Dr. Mehmet Kalpaklý will serve as the Acting Chair of the Department of History starting today, taking up the duties formerly handled by Dr. S. Akþin Somel.
Dr. Somel's area of expertise is 19th Century Ottoman Modernization and Balkan and Arabic Provinces. Dr. Kalpaklý's area of expertise is Ottoman Cultural History.
The Department of History functions mainly as a graduate department offering M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the areas of Ottoman, British, and American History. The program at Bilkent is the only graduate program in Turkey covering the history of Western Europe and USA. The Department accepts students from diverse departments, including Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, International Relations, American Language and Culture, English Language and Literature departments. The students are required to take a year of preparatory classes before beginning work on a graduate degree. At present there are 30 students studying Ottoman History, 13 studying British and Western European History, and six American History students. All students have scholarships and they are given an opportunity to do research at distinguished universities and research centers all over the world.
In recognition of Dr. Somel's services, a reception was held at the Rector's Residence on Friday, February 12.
