READ THE ENTIRE SYLLABUS CAREFULLY AND KEEP IT FOR
FURTHER REFERENCE THROUGHOUT THE COURSE!
HIST 245: History of Istanbul:
Ancient to Contemporary
Tuesday, Thursday, 11:00-12:15
ENG Z 15
Dr. Nina Ergin
SOS 204
Tel: 338-1857
nergin@ku.edu.tr
Office Hour: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30 & by appointment
Course Content:
This course will examine the multi-layered history of Istanbul, focusing primarily on the built
environment. In a chronological fashion, the course will explore changes and continuities in
the urban space in relation to the city’s political, social and economic history, from the
Byzantine imperial capital to its transformation into an Ottoman city, and from an Ottoman
into a modern city in the Late Ottoman and Republican periods. Within the chronological
framework, the course will give a thematic overview over fortifications, imperial palaces,
mosques, churches, synagogues, modest neighborhoods, commercial centers, and spaces for
civic ritual and entertainment.
29 September
Introduction & Course Overview
1 October
Urban History
Spiro Kostoff, “The City in History & What is a City?,” The City Shaped: Urban Patterns
and Meanings Through History (London: Thames & Hudson, 1991), 29-41.
6 October
Byzantium before and under Constantine I
8 October
Byzantium before and under Constantine II
Doğan Kuban, “The Site and Its First Settlements & The City of Byzantion,” Istanbul, An
Urban History: Byzantion, Constantinopolis, Istanbul (Istanbul: Economic and Social
History Foundation of Turkey, 1996), 11-25, 28-49. [hereafter: Kuban]
13 October
Constantinople in the Early Byzantine Period I
15 October
Constantinople in the Early Byzantine Period II
Kuban, 50-52, 72-104, 105-117.
20 October
22 October
Constantinople in the Middle Byzantine Period I
Constantinople in the Middle Byzantine Period II
SUBMIT PRESENTATION TOPIC
Kuban, 127-130, 149-167.
27 October
29 October
Constantinople in the Late Byzantine Period I
Holiday – no class
3 November
Constantinople in the Late Byzantine Period II
Preparing and Giving Effective Presentations
5 November
From Constantinople to Istanbul I
Kuban, 174-188. 189-193, 206-245.
10 November
From Constantinople to Istanbul II
12 November
Istanbul in the Late Fifteenth Century I
Kuban, 250-286.
Gülru Necipoğlu, Architecture, Ceremonial and Power: The Topkapı Palace in the Fifteenth
and Sixteenth Centuries (Cambridge, London: MIT, 1991), 3-22.
14 November (Saturday)
17 November
19 November
Excursion to Sultanahmet
Istanbul in the Late Fifteenth Century II
MIDTERM
24 November
Istanbul in the Sixteenth Century I
26 November
Holiday – no class
Gülru Necipoğlu-Kafadar, “The Süleymaniye Complex in Istanbul: An Interpretation,”
Muqarnas 3 (1985): 92-117.
1 December
Istanbul in the Sixteenth Century II
3 December
Istanbul in the Seventeenth Century
Review Gülru Necipoğlu-Kafadar, “The Süleymaniye Complex in Istanbul: An
Interpretation,” Muqarnas 3 (1985): 92-117.
Kuban, 291-301.
8 December
10 December
Kuban, 336-362.
Istanbul in the Eighteenth Century
SUBMIT PRESENTATION OUTLINES
Instructor away at conference – no class
15 December
Istanbul in the Nineteenth Century
17 December
Istanbul in the Early Republican & Contemporary Period
Kuban, 376-413, 417-434, 435-458.
19 December (Saturday)
Excursion to Karaköy
22 December
24 December
no class – sign up for individual practice presentation
no class – sign up for individual practice presentation
29 December
31 December
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
5 January
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
7 January
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
FINAL to be announced
***
Readings and Course Resources:
A course reader is available from the Xerox Center in the library. You are expected to do the
readings before the class. There will be unannounced quizzes about their content before we
discuss them.
The slides to the lectures and student presentations will be available on the F-drive.
Use them to compliment your lecture notes and review them frequently in order to remind
yourself of the material that could come up on unannounced quizzes.
There are many books on Istanbul that you can consult while preparing your
presentation. Many of them are in our library, so be sure to go there and browse through the
catalogue as well as through the bookshelves. A particularly useful reference work with
which to start your research is: Dünden Bugüne İstanbul Ansiklopedisi (Bayramoğlu
Collection, DR719.I87, 2nd floor of library).
Usually, the internet is not a reliable source for information, but there are a few
scholarly websites you may use for reference:
Byzantine architecture: www.byzantium1200.org
Islamic architecture: www.archnet.org
primary source texts: www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html
… as well as any other websites put together for academic purposes (i.e. course syllabi and
images posted on university websites [those ending on .edu])
Grading Policy:
Your grade will be calculated based on a midterm, a final, a presentation based on your own
research, your participation and a number of smaller unannounced quizzes and exercises.
Midterm
Final
Presentation outline
Presentation
Participation
Quizzes
Total
20
20
5
25
15
15
100
Failure to complete any of the assignments or exams will result in zero (0) points for that
component. Assignments to be completed at home are always due at the beginning of the
class period. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Midterm and Final:
These two exams will be of the same format. You will receive more information on these two
exams as the course progresses. So much can be said in advance: You need to memorize the
most important dates, but even more important is that you have an understanding of the
significance of events. Be aware that material from the excursions and presentations will be
included in the exams!
Presentation:
Together with a partner, you will give a well-researched, well-prepared and rehearsed
presentation with the help of powerpoint slides on a topic of your choice. The topic can be an
event in the history of Istanbul, a specific monument, or a neighborhood in the city. (No
presentations on your high school — I have heard enough of those!) You will need to have
your topic approved by the instructor. You will also need to submit a written outline, which
will be graded. In order to prepare your presentation, you will need to do library research,
collect scholarly information and visit the monument, the neighborhood or the site of the
event and take some pictures to be included in the presentation. You will receive further
instructions on how to do research, on how to prepare and deliver an effective presentation as
the course progresses.
Participation:
I will take attendance during classes. You are allowed to miss a total of four sessions. Any
further absence will result in an F for the entire course. You need to attend at least one of the
two excursions in order to pass this course. In addition to being physically present, I expect
you to be mentally present and contribute to the class by asking questions and participate in
discussions. (Nothing is worse for an instructor than talking to a group of unresponsive
people …  )
You will lose points for participation if you …
 disrupt the class by using your cell phone, iPod or Blackberry (making or receiving
calls, sending SMS, taking pictures, surfing the net),
 come late,
 leave the class and come back,
 leave early,
 chat with your fellow students,
 are in any way disrespectful to your fellow students or your instructor.
Grade Distribution:
A
100-92
A91-88
B+
87-84
B
83-80
B79-76
C+
75-72
C
71-68
C67-64
D+
63-60
D
59-56
Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty in the form of cheating, plagiarism, or collusion are serious offenses
and are not tolerated at Koç University. University Academic Regulations and the
Regulations for Student Disciplinary Matters clearly define the policy and the disciplinary
action to be taken in case of academic dishonesty. Failure in academic integrity may lead to
suspension and expulsion from the University. Cheating includes, but is not limited to,
copying from a classmate or providing answers or information, either written or oral, to
others. Plagiarism is borrowing or using someone else’s writing or ideas without giving
written acknowledgment to the author. This includes copying from a fellow student’s paper
or from a text (whether printed or electronic) without properly citing the source. Collusion is
getting unauthorized help from another person or having someone else write a paper or
assignment.