Turkey in the 20th Century

Nature of the Subject

Turkey in the 20th Century, formerly known as Turkish Social Studies, is a school-based syllabus that was initially developed in 2000 by a team of teachers from various schools, as a multidisciplinary offering based on the requirements of the Turkish national curriculum for history, geography and sociology, and incorporating an international perspective. The purpose was to offer a means of including a nationally mandated requirement within the IB Diploma Programme for Turkish schools.

Turkey is located geographically at the junction of two continents, and culturally at the confluence of at least two great civilisations. This has influenced its history and culture as much as it has enabled it to influence her neighbours. The purpose of the subject is to explore this interchange of influences, using concepts and analytical frameworks from each of the separate disciplines required in the Turkish national curriculum. An international perspective is included to make students aware of the role that Turkey might play in the region, as well as of the perceptions of other societies about this country.