Turkish courses follow a sequence. If you’re a brand new beginner, you can start to study Turkish only in the fall because fall is the only time “Elementary Turkish I” is offered. If you’re at higher levels, you can join in the second sequence of elementary or intermediate levels, Elementary Turkish II or Intermediate Turkish II in the spring. However, be aware that just like Elementary I, Intermediate Turkish I or Advanced Turkish I are only offered in the fall, and that Intermediate Turkish II and Advanced Turkish II, in the spring, together with Elementary Turkish II.
Elementary and Intermediate Turkish courses are undergraduate courses. Advanced Turkish courses are graduate seminars and are listed under graduate courses, but undergraduates can take Advanced Turkish courses if they place into the advanced level.
To inquire about the Turkish placement exam, which takes place at the start of each semester, please contact Turkish Coordinator Professor Sibel Erol.
Fall Courses
- MEIS-UA 501 Elementary Turkish I
- MEIS-UA 503 Intermediate Turkish I
- MEIS-GA 1514 Advanced Turkish I (OPEN TO QUALIFYING UNDERGRADUATES)
Spring Courses
- MEIS-UA 502 Elementary Turkish II
- MEIS-UA 504 Intermediate Turkish II
- MEIS-GA 1515 Advanced Turkish II (OPEN TO QUALIFYING UNDERGRADUATES)
MEIS-UA 501 (7290) Elementary Turkish I
Elementary Turkish emphasizes four language skills while introducing basic structures and sound properties of Turkish (vowel harmony, consonant harmony, voicing, etc). Students learn to talk and write about themselves, their likes and dislikes, their families, and their daily programs and activities. They are expected to give and follow directions, and describe places and neighborhoods. They learn to work with numbers and time. The five cases of nouns and the structures built on these are used as the anchor of the course. Possession structures, comparative forms and various ways of asking questions are also emphasized.
Materials:
Course materials include Kurtuluş Öztopçu’s Elementary Turkish as well as handouts of instructor written materials and exercises. Songs, simple children’s books, poems, picture materials and cartoons are also used.
Requirements:
There is written homework every day, which is collected. Students are expected to share their homework and give oral presentations on it. There are quizzes every other week as well as one mid-term and one final.
The Grading System:
Grading Criteria |
Percentage |
Attendance(mandatory) |
10% |
Homework |
20% |
Quizzes |
20% |
Midterm |
25% |
Final |
25% |
MEIS-UA 503 Intermediate Turkish I
This is an introduction to complex grammar, which is taught with direct grammar lessons as well as with short authentic readings, using these forms. Students are expected to talk and write, using the forms learned and keep up with the vocabulary introduced through dialogues and texts. Relative clauses, conditional suffixes, self-reflexive, reciprocative, causative and passive forms are emphasized. Students are expected not only to be able to use these forms, but also to explain what these forms mean and how they are used. There are several dictations. Newspaper reading skills are slowly built.
Materials:
Instruction materials and exercises written by the instructor. Short newspaper articles, Nasrettin Hoca stories, songs, cartoons, poems and (sometimes) one film
Requirements:
Daily homework is turned in and shared in class. Corrected homework is rewritten. There is a quiz every other week, one mid-term and one final. Students are expected to memorize poetry, and write summaries and analyses.
The Grading System:
Grading Criteria |
Percentage |
Attendance (mandatory) |
10% |
Homework |
25% |
Quizzes |
20% |
Midterm |
20% |
Final |
25% |
MEIS-GA 1514 Advanced Turkish I
This is an introduction to the reading and discussion of a variety of genres such as stories, plays, poetry, news articles and opinion columns. Students are taught to read short stories by canonical and well-known writers of Turkish literature. They are expected to discuss and write on these in Turkish while reviewing complex grammar and building vocabulary. There is a writing assignment for every class. Students are expected to write several two-page essays in Turkish and give an oral presentation on a work only they read. There is a mid-term, final and vocabulary quizzes.
