| Objectives: |
The course aims to enable students to (1) develop a comprehensive understanding of the concept of civilization and the historical, cultural, social, political, and economic characteristics of major world civilizations; (2) identify and compare the similarities and differences among Indian, Chinese, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Islamic civilizations and examine the historical factors that shaped their development; (3) understand the ways in which wars, migration, trade, and cultural exchange have contributed to interactions and transformations among civilizations; (4) examine the role of religion, language, law, education, political organization, and economic systems in shaping societies and their cultural identities; (5) develop the ability to critically evaluate historical and cultural sources, distinguish between evidence-based interpretations and generalizations, and recognize possible biases or culturally situated perspectives; (6) strengthen critical thinking by comparing different interpretations of civilizations, questioning assumptions and stereotypes, and constructing reasoned arguments based on relevant historical and cultural evidence; (7) develop students’ ability to analyze complex historical and cultural issues from multiple perspectives rather than relying on single or ethnocentric explanations; and (8) apply their knowledge of civilizations and intercultural relations to the analysis of texts, cultural contexts, and intercultural encounters relevant to translation and interpreting. |
| Content: |
Students are expected to participate actively and consistently in all course activities. Weekly preparation is a fundamental requirement of the course. Each week, students are required to independently search for and select relevant academic articles, research papers, book chapters, or other scholarly sources related to the topic covered that week, with particular emphasis on peer-reviewed publications available through platforms such as DergiPark, Google Scholar, university databases, and other reliable academic sources. Students must share the selected articles with the class through the designated WhatsApp group sufficiently in advance of the following class so that all students have adequate time to read them. Every student is expected to read all articles shared by their classmates before coming to class, not only the article they personally selected. Classroom sessions will therefore be based on active discussion of the assigned weekly readings, with students expected to contribute questions, observations, comparisons, critical evaluations, and evidence-based interpretations. Students should come to class prepared to explain the main arguments of the readings, identify similarities and differences among the sources, and critically discuss how the readings relate to the civilization(s) examined in that week's topic. Active participation in these discussions, completion of weekly preparation, responsible sharing of academic sources, and respectful engagement with different perspectives are essential course requirements. |