Minor Introductions: Political Science
Politics is essentially a decision-making process that distributes status, power, and resources at all levels of human society, ranging from the family to the international system. Being one of the oldest social science disciplines, political science examines perennial questions such as how those decisions are made, who makes them, or who benefits from them. The Political Science Department at Bilkent University focuses specifically on four sub-fields: comparative politics, Turkish politics, political theory, and cultural studies.
The aim of the Minor Program in Political Science is to acquaint Bilkent students from any background with the academic study of politics. The minor program is composed of six courses in total; four of those are compulsory. Depending on their major program, students are expected to take either one of Introduction to Political Science I or Social Transformation in Turkey. Other compulsory courses are Comparative Politics I, Turkish Political Development, and Contemporary Turkish Politics. Minor program students are allowed to pick and choose any two political science courses as electives, and they would be well-advised to concentrate in one of the four sub-fields.
We encourage all Bilkent students to inquire about the Minor Program in Political Science (27 already enrolled), and we would be happy to provide information to all those who are interested.