Political Science and International Relations

Area Studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines in depth the political, economic, social, and cultural dynamics of a specific geographical region. These studies analyze the internal and external politics of particular regions by drawing on the perspectives and contributions of disciplines such as history, sociology, political science, and economics, and in doing so contribute to theories and scholarship in international relations.

• Asia-Pacific: Bahadır Pehlivantürk
• Western Europe and Britain: İhsan Sezal
• Middle East: Burak Bilgehan Özpek, Gülriz Şen
• Afghanistan: Haldun Yalçınkaya

Foreign Policy Analysis systematically examines the foreign policy decisions and behaviours of political actors operating on the global stage, primarily states. It focuses on how foreign policy decisions are made, which factors shape these decisions, and what consequences they produce. The primary analytical aims of this field are to understand the complex dynamics of international relations, to anticipate the behaviour of states and other actors, and to develop proposals for solutions to international problems.

• Iranian Foreign Policy: Gülriz Şen
• Japanese Foreign Policy: Bahadır Pehlivantürk
• Turkish Foreign Policy: Burak Bilgehan Özpek, Haldun Yalçınkaya

Comparative Politics is the subfield of political science that systematically studies the political systems, institutions, and processes of different countries. It seeks to develop general theories and to better understand political and social phenomena by examining the similarities and differences between political structures, actors, and behaviours. It covers a wide range of topics such as democratization, elections, political parties, state structures, and political culture.

• Political Behaviour and Culture: Kadir Aydın Gündüz
• Political Systems, Democratization, Authoritarianism, Institutional Change: Kadir Aydın Gündüz
• Historical Comparative Sociology: İhsan Sezal

In the disciplines of Political Science and International Relations, the effort to provide explanatory and critical assessments of political events and processes makes a theoretical perspective indispensable. Thinking about politics is not limited to the construction and examination of theories that shape assumptions, hypotheses, and expectations in scholarly work. Ideologies, which play a role in processes of generating meaning and value and in incorporating society into politics, also constitute key components of the study of political thought.

• History of Political Thought: Hakan Övünç Ongur
• International Relations Theories: Burak Bilgehan Özpek, Hakan Övünç Ongur

International Relations is a dynamic discipline in which in-depth research areas and subfields have emerged around various issue areas. Our faculty members focus on different facets of global politics and pursue their work in a variety of research fields.

• Diplomacy: Zeynep Dağı
• Energy and Energy Policy: Pınar İpek
• Security and Terrorism: Nihat Ali Özcan
• Gender Studies: Gülriz Şen
• International Security: Haldun Yalçınkaya, Nihat Ali Özcan
• International Law and European Union Law: M. Tuğrul Arat
• International Political Economy: Pınar İpek

Turkish Politics is a field that examines Turkey’s political system, institutions, actors, and processes. Taking into account Turkey’s historical, cultural, and social context, it analyses the structure of the state, public institutions and policies, as well as the historical evolution and functioning of Turkish foreign policy. Democratization, nationalism, and relations with the European Union are among the key topics in this field.

• Foreign Policy: Burak Bilgehan Özpek, Haldun Yalçınkaya
• Population Politics and Demography, Migration and Population Movements, Nationalism: Fuat Dündar
• Political History: Zeynep Dağı