The Turkish minor enriches students’ education by providing advanced proficiency in language skills and by enhancing understanding of Turkish and Ottoman cultures. This minor serves as an excellent complement for those studying in various fields, including business, political science, and international studies.
Students who minor in Turkish can find an advantage after graduation as they apply their skills and knowledge to work in business and nonprofits, public service, graduate programs, and more.
For questions, please contact Professor Selim Kuru (selims@uw.edu) and/or UW Humanities Academic Services.
Declaring a Minor in Turkish
Students in good academic standing may declare the minor at any time by contacting their major adviser. Please see the Undergraduate Advising minors page for additional considerations about earning a minor.
Minor Requirements
30 credits
- TKISH 201, TKISH 202, TKISH 203 (15 credits)
- Upper-division courses with the TKISH prefix (10 credits)
- Elective coursework (5 credits): see the list below for approved courses
- Minimum of 15 credits at the 300 or 400 level
- Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA for courses applied to the minor
- Minimum 15 credits taken in residence through UW
The requirement to complete one or more of the language courses TKISH 201, TKISH 202, TKISH 203 may be satisfied by taking a placement exam and testing out. A successful placement exam does not count towards the 30-credit requirement. Students entering the UW with proficiency in Turkish beyond the second year of language training must take 20 credits of upper-division courses with the TKISH prefix. In addition, they must earn 10 credits of electives; refer to the list below for approved courses.
*Please note: If a student pursues both a major and a minor in the MELC Department, 60% of the coursework applied to the minor is taken outside of the student's major requirements. This means these classes may not
apply both to satisfying major requirements and to satisfying the requirements for the minor.
Upper-division Courses with the TKISH Prefix:
- TKISH 401 Readings in Modern Turkish Literary History I: Short Stories and Critical Writings (5)
- TKISH 402 Readings in Modern Turkish II: The Modern Turkish Republic through Popular Songs (5)
- TKISH 403 Istanbul: The City and Literature (5)
- TKISH 404 Islam in the Modern Turkish Republic (5)
- TKISH 405 Human Landscapes: Nazim Hikmet and the Modern Turkish Republic (5)
- TKISH 406 Early Decades of the Republic's Turkish Language Reforms (5)
- TKISH 490 Supervised Study (1¬6, max. 18)
- TKISH 496 Special Studies in Persian (3¬5, max. 15)
- TKISH 499 Undergraduate Research (1¬-6, max. 18)
Electives:
- Any upper-division course with the TKISH prefix
- MELC 101 Gateway to the Middle East (5)
- MELC 270 The Turks: A Global Perspective (5)
- MELC 271 Cultural History of Turkey: From Empire to Nation (5)
- MELC 287 The Middle East in Song: The History of Turkish Music (2)
- MELC 385 Modern Middle Eastern Literature in English Translation (3)
- MELC 386 The Middle East through Cinema (5, max. 12)
- MELC 371 Love and Empire: Cultural History of the Ottoman Empire through Literature (3-5)
- MELC 372 Modern Turkish Literature in Translation (3)