IR Launches "Virtual" Course with Montclair State University
Students from Bilkent University met on Friday, February 12 with their American counterparts at Montclair State University in the United States, using videoconferencing to discuss challenges in the global context of network societies. The online session is the first in a semester-long course taught jointly by a professor at each university, focusing on common challenges Turkey and the United States face in the 21st century. The course, IR 4118 - Turkey and the United States: Common Concerns and New ICT Instruments, is the outcome of a partnership between Bilkent, Montclair State and the US Department of State Office of eDiplomacy.
In addition to discussing world politics and key roles played by Turkey and the US, the course pays special attention to processes through which ordinary citizens can shape politics, including public opinion polls and innovative connection technologies and social media. In particular, the course focuses on building an understanding of the role of information and communication technology (ICT).
The classroom-to-classroom online course includes joint weekly lectures and discussions, in addition to assignments that will be conducted and completed collaboratively by students in both countries through the use of existing, underutilized technologies (WebEx, VTC, Skype, Google Docs, etc.). The course is taught by Dr. Nida Shoughry of the Department of International Relations at Bilkent and Dr. Zsolt Nyiri of the Department of Political Science and Law at Montclair State.