Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences · Political Science and International Relations (English) · Undergraduate
Course Objective
The aim of this course is to help students understand the historical context of modern internatinal relations.
Course Content
The students will look at the rise of the modern world from the Middle Ages to WW I that primarily took place in early modern and modern Europe. Some of the issues include feudalism, the Renaissance and Reformation, absolutism, the birth of modern state, Westphalian state system, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Congress of Vienna, 1830-1848 Revolutions, the unification of Germany and Italy, and colonialism.
Required Resources
Marvin Perry, Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society, (9th Edition).
Recommended Resources
Oral Sander. Siyasi Tarih I. Imge Kitabevi.
Muharrem Gunay. Siyasal Tarih. Imge Kitabevi.
Henry Kissinger. Diplomacy.
Paul Kennedy. The Rise and Fall of Great Powers.
Course Learning Outcomes
- Students should have a working knowledge of basic elements of modern state and European state systems in history.
- Students will comprehend how and why wars of religion shaped the development of modern European states.
- Students will be familiar with major events in modern political history such as the price revolution, English Revolution, the French Revolution, and imperialism.
- Students will be able to distinguish how modern state systems and world orders developed and changed until WW I.
- Students will learn how to identify and analyse the relationship between rapid or gradual change and the formation of the world order in the last two centuries. Further, students will acquire the skills to weigh up and debate different factors driving political phenomena.
Core Area Distribution
Teaching Methods
Assessment & Evaluation
ECTS / Workload
| Activity | Quantity | Duration (h) | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Duration (Including Exam Week) | 15 | 3 | 45 |
| Out of Class Study Period | 15 | 5 | 75 |
| Midterm | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Quiz | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Assignment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Practice | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Course Schedule
| Week | Subject | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the Course: What is History? | See syllabus |
| 2 | The Roman Empire and the Birth of Christianity | Chapter 7 and 8 |
| 3 | Feudalism and Medieval Europe | Chapter 10 and 12 |
| 4 | The Renaissance | Chapter 13 |
| 5 | Reformations | Chapter 14 |
| 6 | Capitalism and European Expansion | Chapter 15 |
| 7 | The Rise of Sovereignty: Transition to the Modern State | Chapter 16 |
| 8 | Midterm exam | |
| 9 | Scientific Revolution, The Enlightenment, and Industrial Revolution | Chapter 17 (pp. 414-416 only) Chapter 18 Chapter 21 |
| 10 | French Revolution and Napoleonic Europe | Chapter 19 and 20 |
| 11 | Revolution and Counterrevolution, 1815–1848 | Chapter 23 |
| 12 | Nationalism: the German and Italian Political Unifications | Chapter 25 |
| 13 | Modernization in the non-Westrern World: Russian, Ottoman, and Japanese empires | Additional reading-TBA |
| 14 | Imperialism: Western Global Dominance | Chapter 27 |
| 15 | Final exam | |
| 16 | Resit exam |