Materials:
Handouts of short stories, articles, novel chapters, poems. Films are used. Students may be asked to bring their own newspaper articles. There are vocabulary lists and vocabulary exercises.
Requirements:
Attendance and completion of homework on time are mandatory. Students are expected to keep up with the vocabulary and to use texts both to learn grammatical forms and vocabulary, and to understand Turkish culture, concerns and forms. They are asked to think and write comparatively, drawing several works into their discussion.
The Grading System:
Grading Criteria |
Percentage |
Attendance (mandatory) |
10% |
Homework |
15% |
Quizzes |
15% |
Presentation |
10% |
2-3 Page Papers (with rewrites) |
20% |
Midterm |
15% |
Final |
15% |
MEIS-UA 502 Elementary Turkish II
This course is the continuation of Elementary I. Students learn to build vocabulary and forms for talking about vacation plans, shopping for and cooking food, sharing concerns and news about other people, and being able to discuss some abstract ideas as well as constructing chronological narratives. Different tenses and time gerunds are taught. Differences between tense and mood are emphasized as different tenses as well as the necessitative and wishing forms are explored.
Materials:
Kurtuluş Öztopçu’s Elementary Turkish and handouts of instructor written materials, vocabulary lists, poems, songs, children’s books, dialogues and (sometimes) a film
Requirements:
Students are expected to learn and review daily material, to keep up with the vocabulary and do their homework on time. Homework corrections asked to be rewritten and turned in again. Written homework involves writing out exercises, sentences, compositions, summaries, and some creative writing. There is a quiz every other week, as well as a mid-term and final.
The Grading System:
Grading Criteria |
Percentage |
Attendance (mandatory) |
10% |
Homework |
20% |
Quizzes |
20% |
Midterm |
25% |
Final |
25% |
MEIS-UA 504 Intermediate Turkish II
This course is the continuation of Intermediate Turkish I. Students work on complex grammar, emphasizing indirect and reported speech forms of declarative, question and necessitative sentences, exploring the differences between action sentences and factual forms. Different conditional forms and compound tense forms are studied. There is a focus on post-positional forms for expressing cause, consequence and contradiction. This work on grammar is introduced and reinforced through the study of newspaper articles, short stories and plays. Students are expected to summarize and analyze these works in class conversation and written work while building vocabulary knowledge through these activities.
Materials:
Handouts of instructor generated materials that involve both explanations and exercises. Short articles, short stories, poems, and film
Requirements:
Students are expected to their daily homework, and learn vocabulary in a timely manner. There is a quiz every other week as well a mid-term and a final. There is dictation work.
The Grading System:
Grading Criteria |
Percentage |
Attendance (mandatory) |
10% |
Homework |
25% |
Quizzes |
20% |
Midterm |
20% |
Final |
25% |
MEIS-GA 1515 Advanced Turkish II
Students read, discuss and write about a variety of short stories, poems and articles while focusing on Turkish narrative forms, traditions and cultural issues. More complex and longer texts are introduced both for language and cultural proficiency building purposes. If the class is ready, a short novel or several novels can be read. Students are asked to explore themes and forms while writing long summaries and analyses. They are asked to listen to each other and respond to other students’ comments. They are asked to write interpretative and analytical essays that use complex grammar and vocabulary.
Materials:
Short stories, articles, poems, (sometimes) a novel or novels, films, dictation sound-files, vocabulary lists
Requirements:
Students are asked to come to class ready to discuss readings (there may be comprehension quizzes before discussion). They are asked to write summaries, response papers, give an oral presentation on an original work they read on their own, and turn in several longer analytical papers.
The Grading System:
Grading Criteria |
Percentage |
Attendance (mandatory) |
10% |
Homework |
20% |
Quizzes |
15% |
Presentation |
10% |
2-3 Page Papers (with rewrites) |
25% |
Midterm and/or Final |
20%
|