The essential purpose of this course is to familiarize the students with the debates in the fields of gender and sexuality in Turkey. We will especially concentrate on four closely related areas where the ideas and practices about gender and sexuality are most clearly manifested and circulated; namely, nationalism, modernization/modernity, religion and everyday life. Our discussions on the state, citizenship, military, institutionalized medicine, public culture and labor will seek to reveal how the struggles on gender and sexuality inform Turkish politics in a number of different ways. Accordingly, we will also take a closer look at various forms of feminism and the LGBTT movement in Turkey.

Course requirements include attendance and class participation, one take home exam and one final paper. Students are expected to attend regularly and read the articles and book chapters assigned for every session.