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Undergraduate and Graduate Programs 2024-2025


POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Hasan Tolga Bölükbaşı, Ph.D., Chair

Academic Staff
Courses

Political science is one of the oldest social science disciplines. It examines how people in societies organized into states live together and resolve or fail to resolve their conflicts. Politics is the art of influencing others as well as arriving at consensus. It is a widespread phenomenon that one encounters at all levels of society (family, school, government, and the like) as well as between states.

The discipline of political science which studies systematically the recurring patterns of events in politics, is divided into five subdisciplines: political theory, comparative politics, international relations, national (Turkish) politics and public administration. The undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the Department aim to provide a balanced education and training in these five subdisciplines. Through elective courses students can, to a certain degree, specialize in preferred areas.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

The Department offers an education in political science and public administration with opportunities for a broad and balanced undergraduate study. Students pursue programs which, in addition to providing a firm grounding in the core subjects of the discipline, allow them to take courses in law, economics, management, and international relations as well as in disciplines outside social sciences. Departmental courses are divided in a balanced fashion between the fields of political theory, comparative politics, and Turkish government and politics, cultural studies, and public administration.

The Department aims at providing the students with an education that would enhance their understanding of social artifacts. In addition to giving the basic requirements of a degree in political science, the program emphasizes the utility of learning social and political roles. The goal for a study in the Political Science and Public Administration major is to maximize students' capacity to analyze and interpret the significance and dynamics of political events and governmental processes. The purpose is not simply to reveal the significance of political events and issues. It is to equip the students with the knowledge in coping with political phenomena and problems. The aim is political education "in depth" for those students who have an interest in politics whatever their professional goals and eventual occupations are.

CURRICULUM

FIRST YEAR

Autumn Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
CS 121  Introduction to Computer Applications and Programming  2  2  3  5
ECON 107  Principles of Microeconomics  3    3  5
ENG 101  English and Composition I  5    3  5
GE 100  Orientation      1  2
HCIV 101  History of Civilization I  3    3  5
POLS 101  Politics I: What is it?  3    3  5
TURK 101  Turkish I      2  3.5

Spring Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
ECON 108  Principles of Macroeconomics  3    3  5
ENG 102  English and Composition II  5    3  5
HCIV 102  History of Civilization II  3    3  5
POLS 104  Politics II: How Does It Work?  3    3  5
PSYC 102  Introduction to Social Psychology  3    3  5
TURK 102  Turkish II      2  3.5

SECOND YEAR

Autumn Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 250  Collegiate Activities Program I      -  1
IR 101  Introduction to World Politics  3    3  5
LAW 103  Constitutional Law (in Turkish)  3    3  5
MATH 103  Thinking Mathematically I  3    3  5
PHIL 243  Social and Political Philosophy I  3    6  8.5
SOC 101  Introduction to Sociology  3    3  5
  Basic Law Elective      3  -

Spring Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 251  Collegiate Activities Program II      1  2
HIST 200  History of Turkey  3    4  6.5
LAW 104  Turkish Constitutional Law (in Turkish)  3    3  5
MATH 104  Thinking Mathematically II  3    3  5
PHIL 244  Social and Political Philosophy II  3    6  8.5
POLS 201  Fundamentals of Social Research  3    3  5

THIRD YEAR

Autumn Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
LAW 315  Administrative Law (in Turkish)  3    3  5
POLS 303  Comparative Politics of Advanced Industrialized Countries  3    3  5
POLS 305  Turkish Political Development  3    3  5
  Arts Core Elective      3  -
  Computing Methods Elective      3  -
  Science Core Elective      3  -

Spring Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
MATH 264  Statistics for Social Sciences  3    3  5
POLS 304  Comparative Politics of Developing Countries  3    3  5
POLS 306  Contemporary Turkish Politics  3    3  5
  Humanities Core Elective      3  -
  POLS Elective      3  -
  Unrestricted Elective      3  -

FOURTH YEAR

Autumn Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 400  Transdisciplinary Senior Project  4    6  8.5
POLS 399  Summer Training      -  6
  POLS Electives (2)      6  -
  Unrestricted Elective      3  -

Spring Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
POLS 465  Governance and Public Policy  3    3  5
  POLS Electives (2)      6  -
  Unrestricted Electives (2)      6  -

RESTRICTED ELECTIVES

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
LAW 205  Administrative Law (in Turkish)  3    3  5
POLS 229  Turkish Political History I  3    3  5
POLS 238  Negotiation and Mediation in Politics  3    3  5
POLS 330  European Society and Culture  3    3  5
POLS 338  Cosmopolis: From the Roman to the Ottoman and British Empires  3    3  5
POLS 411  Gender and Politics  3    3  5
POLS 419  Contemporary Social Movements  3    3  5
POLS 420  Theory and Modern Society  3    3  5
POLS 437  Politics and Literature  3    3  5
POLS 449  Political Concepts  3    3  5
POLS 452  State Society and Citizenship in Turkey  3    3  5
POLS 463  Politics of Security  3    3  5
POLS 467  Conflict, Violence, and Peace  3    3  5
POLS 469  Regional Security in the Middle East  3    3  5
POLS 473  Democratization Process in Turkey  3    3  5
POLS 480  European Politics  3    3  5
POLS 486  Issues in Comparative Politics  3    3  5
POLS 488  Film and Politics  3    3  5
POLS 490  Democracy, Development and Human Rights  3    3  5
POLS 496  Aesthetics and Politics  3    3  5
POLS 4133  Comparative Public Administration  3    3  5
POLS 4504  Comparative Welfare States  3    3  5
POLS 4507  Psychology of Political Decisionmaking and Leadership  3    3  5
POLS 4508  Women in Politics and Policy  3    3  5
POLS 4536  Turkish Politics in Comparative Perspective  3    3  5
POLS 4560  Contemporary Political Theory  3    3  5
POLS 4568  Urban Politics  3    3  5
POLS 4637  State and Power  3    3  5
POLS 4645  Voting Behavior and Political Parties  3    3  5

Language courses satisfy elective requirements for the third and fourth year electives, but only one language course per semester is allowed.

MINOR PROGRAM

Politics is essentially a decision-making process which distributes status, power and resources at all levels of human society, ranging from the family to the international system. Being one of the oldest social science disciplines, political science examines perennial questions such as how those decisions are made, who makes them, or who benefits from them.

The aim of the Minor Program at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration is to acquaint Bilkent students from any background with the academic study of politics. Students enrolled in any one of the Bilkent faculties might apply, provided that they fulfill the application criteria. The minor program is composed of six courses in total and four of those are compulsory. Depending on their major program, students are expected to take either one of POLS 101 or POLS 104. Other compulsory courses are Comparative Politics I, Turkish Political Development and Contemporary Turkish Politics. Minor program students are allowed to pick and choose any two Political Science courses as electives and they would be well-advised to concentrate in one of the sub-fields.

Prerequisite Courses: None

CURRICULUM

Courses

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
POLS 303  Comparative Politics of Advanced Industrialized Countries  3    3  5
POLS 305  Turkish Political Development  3    3  5
POLS 306  Contemporary Turkish Politics  3    3  5
  Electives (2)      6  -
  POLS 101 or POLS 104      3  -

GRADUATE PROGRAM

Master of Arts in Political Science

MA degree at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration is designed to provide students with a solid background in the study of Political Science. The program is designed to allow students a smooth transition into the Department's Ph.D. program, if the student so wishes. Otherwise, the program offers an excellent basis in the study of Political Science and research training. A candidate for the M.A. degree must:

  1. Successfully complete the core curriculum for M.A. Degree in Political Science and Public Administration. There are two elective pools in the core curriculum. These are Specialization Electives (POLS 601 Seminar in Turkish Politics, POLS 602 Seminar in Comparative Politics, POLS 606 Seminar in Political Theory, POLS 612 Seminar in Social Theory and Cultural Studies) and Research Methods Electives (GE 510 Fundamentals of Social Research Design, GE 511 Philosophy of Social Inquiry, GE 512 Quantitative Data Analysis for the Social Sciences, GE 513 Qualitative Research Methods). One out of four Specialization Elective courses and one out of four Research Methods Elective courses must be satisfied. Other core courses are Research Methods and Academic Publication Ethics (GE 500), Academic Practices (GE 590), and the Master's Thesis (POLS 599).
  2. Successfully complete the course requirements for the M.A. degree by earning at least 24 credits in total. In addition to the core courses, students will take three restricted electives and three unrestricted elective courses with at least 3 credits.

CURRICULUM

Courses

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 500  Research Methods and Academic Publication Ethics      -  1
GE 590  Academic Practices      -  12
POLS 551  Pre-Thesis Seminar I      -  1
POLS 599  Master's Thesis      -  66
  Research Methods Elective      3  -
  Restricted Electives (3)      9  -
  Specialization Elective      3  -
  Unrestricted Electives (3)      9  -

Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science

The Ph.D. Program at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration is designed to provide Ph.D. candidates with theoretical background, analytical abilities, and empirical research skills in accordance with international academic standards in four major fields (Turkish Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Theory, Social Theory and Cultural Studies). Students are admitted to the program by written application and after an evaluation by the Graduate Admissions Committee of the Department. Also refer to the "Graduate Admissions" section in the introduction of this catalogue for the general graduate admission requirements.

A candidate for the Ph.D. degree must:

  1. Successfully complete the core curriculum for Ph.D. Degree at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. There are two elective pools in the core curriculum. These are Specialization Electives (POLS 601 Seminar in Turkish Politics, POLS 602 Seminar in Comparative Politics, POLS 606 Seminar in Political Theory, POLS 612 Seminar in Social Theory and Cultural Studies) and Research Methods Electives (GE 510 Fundamentals of Social Research Design, GE 511 Philosophy of Social Inquiry, GE 512 Quantitative Data Analysis for the Social Sciences, GE 513 Qualitative Research Methods). Three out of four of the Specialization Elective courses and two out of four of the Research Methods Elective courses must be satisfied. Other core courses are Research Methods and Academic Publication Ethics (GE 500), Academic Practices (GE 690) and the Ph.D. Dissertation (POLS 699).
  2. Successfully complete the course requirements for the Ph.D. degree by earning at least 24 credit units of course work is required.
  3. Show competence in the written and oral comprehensive examinations after completing all credit requirements and the seminar courses in the curriculum. Students with a Master's degree must take the comprehensive exam within the first five semesters. Students without a Master's degree must take the comprehensive exam within the first seven semesters.
  4. Submit a detailed Ph.D. dissertation proposal within six months after successfully passing their comprehensive examinations.
  5. A paper based on the candidate's thesis must be accepted or published in a reputable journal before the dissertation can be defended.
  6. Submit and successfully defend a Ph.D. dissertation that represents an original contribution to knowledge in the field.

CURRICULUM

Courses

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 500  Research Methods and Academic Publication Ethics      -  1
GE 690  Academic Practices      -  24
POLS 651  Pre-Thesis Seminar I      -  1
POLS 699  Ph.D. Dissertation      -  194
  Research Methods Electives (2)      6  -
  Restricted Electives (2)      6  -
  Specialization Electives (3)      9  -
  Unrestricted Elective      3  -

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