Course Information
SemesterCourse Unit CodeCourse Unit TitleT+P+LCreditNumber of ECTS CreditsLast Updated Date
1SBU503Turkish Foreign Policy3+0+03703.01.2026
Course Details
Language of Instruction Turkish
Level of Course Unit Master's Degree
Department / Program Political Science and International Relations (Non-Thesis)
Type of Program Formal Education
Type of Course Unit Elective
Course Delivery Method Face To Face
Objectives of the Course This course examines the fundamental concepts, theoretical approaches, practical applications, and cause–effect relationships of Turkish foreign policy by analyzing historical processes from the late Ottoman period, the Republican era, the Cold War, and the post–Cold War period up to the present day. It aims to understand the background of continuities and ruptures in Turkish foreign policy.

The course also critically explores Turkey’s reasons for joining alliances and the treaties it has signed, along with their interactions with domestic politics. Within this framework, the relations of regional and global powers with Turkey, as well as the political, economic, military, and international relations–based impacts of global developments on Turkish foreign and domestic politics, are analyzed.

By doing so, the course seeks to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the processes that Turkish foreign policy has undergone from the late Ottoman Empire to the present day, conveying the essential facts, approaches, and practices of Turkey’s external relations within a broad perspective.
Course Content This course aims to examine the fundamental characteristics and principles of Turkish foreign policy within the framework of international and regional dynamics. It explores Turkey’s foreign policy journey from past to present by analyzing it in distinct historical periods, and investigates Turkey’s foreign policy foundations as well as its relations with international actors—particularly neighboring states—on both historical and theoretical grounds.

The course identifies the periods in which the theory and practice of Turkish foreign policy have undergone significant transformations since the establishment of the Republic, and discusses each period in detail. Moreover, it focuses on the major changes in Turkish foreign policy shaped by international developments and regional factors within the global system in which Turkey is embedded.

In addition, the course covers Turkey’s participation in alliance systems, its interactions with international actors and neighboring countries, the major foreign policy issues it has faced, and the decision-making processes that have influenced its external relations.
Course Methods and Techniques Lecture
Discussion
Case Study
Research Assignment
Small Group Work
Group Work
Prerequisites and co-requisities None
Course Coordinator None
Name of Lecturers Asist Prof.Dr. BURÇİN ULUĞ burcin.eryilmaz@hku.edu.tr
Assistants None
Work Placement(s) No

Recommended or Required Reading
Resources William Hale. 2013. 1774’ten Günümüze Türk Dış Politikası. 3. Baskı. Çev. Prof. Dr. Nasuh Uslu. Ankara: Serbest Akademi.
Ali Balcı. 2013. Türk Dış Politikası: İlkeler, Aktörler, Uygulamalar. İstanbul: Etkileşim Yayınları.
Fahir Armaoğlu. 2021. Türk Dış Politikası Tarihi.4. Baskı. İstanbul: Kronik Kitap.
Kemal H. Karpat. 2022. Türk Dış Politikası Tarihi. 6. Baskı. İstanbul: Timaş Yayınları.
Oral Sander. 2020. Türkiye’nin Dış Politikası. 5. Baskı. Ankara: İmge.
Faruk Sönmezoğlu (der.). 2004. Türk Dış Politikasının Analizi. İstanbul: Der Yayınları
Course Notes Main Resouces:
-William Hale. 2013. 1774’ten Günümüze Türk Dış Politikası. 3. Baskı. Çev. Prof. Dr. Nasuh Uslu. Ankara: Serbest Akademi.
-Ali Balcı. 2013. Türk Dış Politikası: İlkeler, Aktörler, Uygulamalar. İstanbul: Etkileşim Yayınları.
-Fahir Armaoğlu. 2021. Türk Dış Politikası Tarihi.4. Baskı. İstanbul: Kronik Kitap.
-Kemal H. Karpat. 2022. Türk Dış Politikası Tarihi. 6. Baskı. İstanbul: Timaş Yayınları.
Suggested Resources:
-Baskın Oran (ed.). 2013. Türk Dış Politikası: Kurtuluş Savaşından Bugüne Olgular, Belgeler, Yorumlar C. I: 1919-1980. 18. Baskı. İstanbul: İletişim.
-Baskın Oran (ed.). 2013. Türk Dış Politikası: Kurtuluş Savaşından Bugüne Olgular, Belgeler, Yorumlar C. III:2001-2012. 2. Baskı. İstanbul: İletişim.
-Oral Sander. 2020. Türkiye’nin Dış Politikası. 5. Baskı. Ankara: İmge.
-Faruk Sönmezoğlu (der.). 2004. Türk Dış Politikasının Analizi. İstanbul: Der Yayınları.

