Information Package / Course Catalogue
Turkic-Islamic Literature: Forms and Genres
Course Code: İST501
Course Type: Area Elective
Couse Group: Second Cycle (Master's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 3
Prt.: 0
Credit: 3
Lab: 0
ECTS: 5
Objectives of the Course

To introduce the poetic and prose works written in the field of Turkish-Islamic literature in terms of their form and genre. The objective is to impart an understanding of the distinction between form and genre in poetry, as well as prose genres, along with their classification criteria. Ultimately, it aims to equip students with the ability to easily identify the form and genre of any literary text they encounter and evaluate it within its respective tradition.

Course Content

Concepts of Form and Genre: Poetic forms based on couplets (*beyit*) and stanzas (*bent*); prose genres; literary genres concerning God and the Prophet; forms and genres associated with *tekke* (Sufi lodge) literature; moral and didactic genres; the tradition of translation, commentary (*şerh*), and marginal annotation (*hâşiye*); identification of forms and genres through the analysis of sample texts.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes
1.Comprehends the distinction between form and genre of verse and prose texts in the field of Turkish Islamic Literature, and explains the classification criteria.
2.Examines couplet and stanza-based verse forms in terms of their structural features and distinguishes the differences between them.
3.Classifies the verse genres written about Allah (SWT) and the Prophet, as well as the forms and genres specific to Tekke literature.
4.Evaluates the development of prose genres and the tradition of translation, commentary, marginalia, anthologies, and manuscripts in early Turkish literature within their historical context.
5.Independently identifies the form and genre of selected verse and prose texts, and interprets the text within the literary tradition to which it belongs.
Recommended or Required Reading
1.Canım, Rıdvan. Divan Edebiyatında Türler [Genres in Divan Literature]. Ankara: Grafiker Publications.
2.Dilçin, Cem. Örneklerle Türk Şiir Bilgisi [Turkish Poetics with Examples]. Ankara: TDK Publications.
3.Güzel, Abdurrahman. Dinî-Tasavvufî Türk Edebiyatı El Kitabı [Handbook of Religious-Sufi Turkish Literature]. Ankara: Akçağ Publications.
4.İpekten, Haluk. Eski Türk Edebiyatı Nazım Şekilleri ve Aruz [Poetic Forms and Prosody in Old Turkish Literature]. Istanbul: Dergâh Publications.
5.İz, Fahir. Eski Türk Edebiyatında Nazım (I–II) [Poetry in Old Turkish Literature (I–II)]. Ankara: Akçağ Publications.
6.İz, Fahir. Eski Türk Edebiyatında Nesir [Prose in Old Turkish Literature]. Ankara: Akçağ Publications.
7.Levend, Agah Sırrı. Divan Edebiyatı Kelimeler ve Remizler, Mazmunlar ve Mefhumlar [Divan Literature: Words and Symbols, Motifs and Concepts]. Istanbul: Dergâh Publications.
8.Mermer, Kenan and Kocatürk, Olcay, eds. Manzum Dinî-Edebî Türler (Metin ve Şerh) [Poetic Religious-Literary Genres (Text and Commentary)]. Istanbul: DBY Publications.
9.Mermer, Kenan and Kocatürk, Olcay, eds. Mensur Dinî-Edebî Türler (Metin ve Tahlil) [Prose Religious-Literary Genres (Text and Analysis)]. Istanbul: DBY Publications.
10.Pekolcay, Necla, et al. İslâmî Türk Edebiyatında Şekil ve Nev‘îlere Giriş [Introduction to Forms and Genres in Islamic Turkish Literature]. Istanbul: Kitabevi Publications.
11.Süer, Fatih Ramazan. Türk İslam Edebiyatında Türler [Genres in Turkish-Islamic Literature]. Istanbul: Kesit Publications.
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
Introduction to the course; concepts of form and genre; form-genre distinction in verse and classification criteria.
Week 2 - Theoretical
Couplet-Based Verse Forms I.
Week 3 - Theoretical
Couplet-Based Verse Forms II.
Week 4 - Theoretical
Stanza-Based Verse Forms.
Week 5 - Theoretical
Verse Genres Concerning Allah (SWT) and the Prophet.
Week 6 - Theoretical
Forms and Genres in Tekke (Sufi) Literature.
Week 7 - Theoretical
Other Verse Genres.
Week 8 - Theoretical
Prose Genres I.
Week 9 - Theoretical
Prose Genres II.
Week 10 - Theoretical
Prose Genres III.
Week 11 - Theoretical
Prose Genres IV.
Week 12 - Theoretical
Tradition of translation, commentary (şerh) and marginalia (hâşiye); literary miscellanies (mecmua) and poetry notebooks (cönk).
Week 13 - Theoretical
Identification of form and genre on selected sample texts.
Week 14 - Theoretical
General Assessment.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Attending Lectures1%5
Assignment1%5
Midterm Examination1%30
Final Examination1%60
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory142370
Assignment35118
Presentation 35118
Midterm Examination110111
Final Examination113114
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)131
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
PÇ-6
OÇ-1
5
4
3
3
4
2
OÇ-2
4
5
2
4
3
3
OÇ-3
4
4
2
4
5
3
OÇ-4
4
5
3
5
4
4
OÇ-5
4
5
4
5
4
5
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026