Turkish Language and Literature

I am Professor Hasan Kaya. I am the head of Turkish Language and Literature department at Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. I have been working in this department for 7 years. Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University is founded in 2006. Our department was established in 2010 and started to accept students in the same year. Our educational adventure, which started with 30 students, continues with 70 students today. In our department, the courses’ contents are in accordance with the departments of Old Turkish Literature, New Turkish Literature, Turkish Folk Literature, Old Turkish Language, New Turkish Language. Students attend language lessons and receive compulsory literature lessons. Language lessons start with Contemporary Turkish and they cover courses such as Old Turkish, Middle Turkish, Old Anatolian Turkish, Historical Turkish Dialects, and Contemporary Turkish Dialects. Literature courses cover the lessons of each field. As for the Old Turkish Literature; It consists of a curriculum spread over 4 years in a way to show all subjects chronologically in fields such as Old Turkish Literature, New Turkish Literature and Turkish Folk Literature. There are other elective courses in our department. These elective courses consist of language courses as well as courses such as Creative Writing, Postmodern Literature and Literature and Mythology. Language lessons such as Arabic, Persian and Russian are also are also offered for students. Our students who come to the Department of Turkish Language and Literature benefit extensively from the central library of our university. In addition, we have a large university library that is currently under construction and is about to be completed. This university library is one of the top libraries among the university libraries in Turkey. Our students will greatly benefit our central library, and from this large library after its completion. After 4 years of undergraduate education, our students can enter academic life if they wish and graduate as Turkologists. Our students can also work as teachers in schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education and in private schools by receiving formation training. Our students can benefit from the Erasmus Program. Our students can go to the countries and universities with which we have agreements within the framework of the Erasmus Program. In addition, within the framework of the Farabi Program, they can transfer to any university as a guest student for a semester or two semesters and receive education there in accordance with the admission requirement of the university in the country.
Our department has been known for its artistic and cultural activities since its establishment. It is a leading department in this respect in the university. Our department recently organized the Mehmet Akif Symposium. We are talking about a department that will organize Yunus Emre Symposium in the near future. Therefore, every year we have events at national or international level, in which our students can participate. I advise students who will choose the Department of Turkish Language and Literature to first examine the web pages of the university and the department they will prefer. Our students who will choose our department should also examine the website of the department and the teaching staff, and look at the works of the professors; I would like them to come here with a prior idea about the education they will receive in here. Students who graduate from the Department of Turkish Language and Literature receive the title of Turcologist and can continue their academic career by pursuing a master's degree if they wish. A graduate program has been opened in our department. Our students can continue their education at graduate level either in our own department or in different universities in Turkey. Until today, more than 15 of our students have started academic life in our department. Among these, there are also students who started working at universities. Apart from that, our students who receive formation education can work as Turkish Language and Literature teachers in public or private schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. In addition, our students can take part in institutions affiliated to the Ministry of Culture, organizations affiliated to municipalities, and various private institutions. Also, graduates of Turkish Language and Literature Department are employed in various fields of publishing houses. Although Tekirdağ looks like a small city, it is a city on the highway route. Tekirdağ's advantage is that it is a city that is especially close to Istanbul. Students who choose our department generally take advantage of being close to Istanbul. They get the opportunity to participate in artistic and cultural events in Istanbul. They benefit from the opportunities of all kinds of projects in Istanbul. In this respect, Tekirdağ will be an advantageous city for them. Especially, our university has a wide range of opportunities for students in terms of accommodation. With the completion of the latest dormitories under the Credit Dormitories Institution, the accommodation facilities of the students have been improved. Therefore, good opportunities can be offered to students. The life center in the campus of our university serves as a living center where students can meet all their needs. We welcome our students who will prefer the department of Turkish Language and Literature at Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. They can confidently come to our department.