are expected to complete course requirements in two semesters. The course load consists of nine courses (one seminar, one obligatory and seven elective courses). Two of the elective courses can be taken from outside the program, and of these two, one may be taken at another university in Istanbul following the approval of the program coordinator. In addition to Ottoman Turkish, students can also take other relevant language courses offered by our University (such as Arabic or Persian). Beyond completing their course load the students require to write and defend an M.A. thesis comprising a workload of one academic year.
Students of the Ph.D. program are also required to take eight courses (one obligatory) and one seminar during two semesters. Two of these courses can be taken from outside the program, and of these two, one may be taken at another university in Istanbul following the approval of the program coordinator. In addition to Ottoman Turkish, students can also take other relevant language courses offered by our University (such as Arabic or Persian). After completing their course load, the students must pass the comprehensive exam and afterwards write and defend their Ph.D. thesis comprising a workload of three academic years.
Students who are enrolled to the M.A. or Ph.D program without a base in Ottoman History and/or historical methodology and/or an intermediate-level knowledge of Ottoman Turkish, are required to follow relevant preparatory courses prior to or along with their M.A. or Ph.D. courses.