FAE Instructors

To view instructors’ course topics for ENG 101, ENG 102, or ENG 401, etc., click on the down arrow below their profile.

Approved
Ahu Ertan
FAE Instructor
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Human Enhancement “Pursuit of Perfection “
Course Description:

Technology has given us super powers. Are we in search for superhuman beings? Human enhancement is happening all the time through improvements on existing technologies. In the golden era of innovation what is going to happen to humanity? Is our ability or desire to upgrade dangerous? What are the methods of human enhancement? In this course we will explore, think, discuss, evaluate and criticize this concept from ethical, physical and philosophical perspectives.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Reality
Course Description:

Perception and Reality

If we see what we want to see and believe what we want to believe, then each person’s perception is different and unique. Based on this assumption, each person perceives objective reality in accordance with his/her experiences. This situation, however, creates a controversial problem called “the problem of perception”. This course covers some of the major theories of perception with the aim of questioning the common belief that perception is reality.

This course, based on critical thinking skills, aims to improve your academic language skills through selected readings. Course goals will be achieved through the engagement in various academic performances.

Approved
Andrew Hassell
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Censorship
Course Description:

We will discuss whether or not the government should limit or ban profanity, racial insults, religious speech, political speech, and music.  Come prepared to argue and debate!

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: What is Truth?
Course Description:

We will look at different theories of truth from Socrates and Plato through the Middle Ages and in modern philosophical thought.  We will examine whether we are in a "post-truth" age and whether "fake news" contains some types of truth.

You will write a research paper analyzing truth philosophically or selecting a person or historical event and analyzing the perceptions and theories of truth present in that person's mind or in that event.  

Approved
Andy Bonar
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: TBD (course topics change every semester)
Course Description:

Past 101 courses include: Lovers in a Dangerous Time: A Study in the Possibilities of Love under Global Capitalism; The Bad in Each Other: Masculinity, Masks and Mascara; Occupied Spaces, or, Is that a Penguin on Your TV or are You Just Unhappy to See Me?; Tertium Non Datur: Monsters and the Monitor; “The Centre Cannot Hold”: Narratives, Nationalism and Nomadism; “Enchanted Things: Magical Matter and the Capitalist Fetishism of Objects”; “The Media in the Mass Age: Media, Mania and the Masses”; What the F Is Feminism?; What is a State?: Sovereign, Anarchic and Libertarian Perspectives Considered; “Where Justice Is Denied...”: The Wrongs of Rights

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: TBD (course topics change every semester)
Course Description:

Spring 2022 course: “Gestures Precise and Brutal”: Alienation, Accelerationism and the Techno-Apocalypse

Past 102 courses include: “Killing in the Name,” or Scapegoats, Martyrs, & Suicide Bombers: A Study in the Myths that Create and Destroy Us; “Fits the Crime”: Affinity, Shame & Other Relentless Forces; “Heaving through Corrupted Lungs”: The Art of Loss, Mourning and the Sense of Self; “...And We Thought the Nation-States Were a Bad Idea”: Class, Riots and the Masses; Other Bodies; Executioners and Fools: The Performativity of Institutional Education; The Imaginary Ordinary: Ideology, Culture, People; Can Humans Think?; Words to Die By: Manifestos, Malists and Their Panaceæ; People of the Internet: Affect and Belonging in a Mediated World; Where Do Our Body’s End?: Social Responsibility, Personal Freedom and the Expression of Body, Mind and Self; Where Is My Mind?: Thinking, Bodies, Being and Worlds; “For even the very wise cannot see all ends”: Justice or Just Us?

Approved
Bengü Yurtseven
FAE Instructor
SAL / FEASS Unit
Approved
David Butcher
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Rabbits, Wolves, & Space Invaders
Course Description:

“Rabbits, Wolves and Space-invaders”, is a multiple skills-enhancing course examining the phenomena of Asylum-seeking, Migration and Ethnic-conflict, casting an analytic “mind”, and an evaluative “eye”, over resultant experiences of those involved. To better facilitate student motivation, diversity of source and learning medium is consciously sought

Approved
Dorothy Mayne
FAE Instructor
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: College!
Course Description:

Welcome to college! This is a time period in life that is often represented in media, and many people say that this period of their life was the most important in exploring who they are and included the experiences that shaped the rest of their lives. In this course, we’ll explore why this is. We’ll consider the history and purpose of higher education and how that may or may not relate to the purpose of college today, including critiques of today’s status quo. We’ll also consider the experience of being a college student, including research about academics, mental health, and campus activism. We’ll also reflect on our expectations for and experiences of college while building critical thinking and academic writing & reading skills.

Approved
Elif Çotuksöken
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Embracing Differences-Multiculturalism
Course Description:

The idea of 'diversity' or 'multiculturalism` entered into our lives very recently. After World War II, the people have been brought together under multiethnic societies not as groups but as individuals. In this course, students will have a chance to analyze how different political systems, countries and cultures deal with 'diversity' and their 'multicultural' populations and also whether diversity discourse and multicultural policies are a success or a failure will be discussed through readings and materials.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: The Paradox of Tolerance-Types of Tolerance
Course Description:

Karl Popper describes the "paradox of tolerance" as unlimited tolerance leading to the disappearance of tolerance and he continues by stating that the tolerant and tolerance are jeopardized by extending unlimited tolerance to the intolerant in his work The Open Society and Its Enemies. This idea has opened up many discussions about what tolerance means, how it should be approached and what if any limits there are in tolerance.  This being said, the course will start by looking at deeper into the discussion on unlimited tolerance and then will examine current and ongoing  debates on tolerance related to politics, education, religion, culture, gender identities, ethnicity and race.

Approved
Elif Hande Özer
FAE Instructor
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: EQUALITY
Course Description:

This course is designed to provide support and guidance in improving students’ ability to use academic English in written and oral modes through the critical analysis of the concept of equality.

All human beings are born free and equal, and thus, have the right to be treated equally. According to universal human rights, all people are equal in dignity and entitled to the same fundamental rights. 

Under the concept of equality, this course will focus on positive action, equity and education, and MOOCs. 

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Migration: Causes, Effects, Challenges
Course Description:

Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another with the intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily at a new location. It can be both voluntarily or forced depending on various causes such as war, employment opportunities, environmental factors, etc.

People have been migrating for thousands of years and it is quite interesting that the major reasons of migration (invasion, conquest, colonization and immigration) have not changed over millennia.

This course aims to explore the causes, effects and challenges of human migration locally, regionally or globally in the 21st century.

Approved
Emily Kathleen Hipps
FAE Instructor
SAL / FEASS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Mutualism
Course Description:

This course introduces students to the idea of mutualism. Mutualism has two main uses. Evolutionary biologists use mutualism to describe how different organisms cooperate in ways that are reciprocally beneficial, that help one another. More central to this course, however, is its use by social thinkers, for whom mutualism refers to human cooperation and interdependence, without which, according to Peter Kropotkin and others, we cannot live at all—or, at least, certainly not live well. Drawing on readings old and new, and from a range of disciplines, we will critically examine mutualism, questioning its premises and promises to see what light it may (or may not) shed on how we live together. Looking closely at mutualism raises a number of fundamental questions. What is an individual? Are care, concern for others, and collectivity natural to humans? Does mutualism offer lessons for our troubled economies, polities, and ecologies?

Approved
Ersin Soylu
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Controversies in Technology
Course Description: It is clear that modern technology is a major force shaping the society in which we live and the way we experience the world. Since technology is value-neutral, whether it is good or bad depends upon how it is used. In this course, you will read and discuss some texts from sociology, philosophy, and politics about the impacts of today’s technologies in society, and ethical considerations in the use and expansion of it. You will discuss to what extent we should use technology considering its pros and cons, and answer various questions such as: What is, and what ought to be the role of technology in society? Will future technology improve humanity? What can be the consequences of merging humanity, science, and technology? This course will help you to relate the texts you study to your own life experiences as well as to other people you want to know closer, and thus achieve personalization through exploration. This course will also give you a chance to participate in thought-provoking discussions, watch and analyze films/documentaries related to the subjects covered in the course fostering the development of critical thinking skills.
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Challenges: Difficulties or Opportunities?
Course Description: This course is designed to help you improve your ability to use English in written and oral formats within academic context. We will meet the language and academic skills/goals of the Faculty Academic English Department by critically and creatively examining the topic of challenges. The course aims to provide a general introduction to the subject of challenges which can bring difficulties in life or present some opportunities. We will mainly focus on the social, psychological, economical and political effects of challenges for individual people, society, and the countries, which seem to change according to the culture, economy and politics of that country. Also, this course aims to provide students with the ability to participate in contemporary society as active citizens by raising their awareness of the socio-political, psychological and ethical issues which appear as a result of various challenges. Accordingly, the central question in this course is whether challenges are efforts to test one’s ability to overcome mental and/or physical difficulties, or they are opportunities to achieve success against all odds.
Approved
Gaye Ternisien
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: The New World of Work
Course Description:

 In this course, students will be discussing the future of work in modern society. The course will start with analyzing and evaluating millennials’ choice of career as a social influencer in other words YouTubers, bloggers. Next, Gig Economy which is a new world of self-employment through the human cloud will be analyzed to answer the question how the outcome of this new system will affect the future of the employers and employers. Finally, students will try to answer the question that if robots replace workers in the future and what will be the possible effects of automation technology on the future of work. 

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Democracy
Course Description:

The course is a reading based writing course designed to improve the academic skills of the students. It aims to help students improve their receptive and productive skills in English. Democracy will offer a variety of texts and genres for students to explore in terms of content and organization.  

 

The definition of democracy, fundamentals of democracy, types of democracy, democratic rights and spread of democracy are some of the themes to be covered in the course. Students will have a chance to evaluate the content of the texts make use of it and relate it to real life experiences when appropriate. In the course, through class discussion and individual research project, students will also be able to improve their research, academic writing, language and speaking skills.  

 

Approved
Gülnur Oğuz
FAE Instructor, Unit Head
SAL / FEASS Unit
Approved
Hakan Güven
FAE Instructor, Curriculum & Testing Coordinator
SAL / FEASS Unit
Approved
Hümeyra Başol Çetin
FAE Instructor
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Topic 1: Social Media Topic 2: Storytelling
Course Description:

Course Topic 1:

Is Social Media Destroying Us?

You will be reading, writing, researching, and discussing the power of social media through the analysis of various written and visual genres. 

Social media has changed us. Ideas, values, ideologies, and way of living have transformed. Politics and business has become more challenging, competitive and uncertain. Greater exposition to diversity has enabled us to think, and experience life beyond the limited physical world we live in.

Although some of these changes have been to the better, there are, however, more arguments about the negative impacts, such as an increase in dissatisfaction, harassment, fake identities, misinformation, and distortion of reality. Some even blame social media for all the social, psychological, social, political, medical, or economic problems that occur in the world.

Despite all these destructive consequences of social media, our use of it is beyond our control. We need to have social media accounts to communicate and keep up with events, trends, and innovations. We are obliged to use them and in some ways trapped in these platforms of freedom. So, is it time we begin to consider permanently quitting social media? 

 

 

Course Topic 2:

Constructing Reality: Does Storytelling Help Make Sense of the World?

You will be reading, writing, researching, and discussing the power of storytelling through the analysis of various written and visual genres, such as films, commercials, short stories, poems, journal articles, games, and many more. Along this line, as one of the storytellers of this ENG 102 section, it is in your control to decide the depth and direction you want to take as you explore the concept of storytelling.

 

 

Approved
Iain Board
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Evil
Course Description:

This course is designed to improve your academic and language skills, with emphasis placed on thesis-driven writing. To achieve this you will critically interact with, discuss and write about a wide range of texts (e.g. theological, scientific, psychological, literary, etc.) thematically linked to evil. Furthermore, throughout the course you will learn to question both personal and societal assumptions about evil, it causes and effects. For example, what is evil? Why do we suffer from evil? How do we explain evil? Who is evil? Conclusions to such questions will develop depending on class-based discussions of ideas/concepts generated through shared interpretations of course texts.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Modern Life is Rubbish (?)
Course Description:

You will critically interact with, discuss and write about a wide range of texts that question the nature and quality of existence in modern societies. For example: Are we healthier or happier than past generations? Is consumerism really a sustainable or desirable mode of living? What effect is digital technology having on both the individual and the social networks they inhabit?

Approved
Iklil Kaya Yildirim
FAE Instructor
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: World in My Eyes
Course Description:

This course is intended to help students improve their academic use of language through studying outstanding attempts of world-building in different spheres of life, such as science-fiction, literature and politics, for making the world a better place. Students will be critically engaged in the study of these recreations of reality in their written and oral performances. They will deeply consider how this art contributes to shaping today and the future, prophesizes and inspires utopias or dystopias.

Approved
Jacob Neal Minniear
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Power & Society
Course Description:

In this course, we will examine the dimensions of power in society. Furthermore, we will explore the construction and deconstruction of social borders by society and individuals.  Through the theoretical lenses of functionalism and conflict theory, we will explore a variety of topics related to power: conforming, education policy, and social movements. This course aims to improve your academic and language skills, with emphasis placed on thesis-driven writing. To achieve these goals, we will critically interact with, discuss, and write about a wide range of texts thematically linked to socially constructed borders.  




English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Borders & Geopolitics
Course Description:

In this course, we will explore issues in geopolitics. Furthermore, we will explore the construction and deconstruction of national, geographical, psychological, and sociological borders by society and individuals.  We will explore how geopolitical issues are represented in films and series. Through a geographic lens, we will interrogate the border issues in the Arctic region. Then, each student will conduct their own research project about a border related issue.  In this course, through class discussions, film and text analysis, and the individual research project, you will also be able to improve your research, academic writing, language and speaking skills.

Approved
Jeffrey Lynn Martin
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
Approved
Jeffrey Michael Doonan
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: 1. We Should Have Stayed in Plato's Cave
Course Description:

This course will involve reading, exploring, and discussing some of the basic ideas, concepts, and philosophies of humanity. Why and how are we like we are? Is what we know really our own knowledge or are we just pieces of a larger puzzle or mosaic of humanity?
Some of the readings may challenge your currently held beliefs but a university education should challenge you to recognize and respect a diversity of ideas and opinions. We might not find all the answers to our questions this term but we will most definitely go in search of them.
The class will be held in more of a seminar style than the traditional class style, we will all learn and explore the ideas together.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: 1. What if...? 2. But, is it Art?
Course Description:
  1. This course will explore how we as individuals develop our moral and ethical standards. It will explore the roles that family and society have on the formation of our ethical and moral standards and the influence such standards have in our daily decision making processes. It will examine five of the major ethical guidelines/theories that have existed in most societies from early times.

2. Can one appreciate art from another culture without knowledge and an understanding of that culture? “My own personal reactions (to art) are valid for myself alone. (Newman in Ducasse 7)” If this approach is true – how can we ever agree on a ‘Theory of Beauty or Aesthetics’? 

Approved
Jennifer Lyn Schroeder
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Living your Best Life
Course Description:

The content of this ENG 101 course is based on the theme of Living Your Best Life: Happiness, Failure, and Technology. By exploring topics such as happiness, failure, and technology, we will consider what it means to have a good life and what helps and hinders us in achieving it.  

