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HIST462 SOURCES AND METHODS FOR EARLY MODERN OTTOMAN HISTORY

Course Objectives

• Understand Early Modern Ottoman Sources: Explore and familiarize students with key primary and secondary sources used in the study of early modern Ottoman history (16th to 18th centuries), including archival materials, chronicles, legal documents, travel accounts, and diplomatic correspondence.

• Analyze the Historical Methodologies: Introduce students to the various historiographical and methodological approaches used in the study of the Ottoman Empire, with a focus on understanding how historians utilize different types of sources to construct narratives of the past.

• Apply Source Criticism: Teach students how to critically assess and analyze Ottoman primary sources, understanding their origin, purpose, and biases, and how these factors shape historical interpretation.

• Contextualize the Ottoman Empire in Global History: Situate Ottoman history within broader global and regional contexts, examining how the Ottoman Empire interacted with European, Asian, and African powers and how global events influenced the empire’s political, economic, and social structures.

Course Content

This course aims to introduce students to critical issues and sources on Ottoman history from the 15th to the beginning of the 18 th century. Building upon research based on Ottoman state archives and using recent historiographical methodology on Ottoman history, the course analyses key themes, works, ideas and people on early modern Ottoman Empire.
The will be three main sections, Historiography, Themes and Sources. In the Historiography section, Ottoman histariographical tradition until 1453 and the era of Suleyman the Magnificant will be analysed in seperate lectures. The decline paradigm and the transformation of the eighteenth century will form the subject matter for another two lectures. In the Themes section, Ottoman-European interactions, the issues of legitimacy, literacy and intellectual accumulation will be studied while introducing literary and artistics genres such as sefaretnames, surnames, nasihatnames and manuscript collections. In the Sources section, Ottoman chronicles and history writers as well as European travel writing literature will be analysed. Two seperate lectures will be devoted to Ottoman primary sources such as Mühimme-Ahkam defterleri, Şeriyye Sicilleri and Tereke Defterleri.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will:

Demonstrate Knowledge of Ottoman Primary Sources: Be able to identify and evaluate key primary sources of early modern Ottoman history, including chronicles, legal texts, correspondence, and other archival materials.

Critically Assess Ottoman Sources: Exhibit the ability to critically analyze Ottoman sources, identifying their strengths, limitations, and biases, and understanding their role in shaping the historical narrative.

Apply Research Methodologies to Ottoman History: Effectively apply historiographical and methodological approaches to the study of early modern Ottoman history, demonstrating an understanding of how various sources are used to construct historical arguments.

Contextualize Ottoman History Globally: Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of how the Ottoman Empire fits into the broader context of early modern global history, including its interactions with other empires, states, and societies.

Conduct Independent Research: Successfully conduct independent research using primary Ottoman sources, developing an original argument based on historical evidence and presenting it in a scholarly format.

Communicate Research Findings: Present research findings effectively through written and oral formats, demonstrating clarity, organization, and the ability to engage with scholarly debates in Ottoman history.

Understand Key Themes of Early Modern Ottoman History: Identify and discuss significant themes in early modern Ottoman history, such as the development of Ottoman political institutions, military expansion, and the transformation of social and legal structures.

Engage with Interdisciplinary Approaches: Demonstrate the ability to integrate interdisciplinary approaches to Ottoman history, such as sociological, economic, and cultural analyses, into their research and understanding of the period.

Program Outcomes Matrix

0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution