Web Site of the Department

Head of Department: Faruk Birtek

Professors: Faruk Birtek, Caglar Keyder, Ayse Oncu•, Ferhunde Ozbay, Nukhet Sirman, Belgin Tekce

Associate Professor: Isik Aytac, Meltem Ahiska

Assistant Professors: Ayfer Bartu Candan, Biray Kirli, Nazan Ustundag, Zafer Yenal

Instructors: Dr. Daryo Mizrahi*

*Part-time

•Adjunct

The Department of Sociology offers a four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. The undergraduate program of the Department of Sociology is designed to enhance the student's capacity for critical analysis and understanding of social issues. It provides a broad cultural background combined with rigorous training in the major theoretical issues and research methods of sociological analysis. Students have the opportunity to take a range of courses that will prepare them for positions involving teaching, research, and administration in a variety of organizational settings.

The department offers a double-major program to the students of Economics, History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, and Psychology.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

SOC 100 Introduction to Computer Application Programs (3+0+0) 3
(Bilgisayar Kullanimina Giris)
The course provides an introductory experience with software for encoding and processing numeric data, organizing literal information such as notes and bibliographies, making quantitative presentations, and writing research reports.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (Sosyolojiye Giris) (3+0+0) 3
Introduction to the basic concepts and principles of sociology. Includes a variety of theoretical perspectives and research findings that represent both the macro and microanalytic traditions in sociology.

SOC 106 Sociological Perspectives (Sosyolojik Perspektifler) (3+0+0) 3
The study of various perspectives germane to a sociological understanding of society.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

TOTAL: 138/139 credits.

SOC 108 Sociological Analysis (Sosyolojik Analiz) (3+0+0) 3
Analysis of the political, economic, and social institutions of society in a comparative and cross-cultural perspective. Emphasis is placed on historical change and transformation of social structures.
Prerequisite: SOC 101.

SOC 203 Advanced Computer Application Programs (2+0+2) 3
(Ileri Bilgisayar Uygulama Programlari)
The course provides advanced level experience in software for encoding and processing data as well as literal information such as notes and bibliographies, making quantative presentations and writing research reports in the social sciences.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 204 Introduction to Research Methods (4+0+0) 4
(Arastirma Yontemlerine Giris)
An introduction to the methodology and research techniques used in social sciences. The logic of scientific inquiry. Formulation of research problems; selection of the appropriate research design. General problems of measurement and data collection techniques.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 221 Social Change and Development (3+0+0) 3
(Toplumsal Degisme ve Gelisme)
Examination of the content and context of major theories of social change and development. Evaluation of the relevance of these theories to historical experience in different world regions. Current issues in development.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 224 Urban Sociology (Kent Sosyolojisi) (3+0+0) 3
Examines the role of cities in different socio-historical contexts with special emphasis on the organization of contemporary urban life. Includes dualistic models of urban life, settlement dynamics, survival strategies of urban households, and responses to global restructuring. Special emphasis on Turkish urbanization. Alternates with 262.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 227 Sociology of Small Groups (Kucuk Gruplar Sosyolojisi) (3+0+0) 3
Characteristics of small groups; interrelationships between the individual, the group and the social setting. Interaction processes in small groups and the emergence of group structure. Theories of group dynamics.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 262 Population Studies (Nufus Calismalari) (3+0+0) 3
Introduction to basic demographic concepts; the relationship between social, cultural and economic factors, and population composition and structure. Population theories and policies. Alternates with 224.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 272 Culture and Society (Kultur ve Toplum) (3+0+0) 3
Study of culture from a sociological and anthropological perspective. Main emphases are on culture and symbol, culture ad social structure, comparative studies of culture, and on the interface between anthropological studies of culture and those of other disciplines.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 281 Social Anthropology (Sosyal Antropoloji) (3+0+0) 3
The general aims, methods and findings of modern anthropology. A comparison of diverse cultures and societies, covering such topics as ecology, economy, politics, kinship, religion, and other belief systems and ritual. Special emphasis is placed upon the significance of symbolism and culture.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 282 Peasant Studies (Koyluluk Incelemeleri) (3+0+0) 3
The analysis of various sociological definitions and theories of peasant societies, an overview of the historical conditions for their emergence, the transformation of agricultural production and its social consequences, the role of peasants in nation building, specific forms of peasant politics, peasants and the state, and the position of women in rural society. Alternates with 284 and 286.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 284 Economic Anthropology (Ekonomik Antropoloji) (3+0+0) 3
An examination of thinking about the meaning, functions, and place of "economic" activities in society, from a comparative perspective. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the economies of pre-capitalist/pre-modern societies, otherwise known as primitive and peasant, and on the transformations taking place in such economies. Alternates with 282 and 286.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 285 Family and Kinship (Aile ve Akrabalik) (3+0+0) 3
The study of the meaning and functions of family and kinship in society in a comparative perspective. Special emphasis is placed on understanding changes and continuities in family and kinship over time. Discussions focus on family and kinship groups and structures, systems of alliance and marriage, inheritance, the developmental cycle, and family and kinship in the modern world.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 286 Political Anthropology (Politik Antropoloji) (3+0+0) 3
An exploration of forms of power, control and authority in different social and cultural settings, with special emphasis on their transformations brought about by processes of social change. Examination of institutional as well as discursive structures through careful analysis of specific case studies. Alternates with 282 and 284.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 303 Social Statistics (Sosyal Istatistik) (4+0+0) 4
A two-semester introduction to techniques of summarizing and interpreting social science data. Descriptive statistics. Probability theory and probability distributions. Decision theory. Testing statistical hypotheses. Statistical estimation. Non-parametric statistics. Correlation and regression analysis. Use of a computer package program designed to process social science data.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 304 Data Analysis (Veri Analizi) (3+0+2) 4
Applied quantative research methods with advanced statistical analysis: application of regression, ANOVA, and other similar statistical techniques to research problems through SPSS or similar programs. Application of survey research or document analysis. Alternates with 306.
Prerequisites: SOC 204, SOC 303 and consent of instructor.

SOC 306 Qualitative Research Methods (4+0+0) 4
(Niteliksel Arastirma Yontemleri)
This course covers the theory and practice of qualitative research methods used in sociology and anthropology. Topics include the philosophical assumptions and paradigms underlying qualitative methodologies, design alternatives and issues, data collection techniques such as interviewing and observation, issues of reliability and validity, data analysis and reporting strategies, and a discussion of ethics in qualitative inquiry. Alternates with 304.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 320 Sociology of Organizations (Organizasyon Sosyolojisi) (3+0+0) 3
A social structural approach to the study of organizations emphasizing such issues as the role of technology in determining organizational structure; interrelations between size, complexity and formalization in organizational networks; impact of large scale organizations on the structure of modern societies.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 324 Power and Inequality (Guc ve Esitsizlik) (3+0+0) 3
Study of basic concepts, theories, and critical issues in the analysis of structured social inequality. Comparative and historical inquiry into the forms and consequences of stratification, social mobility, and political power.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 340 Economy and Society in Comparative Perspective (3+0+0) 3
(Karsilastirmali Ekonomi ve Toplum Incelemeleri)
Examines how the organization of economic activity varies and is transformed within different social systems. The development of markets, corporate hierarchies, networks, and associations are considered from the perspective of different theoretical traditions. The state's role in organizing and coordinating economic activity is emphasized.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 341 Advanced Industrial Societies (Ileri Sanayi Toplumlari) (3+0+0) 3
This course covers the social and economic transformation of advanced countries in Western Europe and North America since World War II. Topics will include the impact of the Depression; recovery under American hegemony and social balances of the welfare state; race, immigration and inequality; new social movements; crisis and political change in the 1980s; regionalization, globalization, and nation-states.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 342 Political Sociology (Siyaset Sosyolojisi) (3+0+0) 3
A survey of the field of political sociology, oriented around critical themes in major theoretical traditions and contemporary issues. Special attention to competing perspectives on power, the state, and the relationship of class structure to politics. Questions about political ideology and action are also explored.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 343 State and Society in Comparative Perspective (3+0+0) 3
(Karsilastirmali Devlet ve Toplum Incelemeleri)
Surveys theories and research on comparative state formation, on states as actors, and on the effects of state structures on socioeconomic change and pattern of politics. Special emphasis on Ottoman-Turkish state formation in comparative perspective.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 344 Studies in Comparative Historical Sociology (3+0+0) 3
(Karsilastirmali Tarihsel Sosyoloji Incelemeleri)
Comparative analytical study of history of societies for the development of new perspectives, theories, hypotheses in macro-sociology. Classical texts as well as contemporary debates on existing historical material to form the bases of discussion.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 345 Politics, Religion and Social Change (3+0+0) 3
(Politika, Din ve Sosyal Degisim)
The role of religion in the process of social change and the impact of social change on the formal organization of religion and on the nature of religious belief. Comparison of different religious experiences, both mainline and New Age, in terms of their social and political implications.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 353 Globalization of Culture and Communication (3+0+0) 3
(Kulturun ve Iletisimin Kuresellemesi)
An introduction to the trends and issues of the processes of globalization of culture and transcultural communication. Study of a multiplicity of various disciplinary approaches in an attempt to focus on a variety of issues: the political economy of global communication; formation of a "world culture", transition to a post-industrial or post-Fordist mode of production; the transformation of the experience of time and space, and, the creation of new networks of information.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 360 Society and Environment (Toplum ve Cevre) (3+0+0) 3
Interaction between technology, politics, and human and non-human ecological systems. Current ecological issues in contemporary analytical perspective.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 368 Understanding Health and Healing (3+0+0) 3
(Saglik ve Tedaviyi Anlamak)
Health and healing from a social and cultural perspective: concepts and representations of health and illness over time, models of causation, lived experience of illness, therapeutic encounters, medical systems, medicalization of life, and globalization of medicine. Special attention given to how biomedical knowledge and practice are culturally constructed and institutionally structured.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 370 History of Social and Political Thought (3+0+0) 3
(Sosyal ve Politik Düsünce Tarihi)
Development of social thought, its philosophical foundations and some issues of moral philosophy from the Classical period to the Enlightenment and the l9th century and its investigation through the critical examination of original texts by principal thinkers like Plato, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 371 History of Sociological Theory (Sosyolojik Kuramin Tarihi) (3+0+0) 3
An in-depth analytical study of the principal paradigms that set the groundwork for modern sociology through the writings of Marx, Durkheim and Weber.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 373 Issues in Sociological Theory (Toplum Kuramlari Tartismasi) (3+0+0) 3
An in-depth study of sociological theory: an evaluation of some of the major theories in sociology in terms of their assumptions, theoretical rigor, and political implications.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 375 Sociology of Law (Hukuk Sosyolojisi) (3+0+0) 3
Law as a social institution, comparative and historical study of its changing normativity, the evolution of its practice, and its interaction with other social processes and institutions.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 377 Comparative Sociology of Religions (3+0+0) 3
(Dinlerin Karsilastirmali Sosyolojisi)
Religion as a socio-historical project: examination of the major texts and the commentaries on Judaism, Christianity and Islam regarding the questions of individual responsibility, moral community, political power, and the ideals of social order.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 379 History of Sociological Conceptualization (3+0+0) 3
(Sosyolojik Kavramsallasma Tarihi)
Review of the origins and development of key concepts and major theoretical perspectives in sociology from the classical theorists to contemporary statements.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 380 History of Anthropological Thought (3+0+0) 3
(Antropolojik Dusunce Tarihi)
The examination of the philosophical texts and the issues in the philosophical tradition that are the groundwork for the attempt to scientifically analyze and classify cultures. Delienation of the growth of the discipline in Britain, America and France by examining the intellectual traditions that led to the differing concerns of the anthropologists.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 387 Urban Anthropology (Kent Antropolojisi) (3+0+0) 3
A comparative examination of the culture and social organization of cities and the regions centered on and controlled by them. Topics include: the processes of city growth and change, the nature of urbanism, pre-industrial cities, contemporary cities, with special emphasis on non-western cities.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 425 The City (Sehir) (3+0+0) 3
Comparative sociology of city formation and urban societies in historical perspective. Special emphasis on theoretical conceptualization in diverse contexts.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 430 Sociological Thought in Turkey (3+0+0) 3
(Turkiye'de Sosyolojik Dusunce)
A survey of sociological thinking in Turkey: Major figures and texts; dominant theoretical orientations; selected topics and problems; major premises, aspirations, and politics in the development of sociological thought in Turkey.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 435 Contemporary Issues in Turkey (3+0+0) 3
(Turkiye'nin Cagdas Sorunlari)
Sociological analysis of current issues related to social and cultural change in Turkey, and their relationship to world-wide phenomena. Particular emphasis on developing research interest.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 441 Seminar on Historical Sociology (Tarihsel Sosyoloji Semineri) (3+0+0) 3
Examines the logic and methodological assumptions of historical sociology. Substantive paradigms of comparative and historical analysis are illustrated through representative major works.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 442 Economy ad Society in the Late Twentieth Century (3+0+0) 3
(20. Yuzyilin Sonunda Ekonomi ve Toplum)
Comparative analysis of politically organized aspects of the economies in the post-World War II period and their class structures; their development trajectories; crisis of the welfare states; neo-liberalism and the modes of adaptation to the new world-economic environment amongst the industrializing societies.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 443 Class and State in the Middle East (3+0+0) 3
(Ortadogu'da Sinif ve Devlet)
Social structures and political processes in the Middle East. Study of the origins of social ad economic underdevelopment in the Middle East from a historical perspective and examination of current problems related to political regimes through a selective study of the social and political structure of the region.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 451 Identity and Culture (Kimlik ve Kultur) (3+0+0) 3
Sociological approaches to the formation and transformation of collective identities with special emphasis on the role of the modern nation-state, impact of international migration, and mass media and new forms of cultural expression and politicization of identities. Ethnic, racial and religious minorities and their relations with dominant cultures; increasing salience of identity politics and popular cultures.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 452 Seminar on Social Movements (3+0+0) 3
(Toplumsal Hareketler Semineri)
The study of the formation of new cultural models through the interplay of social conflicts. The focus will be upon the emergence of new relations of domination, and new forms of power.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 453 Communication and Media Studies (3+0+0) 3
(Iletisim ve Medya Arastirmalari)
New forms of communication will be discussed in the context of contemporary societies. The effects of an "information society" on modes of communication and on the categories of public and private spheres will be analyzed.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 455 Post-Industrial/Post-Modern Debate (3+0+0) 3
(Sanayi Otesi/Post Modern Tartismasi)
A critical review of the theories of post-industrial society and post-modernism with special emphasis on new cultural issues.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 458 Contemporary Media Studies (Cagdas Medya Incelemeleri) (3+0+0) 3
Comparative analysis of media in different cultures within a process of globalization. The examination of various issues regarding television and radio broadcasting, and new digital media, such as internet, in relation to political economy, the public domain, forms of popular culture, narrative structures, and ethnography of audiences.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 462 Sociology of Gender (Cinsiyet Sosyolojisi) (3+0+0) 3
An inquiry into the relation between gender and social structure and practice. Examines the position of women in society, their accession to the economic and political spheres and the history of women's movements in different societies. Topics included are: women in the family and the home, the construction of gender identities, the meanings attached to masculinity and femininity, and the contextuality of gender differences. Critically reviews sociological categories and introduces concepts that can take into account the gendered nature of social reality.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 465 Selected Topics in Demography (3+0+0) 3
(Demografi: Secilmis Konular)
Studies the social causes and consequences of demographic processes. Family and social structure, fertility, mortality, and migration. Policies that are affected by demographic processes.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 471 Advanced Issues in Social Theory (3+0+0) 3
(Sosyal Kuramda Ileri Konular)
Principal questions of epistemology and methodology in the social sciences. An overview of selected controversies in sociological theory both in terms of their historical antecedents and theory construction. An examination of various theoretical perspectives, the positivism-antipositivism debate, empiricism, historicism and positive science, the limits of sociological inquiry and the limits of theory, interpretive sociology, objectivism, the Frankfurt School and Critical Theory.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 472 Contemporary Social Theories (Cagdas Sosyal Kuramlar) (3+0+0) 3
This course will review in a comparative perspective the recent theoretical and substantive developments in the discipline of sociology. It will focus on the relation between contemporary research and theory.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 479 Sociology of Citizenship and Human Rights (3+0+0) 3
(Vatandaslik ve Insan Haklari Sosyolojisi)
An attempt to historicize and contextualize two notions that have been central in Western political thought: citizenship and human rights. The historical conditions of the emergence and transformation of notions and practices of citizenship and human rights, theoretical accounts and critiques from various political and theoretical positions.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 480, 481 Issues in Contemporary Anthropology I, II (3+0+0) 3
(Cagdas Antropoloji Sorunlari I, II)
An examination of major issues of current concern in the discipline of social-cultural anthropology. Meant to acquaint students with new thinking at the frontiers of the field. Topics selected will vary from year to year depending upon directions in the disciplines at the time of offering.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 482 Sociology of Religion (Din Sosyolojisi) (3+0+0) 3
This course will focus on sociological and anthropological theories of religion, and on selected religious institutions in a comparative/historical framework. Some of the topics covered will include a discussion of ethnographic and theoretical issues in religion and society raised by Durkheim, Weber's theses on charisma, sect, dogma and religious organization, economic and political dimensions of religious institutionalization.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 485, 486 Regional Studies I, II (Bolge Incelemeleri I, II) (3+0+0) 3
This course analyzes the societies and cultures of major world socio-cultural regions from sociological and/or anthropological perspectives. One region is to be selected for discussion each time the course is offered. Primary focus is on common regional social structures and cultures, on divergent social and cultural institutions, on processes producing them.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 490, 496, 497, 498, 499 Directed Research and Readings I, II, III, IV, V
(Yonlendirmeli Okuma ve Arastirmalar I, II, III, IV, V) (3+0+0) 3
Faculty members will assign reading and research tasks to students on selected topics and supervise their progress. The scope and duration of the studies will be specified at the beginning of the semester.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

SOC 491, 492, 493, 494, 495 Specialization Seminar I, II, III, IV, V (3+0+0) 3
(Ihtisas Semineri I, II, III, IV, V)
Advanced topics in social analysis.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Web Site of the Department

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Contact Information Bogazici University 34342 Bebek, Istanbul Tel: 0212 359 54 00