HIST623 GRADUATE SEMINAR ON OTTOMAN SOCIAL&ECON. HISTORY
| Course Code: | 2400623 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | History |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. KAYHAN ORBAY |
| Offered Semester: | Fall or Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
The objective of this graduate seminar course is to provide Ph.D. students with advanced skills in reading, analyzing, and interpreting primary Ottoman sources, particularly those pertaining to the social and economic history of the Ottoman Empire. By focusing on specialized documents, such as court registers, guild and market records, and other materials that detail urban and rural networks, the course aims to deepen students' understanding of Ottoman social structures, economic systems, and urban dynamics. Through critical engagement with these sources, students will also explore the broader implications of urban space organization and urban-rural interactions within the context of Ottoman society.
Course Content
This seminar is designed to train Ph.D. students in reading and analyzing Ottoman sources on social and economic life. Special documents will be chosen to illustrate aspects of urban life such as the organization of urban space, guilds and markets and urban-rural networks. Students will also focus on Ottoman court registers that illustrate urban mentality.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Analyze Ottoman Primary Sources: Critically read and interpret primary sources related to Ottoman social and economic life, including court registers, guild records, market documents, and other sources that illuminate urban and rural interactions.
Understand Urban and Rural Structures: Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the organization of urban space in the Ottoman Empire, including the roles of guilds, markets, and urban-rural networks, and their impact on daily life.
Assess Urban Mentalities: Use Ottoman court registers to explore and analyze urban mentalities, examining the socio-political and cultural attitudes reflected in legal and administrative documents.
Compare and Contrast Social and Economic Systems: Evaluate and compare Ottoman social and economic systems, considering their continuity and change over time and across different regions of the empire.
Contextualize Sources within Broader Histories: Situate Ottoman social and economic history within the broader context of global and regional historical developments, with attention to comparative histories of urbanization, economic networks, and governance.
Conduct Independent Research: Develop the ability to conduct independent research based on primary Ottoman sources, formulating research questions, hypotheses, and original interpretations of Ottoman social and economic history.
Communicate Scholarly Insights: Effectively communicate research findings in both written and oral formats, contributing to the scholarly discourse on Ottoman history.
This course will equip students with the necessary skills to engage with complex Ottoman historical sources, prepare them for further research, and encourage the development of original scholarly contributions to the field of Ottoman studies.
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | Demonstrate competence in their chosen fields of study including the sources and the historiography relevant to it | ✔ | |||
| 2 | Construct arguments based on developed research skills that enable them to access, analyze, synthesize and evaluate primary, secondary and tertiary sources efficiently | ✔ | |||
| 3 | Disseminate and communicate research findings effectively in oral and written form | ✔ | |||
| 4 | Develop the ability to work cooperatively on investigation of an area of historical inquiry and to share own findings with co-researchers | ✔ | |||
| 5 | Conduct research in Ottoman archives and other national and international research institutions | ✔ | |||
| 6 | Have a command of language skills necessary for their research | ✔ | |||
| 7 | Act in accordance with a universal understanding of academic ethics | ✔ | |||
| 8 | Contribute to society through a sense of personal responsibility and awareness for social issues | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution