School/Faculty/Institute	Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences
Course Code	IR 332
Course Title in English	Politics of Central Asia
Course Title in Turkish	Orta Asya Politikaları
Language of Instruction	EN
Type of Course	Flipped Classroom
Level of Course	Intermediate
Semester	Spring
Contact Hours per Week	Lecture: 3 Recitation: 0 Lab: 0 Other: 2
Estimated Student Workload	132 hours per semester
Number of Credits	5 ECTS
Grading Mode	Standard Letter Grade
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
Expected Prior Knowledge	None
Registration Restrictions	Only Undergraduate Students
Overall Educational Objective	To gain a better understanding of politics of Central Asian countries and their regional dynamics which have been gaining further importance in world politics.
Course Description	Central Asia has been always at the epicentre of the world politics. After gaining their independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Central Asian states found their place in the international arena as independent and sovereign countries. However their Soviet legacy did not stop to shape their political and economic destiny. Now, it is more than 30 years that these countries have joined the international community. In the course of this process, it is important to examine their political and economic development while touching upon their common challenges such as territorial conflicts, problems of connectivity, water management, climate change, terrorism, etc. At the same time, if possessing generous hydrocarbon resources is a “curse or blessing” for most of these countries remains an important question to take up. The fact that this region neighbours Afghanistan which has been one of the most unstable country in the world since decades, turns it more delicate in terms of security issues. In this regard, security raises as an issue yielding outcomes going beyond the borders of the region. The relations of Central Asian countries with such as USA, EU, China, Russia, and India, Iran and Turkey and their positioning in the regional organisations are also worthy to be touched upon in the examination of the region with a comprehensive approach. On the other hand, the soft power instruments of Central Asian countries in a wide range of cultural issues from literature to gastronomy are of utmost significance to understand better this region. With this understanding, this course will focus on the political, economic and cultural dynamics of Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as their relations with each other and the outside world. While doing so, taking into consideration of its regional ties, Azerbaijan will be also considered as an important player for the region.

Course Learning Outcomes and Competences Upon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to: 1) Orta Asya ülkelerinin bağımsızlıklarından bu yana siyasi ve ekonomik gelişimlerini anlamak 2) Orta Asya ülkelerinin karşılaştığı bireysel ve ortak zorlukları kavramak 3) Orta Asya ülkelerinin birbirleriyle ve dış dünya ile ilişkilerini degerlendirmek 4) Orta Asya devletlerinin bölgesel ve dünya siyasetindeki konumlarını değerlendirmek

Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes	1	2	3	4
1) Ekonomi konusunda geniş bir anlayışa sahip olup, diğer sosyal bilimler ve matematikle derin bir etkileşime sahip olmak.
2) Farklı ekonomi alanlarının etkileşimlerini anlama konusunda bilgi ve beceriler sergilemek
3) Mikroekonomik ve makroekonomik teoriyi anlamak
4) Ekonomik kavramları karmaşık sorunları çözmek ve karar verme yeteneğini geliştirmek için uygulamak.
5) Farklı ekonomik sistemleri analiz etmek için nicel teknikler kullanmak.
6) Teorik bilgileri, Türk ve küresel ekonomilere ilişkin sorunları analiz etmek için uygulamak.
7) Ekonomik verileri işlemek ve değerlendirmek için istatistiksel araçlar ve yaygın yazılım programları konusunda yetkinlik göstermek.
8) Ekonomik analizin tüm aşamalarında - veri toplama, yorumlama ve bulguları yayma - bilimsel ve etik değerlere göre davranmak.
9) Bilimsel bilgileri alışverişinde yazılı ve sözlü İngilizceyi etkili bir şekilde kullanmak (en az CEFR B2 seviyesinde).
10) Bireysel ve profesyonel etik davranış sergiler ve sosyal sorumluluk taşımak.
11) Yüksek derecede özerklikle daha ileri çalışmalar için gerekli öğrenme becerilerini sergilemek.

Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences

N None	S Supportive	H Highly Related

	Program Outcomes and Competences	Level	Assessed by
1)	Ekonomi konusunda geniş bir anlayışa sahip olup, diğer sosyal bilimler ve matematikle derin bir etkileşime sahip olmak.	N
2)	Farklı ekonomi alanlarının etkileşimlerini anlama konusunda bilgi ve beceriler sergilemek	N
3)	Mikroekonomik ve makroekonomik teoriyi anlamak	N
4)	Ekonomik kavramları karmaşık sorunları çözmek ve karar verme yeteneğini geliştirmek için uygulamak.	N
5)	Farklı ekonomik sistemleri analiz etmek için nicel teknikler kullanmak.	N
6)	Teorik bilgileri, Türk ve küresel ekonomilere ilişkin sorunları analiz etmek için uygulamak.	N
7)	Ekonomik verileri işlemek ve değerlendirmek için istatistiksel araçlar ve yaygın yazılım programları konusunda yetkinlik göstermek.	N
8)	Ekonomik analizin tüm aşamalarında - veri toplama, yorumlama ve bulguları yayma - bilimsel ve etik değerlere göre davranmak.	H
9)	Bilimsel bilgileri alışverişinde yazılı ve sözlü İngilizceyi etkili bir şekilde kullanmak (en az CEFR B2 seviyesinde).	H
10)	Bireysel ve profesyonel etik davranış sergiler ve sosyal sorumluluk taşımak.	H
11)	Yüksek derecede özerklikle daha ileri çalışmalar için gerekli öğrenme becerilerini sergilemek.	H

Prepared by and Date	EVRİM GÖRMÜŞ , January 2024
Course Coordinator	EVRİM GÖRMÜŞ
Semester	Spring
Name of Instructor	Öğr. Gör. PELİN MUSABAY BAKİ

Course Contents

Hafta	Konu
1)	Giriş, ders özeti ve metodoloji, Orta Asya'nın adlandırılması ve tanımlanması
2)	Orta Asya ülkelerinin tarihi geçmişi, Sovyet mirası ve bağımsızlık süreci
3)	Orta Asya'daki ortak jeopolitik, jeoekonomik ve jeoçevresel zorluklar
4)	Büyük Bozkır Ülkesi Olarak Kazakistan
5)	Özbekistan tarihi İpek Yolu'nun kalbi
6)	Kırgızistan ve Tacikistan üst aktörler olarak
7)	Enerji ve ateşin diyarı Türkmenistan ve Azerbaycan
8)	Vize
9)	Sınır anlaşmazlıklarından su kıtlığına, Orta Asya'daki potansiyel çatışma konuları
10)	Afganistan'a en yakın komşu bölge olan Orta Asya'daki güvenlik zorlukları
11)	Orta Asya'da bölgesel ve küresel aktörlerin işbirliği veya rekabet ikilemindeki rolü
12)	Edebiyattan gastronomiye kadar çok çeşitli kültürel konularda Orta Asya'nın yumuşak güç araçları
13)	Günümüz dünya siyasetinde Orta Asya, siyasi ve ekonomik güçleri ve sınırlamaları
14)	Araştırma Sunumları
15)	Final Sınavı/Proje/Sunum Dönemi
16)	Final Sınavı/Proje/Sunum Dönemi

Required/Recommended Readings	FRANKOPAN, Peter, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015. STARR, Frederick, Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age From Arab Conquest to Tamerlane, Princeton et Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2013. MONTGOMERY, David (ed.), Central Asia: Contexts for Understanding, Pittsburg: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2022. POMFRET, Richard, The Central Asian Economies in the Twenty-First Century Paving a New Silk, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 2019. LARUELLE, Marlene (Ed.), The Central Asia–Afghanistan Relationship From Soviet Intervention to the Silk Road Initiatives, Lexington: Lexington Books, 2020. NOURZHANOV, Kirill and PEYROUSE, Sebastien, Soft Power in Central Asia The Politics of Influence and Seduction, Lexington: Lexington Books, 2020. RASHID, Ahmed, The Resurgence of Central Asia: Islam or Nationalism?, New York: New York Review Book, 2017. MARAT, Erica , “Introduction: 30 years of Central Asian studies – the best is yet to come”, Central Asian Survey, 40:4, 2021, pp. 477-482. PEÑA-RAMOS, José Antonio, BAGUS, Philipp and FURSOVA, Daria, “Water Conflicts in Central Asia: Some Recommendations on the Non-Conflictual Use of Water”, Sustainability, 13(6), 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063479 SORBELLO, P. “Oil and Gas Political Economy in Central Asia: The International Perspective”, in Raszewski, S. (eds), The International Political Economy of Oil and Gas. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62557-7_8 KASSYMBEKOVA, B., and CHOKOBAEVA, A, “Writing Soviet History of Central Asia. Frameworks, Challenges, Prospects”, Central Asian Survey, 40 (4), 2021, pp. 483–503. MİRZİBAEV, A., AHMED, M., WERNER, J. et al. “Rangelands of Central Asia: challenges and opportunities”, Journal of Arid Land 8, 93–108 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-015-0057-5 MUSABAY BAKİ, Pelin "Turkic World Vision–2040: A Step Forward for the Resilience of Turkic Cooperation". PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs, 27 (2022 ), pp. 26-52. KAINAZAROV, Baktybek, “Competition of world powers in Central Asia”, Political Science Review, Issue 2, 2019, pp. 67-77.
Teaching Methods	Students are expected to effectively use pre-learning materials, then actively participate in class discussion. They need to follow closely the current geopolitical developments in Eurasia and bring out questions on them during the class for brainstorming. The guest speakers with diplomatic background who are experts on the course items will be invited to address the students. The ways and means will be applied to build skills to match the theoretical framework and practical outcomes related to the geopolitics of Eurasia. Teamwork will be encouraged for research and presentations.
Homework and Projects	Presentation and paper
Laboratory Work	None
Computer Use	None
Other Activities	None
Assessment Methods	Assessment Tools Count Weight Devam 14 % 20 Projeler 2 % 40 Ara Sınavlar 1 % 40 TOTAL % 100
Course Administration	gormuse@mef.edu.tr 02123953600 Attendance and active participation are required. There would be no late presentations and make up exams unless medical report provided. MEF university values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the code of student conduct and disciplinary procedures The University requires honesty of all its members in their academic work. Students are also expected to strictly adhere to the following rules and regulations regarding academic honesty. Plagiarism and cheating constitute major violations of academic honesty. Plagiarism is the failure to acknowledge the source of information gathered in the preparation of class and written work. Submitting papers of others as your own, using sentences or paragraphs from another author without the proper acknowledgement of the original author, insufficient acknowledgement of the consulted works in the bibliography, all constitute plagiarism. Copying work from others or giving and receiving answers/information during exams either in written or oral form constitutes cheating. Any improper behavior, academic dishonesty or plagiarism is subject to the YOK Disciplinary Regulation.

ECTS Student Workload Estimation

Activity	No/Weeks	Hours			Calculation
	No/Weeks per Semester	Preparing for the Activity	Spent in the Activity Itself	Completing the Activity Requirements
Ders Saati	14	0	3	2	70
Proje	2	24	2		52
Ara Sınavlar	1	10			10
Total Workload					132
Total Workload/25					5.3
ECTS					5