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: The greatest good
Course Description:

The content of this ENG 102 course is based on the greatest good. This is the underlying principle in utilitarianism, and we will explore how it can be used in decision making. We will also look at its influence on various aspects of our lives.

Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401) - Course Topic: Accessibility
Course Description:

The objective of this course is to assist engineering students in effectively presenting various types of information in both the written and oral modes. Students will be expected to become competent in writing and organizing technical reports and in effectively presenting academic and technical papers. The tasks performed as part of the course will mirror the tasks students will be expected to do in their prospective professional lives and in their faculty classes.

The topic of this course and the projects done is accessibility.

Approved
Joe Lines
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Stories of Crime and the Media
Course Description:

Crime is a feature of all eras and societies, and while most of us would not want to witness or suffer a real crime, stories of crimes committed by others have the ability to fascinate us. The news media reports on crime not only to keep us safe, but because people are interested in it. Indeed, the news cycle has a role in creating panic and fear about “crime waves” – mugging, drug abuse, cyber-fraud – which have recurred throughout history. Many films and TV series narrate stories about gangsters or heists, or focus on characters who break the law. While the internet has enabled new types of crime such as cyber-fraud, it has also furthered the spread of discourse and discussion about crimes past and present. This has led to a wave of “true crime” documentaries and podcasts focusing on real criminal cases. This trend illustrates our perpetual impulse to try and solve crimes and understand why people commit them. Students taking this course will explore questions such as: Where does our fascination with crime come from? What effects might these stories have on their audiences? What are the issues involved with adapting stories of crime in different media and adapting real cases into stories?

 

Approved
John Day
FAE Instructor
SAL / FEASS Unit
Approved
John Paul Alff
FAE Instructor
SAL / FEASS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Philosophical Underpinnings: How Should We Live?
Course Description:

Beleaguered by unseen pitfalls and confusing opportunities, we sometimes struggle to make practical decisions in our lives. Determining certain values can help determine what is best for each of us. What philosophical underpinnings should we each accept to guide our decision making? How much should we let our sense of duty guide our actions, and how much pleasure? What rights do we have to enjoy, and what do we need to obtain?

Approved
Katherine Halley Willcox Özsarı
FAE Instructor
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: AI, Cyborgs and Androids
Course Description:

Our fear of humanlike machines may reflect universal anxieties related to human nature, the artificial, and contamination. Cyborgs and androids in fiction often draw attention to our disturbing similarities to them, suggesting that we are or may become like them. This is particularly relevant today as we develop artificial intelligence and increasingly merge with technology, becoming cyborgs. 

This course centers on humanlike robots and robotlike humans to explore our anxieties about artificial intelligence and cyborg technologies. We discuss the line between conscious man and mindless machine, whether it can or should be crossed, and why it disturbs us. No previous knowledge of the topic is required. 

Approved
Kibele Başak Özden
FAE Instructor
SAL / FEASS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Influencers
Course Description:

English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: “INFLUENCERS” - This course is about the elements that influence our decisions. Through an exploration of philosophical, psychological and sociological concepts,  students will be asked to think about how they make decisions, what shapes their thoughts and whether they are truly independent of external influences when acting upon the world. The course consists of three cycles; Groupthink, Altruism and Favoritism. As each cycle progresses, students will draw upon their own experiences to build critical analyses of the given texts and respond to the questions that emerge through academically appropriate, intellectually robust and inquisitive written and spoken output.

Approved
Laura Eickhoff
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: What's Your Sign?
Course Description:

When it comes to things like astrology or personality types, responses can be pretty polarizing. Some people find their whole sense of self-identity in the stars or their Enneagram type, while others think that it’s all a bunch of nonsense driven by a billiondollar industry to make money. Regardless of your stance on the matter, this course will be an opportunity to explore the origins of these phenomena, looking at the religious origins of the horoscope and the research and/or marketing behind several different personality tests. We will explore the potential benefits people may find in these modes of self-discovery while also asking questions like: is this cultural appropriation? Are they even accurate? What are the spiritual and socio-emotional benefits behind them? Do they discriminate against different groups of people? Is there even any science behind any of these things?

 

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Where do we go from here?
Course Description:

Many studies from the last decade have shown that we, as a human population, have a lot of pessimism about the way the world is headed. In 2015, only 3% of citizens of France and Australia said that the world is improving, with several other countries coming in at less than 10% (Yougov, 2015). There are a lot psychological and social reasons for this—not to mention the looming existential risks like global warming and worldwide pandemics. At the same time, Steven Pinker (2018), a cognitive psychologist and author of many social science books, says we have a lot of reasons to celebrate and provides evidence for dozens of way the world is getting better. But what do all the statistics say? Where is the world really heading? Even if it is improving in some categories, does it matter if human cognitive biases prevent us from looking at the glass half full and are stuck on the nostalgia of “the good old days”?  This semester, we will explore worldwide trends, data, and projections and compare them with human psychology and perceptions to see what areas we can be optimistic about and where there’s reason for concern.

 

Approved
Linda Marie Chu
Approved
Lorna Yeşilkaya
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Psychopathy
Course Description:

In this course, you will encounter a range of psychological, biological, and socio-cultural perspectives on psychopathy. This course will encourage you to think critically about the origins of psychopathy, how certain psychopathic traits may be considered useful for success in business and politics, and how  TV series such as 'Game of Thrones' and 'Dexter' have contributed to the popularity of fictional psychopaths.

 

 

 

 

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Identity
Course Description:

In this course, you will learn about some of the most influential sociological and psychological theories of identity, including those of Erikson; Marcia; and Tajfel and Turner. You will also look at criticisms and limitations of these, including those from a feminist and a gender perspective. Throughout the semester, you will be required to evaluate the validity of authors’ claims and will be expected to produce (oral and written) counter arguments and differing perspectives to those presented in the readings.

Approved
Marinus Langbroek
FAE Instructor
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Issues in education
Course Description:

This course focuses on several issues related to the topic of past and present education. Specifically, the following:

  • What are the most serious problems in the traditional teacher-centred education system? (essay 1)
  • How can technology (help to) overcome those problems? (essay 2)
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: ARTIFICIAL AND HUMAN INTELLIGENCE AND STUPIDITY
Course Description:

This course's starting point is Artificial Intelligence (AI), but the real focus is on how humans may or may not use it, and their own intelligence. In the words of Yuval Noah Harari: 'Never underestimate human stupidity'.

One important subtopic is techno-optimism vs techno-pessimism, and the arguments on both sides.

Students will have the chance to choose from a wide range of topics for their research paper, not limited to technology.

Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401) - Course Topic: Technical Report Writing & Presentation
Course Description:

The objective of this course is to assist engineering students in effectively presenting various types of information in both the written and oral modes. Students will be expected to become competent in writing and organizing technical reports and in effectively presenting academic and technical papers. The tasks performed as part of the course will mirror the tasks students will be expected to do in their prospective professional lives and in their faculty classes.

Approved
Marlene Denice Elwell
FAE Instructor, Unit Head
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: The Politics of Poverty
Course Description:

This course theme explores the concept of poverty from multiple perspectives, including thought, emotion, ethics, community, education, and economics.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Exploring The Political Through Music
Course Description:

Like music? Curious about the political? Join this class to consider how the two groove together as well as clash and slam against each other. While working on making your academic thinking, reading, writing, listening, speaking, research, presentation and other skills rock, this course does not skip a beat in tackling theory and problematizing cases related to the political and contemporary music. Welcome to a high-tempo course that ultimately will affect the rest of your life...

Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401) - Course Topic: Technical Report Writing & Presentation
Course Description:

The object of this course is to assist engineering students in effectively presenting various types of information in both the written and oral modes. Students will be expected to become competent in writing and organizing technical reports and in effectively presenting academic and technical papers. The tasks performed as part of the course will mirror the tasks students will be expected to do in their prospective professional lives and in their faculty classes.

 
Approved
Matthew Gorman
FAE Instructor
SAL / FEASS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Language & Identity
Course Description:

The goal of this course is to take an in-depth look at some of the ways language can affect a person and how they identify. Throughout the course you will explore how language interacts with both personal and national identity and how language can both be used to promote and possibly suppress one’s identity. You will investigate these themes and develop both critical thinking and language skills through presentations, group discussions, and written essays.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Thoughts on Recreation
Course Description:

Leisure pursuits and recreation are aspects of life held dear by many people. This class prepares you to develop you academic English skills while exploring the historical development and current implications of our modern understanding of leisure. By investigating philosophical, political and psychological viewpoints on the topic, we will discover that leisure accomplishes much more than just relieving stress and having fun. 

You will choose an aspect of leisure you find interesting and write a research paper to expand on it. Your linguistic, critical thinking and academic skills will  develop throughout the research process.

Approved
Melanie Ann Kincl
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Truth and (Mis)information
Course Description:

There are countless articles about the dangers of misinformation in the modern "post-truth" era. Politicians yell "fake news!" about things they don't like, journalists have sold out to the lure of clickbait, and conspiracy theories are rampant. Scientists are left as the only ones left representing Truth--or are they?

In this course we will first investigate the role that trust plays in defining information... and therefore misinformation. Next, we will consider how these ideas affect the sources of many peoples knowledge--professional and amateur journalism. Finally, we will improve our own abilities to spot misinformation on the internet. By the end of this course, you will have a better understanding of how to evaluate information for credibility and write in a way that builds trust with your reader.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Rethinking Normal
Course Description:

Why is “normal” normal? Who does it benefit and who does it harm? When is it more advantageous to keep things as they are and when is it worth it to strive for change? These are some of the questions we will use to rethink different kinds of “normal”. Using the sociological lenses of Functionalism and Conflict Theory, you will interrogate and evaluate a social norm. Throughout the course you will research ideas relevant to the norm and the people it may affect, finally coming to a conclusion about whether that norm should be changed or maintained.

Approved
Nilüfer Yeşil
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Ecocentric or Egocentric?
Course Description:

This course aims to provide support and guidance for students to improve their
productive (writing and speaking) and receptive (listening and reading) skills in
order to empower them to use academic English in written and oral modes through the critical analysis of the concept of “ecological awareness” regarding animals, plants, and global warming. The questions to be considered throughout the course shall be:

  • Are animal rights overrated?
  • Can individualistic welfare-based ethics be applied to insects?
  • Crop or livestock production? Which one is sustainable?
  • Can a meat-based diet help the world overcome the challenges of food security?
  • Do governments exacerbate environmental crises?
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Slow and Simple Living in a Fast-Paced World
Course Description:

The course is a reading-based writing course designed to improve the academic skills of the students. It aims to help students improve their receptive and productive skills in English. “Slow and Simple Living in a Fast-Paced World” will offer a variety of texts and genres for students to explore in terms of content and organization. The nature of slow culture, the intersections between slow and simple living, the areas where slow or simple living are applied, how slow or simple living mingles with fast culture, the effects and limitations of slow and simple living are some of the themes to be covered in the course. In the course, through class discussion and an individual research project, students will also be able to improve their research, academic writing, language, and speaking skills.  

Some of the questions central to the course are:

  • How do the slow movement and simple living relate to each other?
  • Is slow culture only a matter of slowing down the clock?
  • Are slow movements anti-modern?
  • Does slow living mean being lazy?
  • What are the effects of living slowly and simply?
  • Do slow culture and simple living mingle with fast culture?
  • Does food need to be faster or slower?
  • How does speed affect cities?
  • Are slow culture and simple living elitist labels?
  • What is the relationship between the slow movement and globalization?
  • Is slower and simpler living a reaction to industrialization?
  • Can living slowly and simply improve the quality of life on the planet?
Approved
Özge Ezici Çetin
FAE Instructor
SAL / FEASS Unit
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: What is it to be human?
Course Description:

This course is designed to improve the students’ academic thinking, reading, speaking and writing skills through a variety of readings on the topic of what it means to be human. They will be exposed to various materials on the topics of, but not limited to, different definitions of being human, human creation, evolution, the simulation theory regarding human existence, morality, human rights, genocide, apartheid, surrogacy, slavery, ectogestation, abortion and sexual identity in order to learn to question both their and the society’s assumptions about these issues. Throughout the semester, they will conduct their own research to find answers to a question that they define which focuses on an aspect of what defines our humanity.

Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401) - Course Topic: Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401)
Course Description:

The objective of this course is to assist engineering students in effectively presenting various types of information in both the written and oral modes. Students will be expected to become competent in writing and organizing technical reports and in effectively presenting academic and technical papers. The tasks performed as part of the course will mirror the tasks students will be expected to do in their prospective professional lives and in their faculty classes.

Approved
Pinar Demir
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Choices and Decisions
Course Description:

This course is designed to improve your academic and language skills, with emphasis placed on thesis-driven writing. To achieve this you will critically interact with, discuss and write about a wide range of texts that question choices and decisions we make. For example, Do we have free will? To what extent are we free in our choices? Does morality constrain our sense of choice? Conclusions to such questions will develop depending on class-based discussions of ideas / concepts generated through shared interpretations of course texts. You will also have the opportunity to research and formulate a written paper on a sub-topic within the above theme – e.g. choices in the subject areas such as education, medicine, morality or science.

Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401) - Course Topic: FACILITIES
Course Description:

This course is designed for engineering students and aims to develop technical and professional communication skills. Students will be expected to become competent in the process of writing technical reports, developing projects and presenting these tasks. The tasks performed, as part of the course will mirror the tasks students will be expected to do in their faculty courses and prospective professional lives.

 
Approved
Pinar Esma Önkol
FAE Instructor, Unit Head
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Gender Representations in Media
Course Description:

The course titled Gender Representations in Media aims to look at the issues related with gendered media such as social roles imposed on males and females by the media, stereotyping, and the role of films and TV series in creating such stereotypes. Throughout the course, we will read a wide selection of texts, and challenge the assumptions regarding gender roles, underrepresentation of females and minorities in the films and TV series through the lens of theories such as feminism, cultivation theory, symbolic interactionism, socialization theory and male gaze theory. In the course, through class discussions, reading texts, and the individual research project, you will also be able to improve your research, academic writing, language and speaking skills.

Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401) - Course Topic: Eng 401 Technical Report Writing and Presentation
Course Description:

Eng 401 Technical Report Writing and Presentation course is designed for engineering students and aims to develop technical and professional communication skills. Students will be expected to become competent in the process of writing technical reports (proposals), developing projects and presenting these tasks. The tasks performed, as part of the course will mirror the tasks students will be expected to do in their faculty courses and prospective professional lives

Approved
Rachel Elizabeth Campbell
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Evil
Course Description:

This course is designed to improve your academic and language skills, with emphasis placed on thesis-driven writing. To achieve this you will critically interact with, discuss and write about a wide range of texts (e.g. theological, scientific, psychological, literary, etc.) thematically linked to evil. Furthermore, throughout the course you will learn to question both personal and societal assumptions about evil, it causes and effects. For example, what is evil? Why do we suffer from evil? How do we explain evil? Who is evil? Conclusions to such questions will develop depending on class-based discussions of ideas/concepts generated through shared interpretations of course texts.

Approved
Robert Loomis
FAE Instructor, Curriculum & Testing Coordinator
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: What is a Nation?
Course Description:

Today the existence of nations and national identities are taken for granted. However, nations as a political entity are a relatively recent phenomenon. This course will examine the origin of modern day nations, examine how national identities are created and look at the future of the nation state.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Food: Identity, Access, Responsibility
Course Description:

This course will critically examine food choice, the role that food plays in our lives today and its changing role in the future.  Everyday all of us consciously and subconsciously make choices concerning what food we eat.  These choices are based on more than personal preference of taste.  In the first half of the course we will look at how what we eat is influenced by internal and external factors, such as personal and group identity, ethics, technology, environment, and economics. The course will ask you to conduct your own research paper in which you develop a research question concerning an emerging issue related to how food plays a role in human identity, issues surrounding access and availability to food, and what (if any) responsibility we have in making choices concerning food consumption.

Approved
Ruba Tatar
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Human Rights in the Digital Era
Course Description:

This course explores how digital media has led to both the creation and reimagining of human rights issues across the world. With human data being more available than ever before, the world has encountered new concerns and debates over what is ethical and what is legal when it comes to the internet. Throughout the semester, we will explore real cases of people who have had their lives and reputations disrupted by the power of the internet as well as governments and major private entities that have used technology for their own agendas. We'll explore questions like: should private citizens be able to use the internet to enact their own visions of social justice; can and should you be able to erase your digital footprint; how does the right to privacy work when governments are involved -- are they entitled to it, and should they have to respect it? Through the use of many articles, case studies, and documentaries, we'll dive into some of the darker sides of technology, as well as its undeniable power.

Approved
Sarah Hassell
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Protest
Course Description:

This course will engage in three different debates. First, no matter the reason for protest, many argue whether violence is necessary for effective protest and lasting change. Secondly, people view hashtag activism as the new global method of protest with no consideration of its ramifications. Last, people contest whether protestors have the right to engage in activities that restrict other`s rights. 

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Social Deviance
Course Description:

Deviance is often associated with criminals, psychopaths and rebels. Despite its bad connotation, it has a place in society and no society is immune to it. Social deviance allows for abstract norms to be challenged, healthy debates to develop, and social progress to occur.

Approved
Semra Kunt Akbaş
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Myths: Past and Present
Course Description:

The course focuses on the so-called present-day myths and explores the contentious topics of free will, equality, and human nature from different perspectives.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Creativity
Course Description:

Creativity is intelligence having fun, says Einstein. However, from the differing theoretical perspectives of psychology and cognitive science, creativity and intelligence are two separate entities. This course will take a more practical approach to creativity and examine it in three domains, which are technology, education, and everyday life.

Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401) - Course Topic: Efficiency
Approved
Sergio Baptista Teixeira
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Evil
Course Description:

This course is designed to improve your academic and language skills, with emphasis placed on thesis-driven writing. To achieve this you will critically interact with, discuss and write about a wide range of texts (e.g. theological, scientific, psychological, literary, etc.) thematically linked to evil. Furthermore, throughout the course you will learn to question both personal and societal assumptions about evil, its causes and effects. For example, what is evil? Why do we suffer from evil? How do we explain evil? Who is evil? Conclusions to such questions will develop depending on class-based discussions of ideas/concepts generated through shared interpretations of course texts.

Remember when answering the central question – what is evil? – you will have your pre-existing knowledge/beliefs/experiences vigorously challenged by new viewpoints. So keep an open but critical mind, and be ready to read, listen, discuss, research and write about issues connected to human evil.

Approved
Tuğçe Arıkan
FAE Instructor
FADA / FHL Unit
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: MODERN ART and SOCIETY
Course Description:

In this course the central theme will be “Modern Art and Society”, a.k.a. the relation between modern art and society. In this context, Education, art movements, social movements, society, politics and art are also related.  Modern art movements influence our lives whether we are aware of it or not. In the meantime, these movements are influenced by society. Apart from this fact, art is one of the ways we express our repressions, feelings and unconscious desires, etc. It is still discussed if art education should be encouraged more. In this course, we will read the works of John Dewey, Susan Gablik, Jürgen Habermas, Clement Greenberg, and some other writers. Your research projects will focus on the aspects of real life but they will also be critical of politics, society, and art, etc.  your presentation topics will be related to issues of art and society as well

Approved
Tülay Özyurt Erkan
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Myths as social constructs
Course Description:

This course addresses myths as social constructs and ideals that individuals and societies cherish, but do not always have in practice. Three such ideals, free will, equality, and noble human nature are addressed from a variety of perspectives.

Approved
Türküm Cankatan
FAE Instructor, Unit Head
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Happiness
Course Description:

Most people consider happiness their most important goal in life. There is considerable controversy about happiness, whether it is the satisfaction of desires, or whether it is the experience of the soul itself. By examining various evidence related to the causes of happiness, we will clarify the nature of happiness. In the process, students will improve their language and academic skills whilst doing research.

Approved
Yan Overfield Shaw
FAE Instructor
FE / VTS / FMPA Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: Should You Be Angry?
Course Description:

This course will encourage you to think critically about what anger is, what makes you angry personally, and what the effects of anger are. We will also consider how and why groups and institutions attempt to represent, repress, provoke, channel, and control this disruptive emotion. In the weekly readings, you will encounter a range of philosophical, psychological, biological, sociological, cultural, and political perspectives on anger. You will then be encouraged to apply these insights to problems ranging from everyday questions of personal behaviour to the power dynamics of family relationships, from the relationship between anger and aggression to apparent differences in men and women’s anger, and from incitement and "hate speech" to peaceful protest and political violence.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Are You Dreaming?
Course Description:

“Tell me about your dreams,” says the Viennese doctor quietly, with studied nonchalance, twirling a cigar in one hand, but pen at the ready in the other, peering at you from behind those thick round glasses. You don’t want to answer; perhaps you've heard what his dreams are made of... But though you might not agree with all of his interpretations, you can probably understand his curiosity. Dreaming is a fascinatingly contradictory phenomenon; as strangely beautiful in function and purpose as it often is in content and the many “meanings” we make of it. It is intensely personal; an experience we have during sleep, completely alone within the biological and psychic substrates of our being, that we nevertheless feel are the most personal messages from somewhere “outside”. Yet dreaming is also an experience that we share with every other human being who has ever existed, as well as many animals; one that has evolved over eons to ensure the survival and efficiency of our physical, emotional, and rational minds; that self we call a soul. In this course, you will write an essay to help you explore and understand your dreams through the different interpretive and analytical lenses of dream divination, psychoanalysis, and modern neuroscience. You will also conduct an autonomous library research project to develop the broad theme of “dreams” in a direction and a field that interests you; psychological, philosophical, anthropological, historical, scientific, technological, or aesthetic.

Technical Report Writing & Presentation (ENG 401) - Course Topic: Sustainability
Course Description:

This course is designed for engineering students and aims to develop technical and professional communication skills. Students will be expected to become competent in the process of writing technical reports (proposals), developing projects and presenting these tasks. The tasks performed, as part of the course will mirror the tasks students will be expected to do in their faculty courses and prospective professional lives.

My theme for the course is sustainability, as broadly defined by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and I encourage students to develop proposals for projects that would help the campus or the city meet any of the goals, not only for clean energy, clean water, greener infrastructure, reduced waste and pollution, and industrial innovation, but also seeking to engineer out poverty, hunger, exclusion, and inequalities. Engagement with the goals will prepare students for compliance work in the public sector and private enterprise.

Introduction to Creative Writing (ENG 312) - Course Topic: Introduction to Creative Writing
Course Description:

(by Byrne Brewerton) ENG 312 introduces undergraduate students to short fiction from a writer’s point of view. The course has three main objectives: 1. Learning to read stories as writers read stories; 2. Exploring and developing a personal, creative process; and 3. Writing a short, well-crafted piece of prose fiction. Students learn that the first job of creative writers is to notice, to look closely at the world and its inhabitants. Through class readings and discussions, they look at the elements of fiction — character, plot structure, point of view, setting, description, and dialogue — in short short-stories written by masters of the craft; and through exercises and feedback, they engage in a process in which they write a classically structured, short short-story of their own.

Approved
Zeynep Özek
FAE Instructor
FBA / FL / FS Unit
English & Composition I (ENG 101) - Course Topic: The Human Condition
Course Description:

This course focuses on the study of what being a human actually means. The human condition refers to the experience of human beings including the key features, events and situations related to the existence of humans. This includes the scientific placement of human as a `higher rank` species, and its experience of life and death, and spiritual, emotional and intellectual growth. The course will center around the significance of nature and culture in this journey of being and becoming a human along with the discussion of social issues such as poverty and education within the framework of the concepts of morality, justice, altruism. The course takes an interdisciplinary standpoint and requires students to read and evaluate various renowned articles from a wide range of disciplines such as science, literature, and philosophy to celebrate a number of non-fiction and fiction genres including academic essays and poems.

English & Composition II (ENG 102) - Course Topic: Film Appreciation
Course Description:

This course is devoted to exploring films, not just passively watching them but actively analyzing to decipher their meaning. A close examination and reading of scenes within the narrative framework of film reveals the powerful, coded, cultural meanings that structure the arrangements of ideological relationships in social life. This course explores both the material and symbolic representations of identities in films to reexamine the role that it plays in constructing meaning and changing the complex nature of social relations through establishing values and concepts.

Reading films requires making decisions on the formal cinematic elements such as, cinematography, narrative, acting, editing, and sound. This course teaches these basic concepts to encourage students to see beyond the films and make sense of how the filmmakers tell their stories. Films are diverse and there could be many ways and perspectives that viewers use to make meaning. It is important to note that no single critical perspective is better than the others as it is not fair to box a film to a single and stock meaning. This course will guide you to think and write about films to articulate your own meaning and how to support it through critical analysis and research.

Using an interdisciplinary approach combining theories of cultural studies such as semiotics, Marxism, feminism, post colonialism and film studies, the course will center on the articulation, decoding and analysis of various reinforced concepts, values and symbols that imagery, scenes and narratives suggest.