Summer School for
Archeopolitics: The Invention of State and its Evolution
Prof. Dr. Erdem Denk
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özdoğan
19-24 May 2024
Bodrum/TÜRKİYE
DEADLINE FOR THE APPLICATION: 15 April 2024
Bodrum+ Institute will be organizing the Summer School for “Archeopolitics: The Invention of State and its Evolution” between 19-24 May 2024 in Bodrum-Türkiye, the place where history and contemporary Bodrum life are blended to create a perfect academic atmosphere. It is not surprising that Bodrum, with its archeological, historical, and natural beauties, has turned into a center of attraction that welcomes people from all corners of the world.
Course Description
It has become more visible after the COVID-19 pandemic that the world is going through a very important transformation process. Understanding what we are going through and thinking about what awaits us in the future has become the most fundamental subject of study for all those interested in different sub-branches of Political Science. The effort to understand radical changes that we have never witnessed before inevitably leads us to take a closer look at Human History. Understanding the reasons for similar radical changes in the past and seeing how they happened can well provide us with some guiding data about the present and the future. Political Science, which conventionally focuses on analyzing the present and predicting the future, has nowadays turned its gaze to the past more than ever. In this context, fields such as archeology and anthropology, which are likely to provide the oldest information, are increasingly attracting the attention of Political Scientists. Increasing technology also has a great impact on the increasing acceptance of the view that to understand “what is above the ground”, we need to look at “what is underground”. Because technology-supported archaeological studies are now providing serious data about the lives of past people and the law and order they established. At this point, “Anatolia” also has a special importance. It has become increasingly clear that Anatolia has a very special and pioneering place in the Neolithization process, which resulted in the institutionalization of settled farming societies that gave rise to the very first city-states established in Mesopotamia.
Based on this understanding, the program will focus on “The Invention of State and Its Evolution”. Thus the “50 thousand years of human history” will be re-evaluated basically in the light of the latest data particularly unearthed in recent (mostly Neolithic) excavations in Anatolia.
Course Requirements
The students are to be present and expected to read required texts, prepare for each class, as well as prepare a research paper on a topic, which will be decided through a discussion between the students and course lecturers. Students fulfilling class requirements will be awarded a certificate of 3 ECTS credits. The ECTS certificates as well as the transcript of grades will be posted to the students’ addresses.
Who Can Attend?
The course is mainly at the Master’s level. Moreover, undergraduate students or people who are interested in the topic can take the course.
To take part in the summer module, applicants must:
- be aged 18 or over at the time of the program start date,
- have a university degree in a relevant field (3rd-4th year students currently enrolled in University/College programs are also eligible on a merit basis),
- English proficiency,
- Master’s or PhD students are encouraged to attend,
- The course is mainly for Archaeology, Political Science, International Relations, and for other Social Science programs,
- Yet, there is no prerequisite for the attendees who don’t want to get ECTS, so those can take the course without any prerequisites.
Course Objectives
The objective of the course is to provide students with the analytical tools to understand the special nature of the invention of the state and its evolution beginning from the Neolithic Age using archaeological, as well as anthropological and historical, materials from a Political Science point of view. The course’s main aim is to provide students with a strong understanding of the basis of invention and evolution of the State. The summer school aims to support the students in their academic work and further their research projects and ideas.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will demonstrate a thorough grasp of the invention of the state and its evolution beginning from the Neolithic Age, understand how to use archaeological, as well as anthropological and historical, materials from a Political Science point of view and use this “Archeopolitics” perspective in analyzing the world history with a holistic approach.
Students who fail or prefer not to fulfill ECTS requirements will be given a certificate of attendance showing their participation.
Assessment:
Students who prefer not to take the assessment they will not be given 3 ECTS requirements, instead they will be given a certificate of attendance, showing their participation.
For the Final Exam, each student will choose a subject on World History in the Light of Recent Archeological Findings from his/her (preferably) own country and, with approval of the subjects and, subsequently, the content by the lecturer, you will need to submit a research paper and a video recording of yourself presenting this paper. The research paper and presentation will be submitted by June 23rd, 2024.
DEADLINE FOR THE APPLICATION: 15 April 2024
