Political History I (RI113) | GSÜ - ECTS Information Guide

Content

Objective

The aim of the course is to analyse the key events and phenomena that shaped world politics from the Age of Geographical Discoveries to the First World War.

Course Content

The course covers the Age of Geographical Discoveries, the Wars of Religion in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, rivalries among the major European powers in the 18th century, the American and French Revolutions, the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, the processes of national unification in Germany and Italy, transformations in the Ottoman, Persian, and Mughal Empires in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the expansion of the United States and the processes of independence in Latin America, developments in China and Japan in the Far East, the establishment of colonial rule in Africa, as well as the First World War, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the process of the establishment of the USSR.

Course Learning Outcomes

The students:
-understand the main political, economic, and social transformations of Europe in the modern and contemporary eras,
-understand the transformations of non-European political actors in the modern era,
-analyse the political, economic, and social interactions between different regions of the world,
-evaluate the links between regional political transformations and changes in the global political order.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Within the scope of the course, political history is analyzed from a comparative perspective, taking into account the interactions between different regions of the world and the effects of these interactions on regional political orders and the global political order.

References

• Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih: İlk Çağlardan 1918'e, İmge Kitabevi Yayınları, 2023.
• Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih: 1918-1994, İmge Kitabevi Yayınları, 2025.
• Stephen J. Lee, Avrupa Tarihinden Kesitler 1494-1789, Dost Kitabevi, 2024.
• Stephen J. Lee, Avrupa Tarihinden Kesitler 1789-1980, Dost Kitabevi, 2024.
• Clive Ponting, Yeni Bir Bakış Açısıyla Dünya Tarihi, Alfa Yayınları, 2024.
• Jerry H. Bentley et al., The Cambridge World History: Volume 6, The Construction of a
Global World, 1400-1800 CE, Part 1, Foundations, Cambridge University Press, 2017.
• J.M. Roberts et O.A. Westad, Histoire du monde - tome 3 : L'âge des révolutions, Perrin,
2016.
• Eric J. Hobsbawm, Devrim Çağı 1789-1848, Dost Kitabevi, 2025.
• Susan Wise Bauer, Dünya Tarihi 3. Cilt: Yeniçağ, Say Yayınları, 2015.

Weekly Contents

Theory Topics
Week	Weekly Contents
1	Presentation and Introduction
2	Geographical Discoveries and the Columbian Exchange
3	Wars of Religion in Europe in the 16th and 17th Centuries
4	Rivalries among the Major Powers in 18th-Century Europe
5	First Wave of Revolutions: the American and French Revolutions
6	Second Wave of Revolutions: the Revolutions of 1830 and 1848
7	National Unification of Germany and Italy and the New Political Configuration of Europe
8	Midterm Exam
9	Islamic Empires in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries: the Ottoman Empire, Persia, and the Mughal Empire
10	The Americas in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries: the Expansion of the United States and Latin American Independence
11	The Far East in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries: China and Japan
12	Africa in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries and Colonialism
13	The First World War
14	Bolshevik Revolution and the Establishment of the USSR

Assessment System

Contribution to Overall Grade
Activities	Number	Contribution
Contribution of in-term studies to overall grade	1	40
Contribution of final exam to overall grade	1	60
Total	2	100

In-Term Studies
Activities	Number	Contribution
Assignments	0	0
Presentation	0	0
Midterm Examinations (including preparation)	1	2
Project	0	0
Laboratory	0	0
Other Applications	0	0
Quiz	0	0
Term Paper/ Project	0	0
Portfolio Study	0	0
Reports	0	0
Learning Diary	0	0
Thesis/ Project	0	0
Seminar	0	0
Other	0	0
Make-up	0	0
Total	1	2

Relation of Proficiency

No	Program Learning Outcomes	Contribution
No	Program Learning Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To have a detailed knowledge on the principal concepts, actors and components of the international system					X
2	To master the fundamentals such as history, law, economics, sociology and political science required by the multidisciplinary nature of International Relations					X
3	Pouvoir analyser la pratique à partir d’une infrastructure théorique assimilée					X
4	To have acquired the capability of specializing on a particular theme and/or region					X
5	In the light of Galatasaray University’s traditional and institutional links with Europe, to have developed the ability to contribute to Turkey’s accession process to the EU in a concrete manner		X
6	To interpret and explain Turkish foreign policy through its domestic components as well as from the perspective of the international system		X
7	To have reached the necessary level of competence to be able to undertake a career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as other state institutions and/or the private sector					X
8	Possess the required skills to work at various international organizations and NGOs				X
9	To be in perfect command of French, teaching language of Galatasaray University, and of English, its mandatory language, at the academic -with a view to write a thesis/project/book in the field of International Relations- as well as the professional level					X
10	To have the capacity to utilize the methodological instruments acquired throughout the studies at any conceptual and/or academic work				X

ECTS

Activities	Number	Period	Total Workload
Class Hours	13	3	39
Working Hours out of Class	0	0	0
Assignments	0	0	0
Presentation	0	0	0
Midterm Examinations (including preparation)	1	15	15
Project	0	0	0
Laboratory	0	0	0
Other Applications	0	0	0
Final Examinations (including preparation)	1	21	21
Quiz	0	0	0
Term Paper/ Project	0	0	0
Portfolio Study	0	0	0
Reports	0	0	0
Learning Diary	0	0	0
Thesis/ Project	0	0	0
Seminar	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0
Make-up	0	0	0
Yıl Sonu	0	0	0
Hazırlık Yıl Sonu	0	0	0
Hazırlık Bütünleme	0	0	0
Total Workload			75
Total Workload / 25			3.00
Credits ECTS			3