GNS Courses Fall 2021

(3 credits)

• TR 4:00-5:15 pm          Instructor: Nâlân Erbil

Course Description: Love Berlin and Istanbul but cannot travel? Here is a course for you! This course is about two great cities: one entirely in Europe and one half in Europe and half in Asia. Berlin and Istanbul are connected by histories of political power, cultural exchange, and in the twentieth century by Turkish migration into Germany. The course starts with post WWII guest worker movement into West Germany and spans what is now the fourth generation of Turkish-Germans making Berlin the third largest Turkish city in the world after Ankara and Istanbul.

We will focus on Turkish-German food such as Döner kebab, Turkish-German rap and hip-hop, films, literature, sports (soccer), and social media influencers from the Turkish-German community. The course will offer students the opportunity to understand how the Turkish presence has influenced and transformed the German-speaking world and more generally how migration from outside Europe shapes the cultures of European cities.

To this end, we will watch and discuss films like Kebab Connection, artists such as Eko Fresh, film makers such as Fatih Akın, controversial soccer players such as Mesut Özil and many more. Berlin and Istanbul will form the backdrop of our course.

All materials will either be in English translations or with English subtitles. Lectures and discussions will be in English. Prior knowledge of German and Turkish appreciated but not required. This course may be counted as a cognate toward the German major.

Prerequisites: None.

(4 credits)

• MTWR 8:50-9:40 am          Instructor: Gulnara Glowacki

Course Description: Provides an introduction to the Kazakh language, which is a Turkic language spoken by about 11 million people in Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, and Iran. Work within four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Learn to communicate in Kazakh in authentic situations. Kazakh will be used as the primary language in classroom instructions, with minimal use of English for explanations of grammar.

Prerequisites: None.

(4 credits)

*Shared Course through the University of Michigan

•  ONLINE (MTWR 9:00-10:00 am  Eastern Standard Time (8:00-9:00 am Central Standard Time))
• Dates: 08/30/2021 – 12/10/2021      
• Instructor: Nilay Sevinc (nsevinc@umich.edu )

Course Description: First semester Turkish is designed for students who are interested in learning the modern Turkish language (Istanbul dialect) and cultures, and who have no previous knowledge of the language. This course introduces basic grammar & vocabulary building competence in novice level listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and writing skills in Turkish to improve beginner level proficiency in Turkish in line with the ACTFL proficiency guidelines for Turkish, the Novice Can Do Statements, and the World-Readiness Standards. Instruction will emphasize the language that is relevant to situations that students are likely to encounter if they travel to or live in Turkey. In addition to created materials, authentic materials will be provided to simulate real-life situations.

Prerequisites: None.

(3 credits)

• TR 1:00-2:15 pm          Instructor: Gulnara Glowacki

Course Description: Continues the study of the Kazakh language.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or higher.

(4 credits)

*Shared Course through the University of Michigan

•  ONLINE (MTWR 10:00-11:00 am  Eastern Standard Time (9:00-10:00 am Central Standard Time))
• Dates: 08/30/2021 – 12/10/2021      
• Instructor: Nilay Sevinc (nsevinc@umich.edu )

Course Description: Intermediate Turkish is designed for students who have studied two semesters of modern Turkish (Istanbul dialect) or its equivalent. The purpose of this course is to assist students in increasing their intermediate level proficiency in Turkish in line with the ACTFL proficiency guidelines for Turkish and based on the World-Readiness Standards. Instruction will emphasize the language that is relevant to situations that students are likely to encounter if they travel to or live in Turkey. Knowledge of the grammatical structures taught in the first two semesters is assumed while we review them and introduce intermediate grammar in context.

Prerequisites: GNS 340 (or LCA LANG 340 prior to fall 2018).

(3 credits)

• MW 4:00-5:15 pm          Instructor: Nâlân Erbil

Course Description: This course will focus equally on reading, writing, listening and speaking skills with the goal to enhance critical literacy in Turkish. Materials will include various authentic texts produced for Turkish speakers such as newspaper articles, novels, short stories, poems, songs, and films. Perspectives of Turkish speaking cultures will be analyzed in comparison with those of students. Azeri/Ottoman will be incorporated upon demand.

Prerequisites: GNS 440 (or LCA LANG 440 prior to fall 2018).