Course Category
Social Sciences %100

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
Activities are given in detail in the section of "Assessment Methods and Criteria" and "Workload Calculation"

Assessment Methods and Criteria
In-Term Studies Quantity Percentage
Assignment 10 % 30
Attendance 14 % 10
Practice 1 % 10
Project 1 % 50
Total
26
% 100

 
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration Total Work Load
Course Duration 15 3 45
Hours for off-the-c.r.stud 15 5 75
Assignments 1 40 40
Presentation 1 10 10
Final examination 1 40 40
Total Work Load   Number of ECTS Credits 7 210

 
Course Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
NoLearning Outcomes
1 Define the fundamental concepts of Turkish foreign policy.
2 They will be able to explain how Turkish foreign policy is organized within the framework of administrative science.
3 They will be able to identify the practitioners of Turkish foreign policy.
4 Students will be able to analyze and discuss the historical development of Turkish foreign policy from the 1800s to the present.
5 Students will be able to critically evaluate Turkey’s reasons for joining alliances and the treaties it has signed.
6 Students will be able to interpret current international and regional political developments from Turkey’s perspective.
7 Students will be able to examine the relational dimensions between Turkish foreign policy and domestic politics.

 
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
WeekTopicsStudy MaterialsMaterials
1 Course Overview and Introduction - -
2 Fundamental Principles of Turkish Foreign Policy Foreign Policy of the Ottoman Empire (1774–1918) Oran (2013): 46-53 Karpat (2022): 161-176 Hale (2013): 23-48 -
3 War of Independence, Recovery and Diplomacy (1918–1939) Turkish Foreign Policy during the War of Independence and the Founding Years of the Republic Hale (2013): 49-76 Balcı (2013): 27-52 Armaoğlu (2021): 13-62 -
4 Turkey and the Second World War Period (1939–1945) Hale (2013): 77-101 Armaoğlu (2021): 105-167 Balcı (2013): 55-76 -
5 Turkish Foreign Policy during the Cold War Period (1945–1963) Hale (2013): 103-131 Balcı (2013): 79-104 -
6 Turkish Foreign Policy during the Cold War Period (1945–1963) Hale (2013): 103-131 Balcı (2013): 79-104 -
7 Turkish Foreign Policy during the Cold War Period (1964–1990) Global Transformations Regional Conflicts Turkey and the Middle East The Cyprus Question Hale (2013): 133-167 Balcı (2013): 107-180 Karpat (2022): 177-247 Armaoğlu (2021): 171-257 -
8 Mid-term week none none
9 Post-Cold War Turkish Foreign Policy: Global Transformations Strategic Opportunities Domestic Debates Hale (2013): 169-193 Balcı (2013): 183-230 -
10 Post-Cold War Turkey–West Relations: Turkey–United States Relations Hale (2013): 195-212 -
11 Post-Cold War Turkey-West Relations: Turkey–European Union Relations Hale (2013): 213-234 Balcı (2013): 233-254 -
12 Post-Cold War Turkey and Regional Policy: Greece, Cyprus, The Balkans, Russia, The Black Sea, The Caucasus, Central Asia Hale (2013): 235-270 -
13 Turkey and the Middle East in the Post-Cold War Era Hale (2013): 271-296 -
14 Principles, Formation and Practices of Turkish Foreign Policy during the AKP Era Balcı (2013): 257-316 -
15 Paper Presentations - -

 
Sustainable Development Goals
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P11
C1 4 5 4 3 3 4 5 3 4 4 5
C2 5 3 5 2 4 5 5 3 4 3 5
C3 4 4 5 2 3 5 4 4 4 4 4
C4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 3 5 3
C5 5 5 3 4 4 4 3 3 4 5 3
C6 4 3 4 5 5 3 4 5 5 4 3
C7 4 3 4 3 4 4 2 4 3 5 4

  Contribution: 1: Very Slight 2:Slight 3:Moderate 4:Significant 5:Very Significant