Supporting Programs:

There are four supporting academic programs at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Academic Writing Program

The Academic Writing Program is part of Koç University’s Core Program and familiarizes students with the conventions of contemporary oral, written, and computer-based communication, establishing and supporting the skills required to participate in academic and professional discourse.

The mission of the Academic Writing Program at Koç University is to improve students’ confidence and ability to communicate effectively, especially in academic, text-based writing:

  • Promote independent learning, critical reading and thinking, and creativity
  • Foster adherence to high ethical standards and social responsibility
  • Provide opportunities for students to read, discuss, and write about texts recognized for their intellectual or humanistic value

Writing…

  • is essential for professional and academic success.
  • is an indicator of thinking and analytical skills
  • earns respect and creates a good impression
  • structures and clarifies your ideas
  • improves the effectiveness of both written and oral speech
  • promotes and reinforces higher-level thinking and learning
  • is your presence in the online community

Languages

The Language Program at Koc University is dedicated to offering  students the opportunity to acquire one or more foreign languages during their studies.

Languages like Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Ancient Greek and Latin, Turkish for foreigners and Sign Language are offered and taught by  a successful team of native instructors.

The Foreign Language Program believes in the great benefits of linguistic and cultural diversity and is planning to expand programs in Japanese and Portuguese in  future years.

Students  can choose from among a rich collection of various language courses from levels A1 to B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for languages.

Students  are not only given the opportunity to learn the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing but also aspects of the culture like history, politics and literature.

At  the  end of their studies students will have attained both linguistic and intercultural competence.

Students  will be evaluated according to their midterm, homework and final results however our main goal is to help students to become sensitive, critical and active “global citizens”.

Turkish Communication Skills

The Turkish Language Program aims to support learners in their writing and speaking abilities by creating a positive and encouraging classroom environment that allows learners to express themselves freely.

Designed in line with YÖK (Higher Education System) regulations, these courses help develop the learners with a high level of linguistic accuracy as well as develop an awareness of the general characteristics of the Turkish language and its historical development. The Turkish classes involve language and literature studies that foster the learners’ creativity and critical thinking. In this respect, the Turkish language courses are made up of two sections. The writing section involves textual analysis with particular emphasis on reading articles, essays, novels, short stories and poems, thereby enabling the learners to express their views in the written form. The speaking section, on the other hand, aims to develop learners’ academic speaking skills in the form of individual presentations.

The Turkish writing and speaking courses are under the class code TURK 100. Along with the Turkish language courses, the program offers elective courses which are available to all students at Koç University. The elective courses, which reflect our approach to education, include language, literature and other related subjects. These elective courses, which operate under the class code TLIT, involve Turkish Short Story, Turkish Novels, Contemporary Turkish Poetry, Modernization And Gender In Turkish Literature, The History Of Turkish Theater, Children’s Literature and also Women in Turkish Novel. Additionally, our program offers two Ottoman Turkish language courses, TURK 300 and TURK 330.

The Turkish language department also offers Turkish language courses for foreign exchange students.

Our department provides ten different levels of Turkish classes for foreign students ranging from BASIC TURKISH (TURK 201, 202, 203, 204); INTERMEDIATE TURKISH (TURK 301, 302, 303); and  UPPER INTERMEDIATE TURKISH (TURK 401)  to  ADVANCED TURKISH (TURK 402). These courses aim to develop students’ productive language skills by providing a supportive and stimulating learning environment.

In these communicative- based Turkish language classes, assessment is based on testing learners’ linguistic knowledge and accuracy, and their skills in reading and listening comprehension as well as in spoken communication and oral presentation skills.

These courses help students not only to adapt to life in Türkiye and get to know the culture better, but also enable them to communicate in Turkish effeciently.

Writing Center

The Writing Center provides students with writing support – including feedback, suggestions for improved writing and reading strategies, and editorial recommendations – during face-to-face sessions. Our consultants are experienced Academic Writing Program instructors who are trained to workshop writing directly with students. We offer one-on-one consulting sessions to support any stage of the writing process. Our goal is to help students build on their strengths and address particular challenges in their writing skills. We are open to many forms of writing collaboration; however, we do not explicitly write or edit papers.

We offer writing help for all academic projects in all disciplines, such as: response and term papers for your classes; theses and dissertations; application letters (for fellowships, graduate schools, and internships); abstracts and papers for conferences; grant proposals; publications; cover letters; CV and resumes

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