The aim of this course is to contribute to the continuation of the academic discipline, at present under threat in Europe, of Ottomanist philological studies: the decipherment and interpretation of source texts in the main language of the Ottoman Empire, namely Ottoman Turkish. The continuing study of these texts is crucial for the understanding of Ottoman literature and history in their diverse aspects. Such texts produced before, roughly, the early nineteenth century were produced and reproduced in handwriting on paper, in particular in the format of individual documents and codices (handwritten books), often of a miscellaneous nature. Although the edition in print of such texts is an ongoing academic project both in Turkey and in some other countries, the bulk of them remain only available in manuscript form in public archives, museums and libraries. The course under discussion here intends to introduce the student, who is already able to read not too complicated, printed Ottoman texts, to the essentials of the discipline and acquaint him or her with some original material available in the Oriental Collection, Legatum Warnerianum, in the Leiden University Library. The collection is particularly rich in texts that document all kinds of aspects of Ottoman cultural history, and the handwritten books in themselves contain traces which document the literary culture from which they stemmed.
The course will consist of two parts: a general introduction to the discipline in which attention will be paid to the methodological aspects, in particular the phenomenon of the codex, the various types of script and the art of text editing, and, a more practical part, in which the students will be asked to decipher and interpret a few texts, chosen as much as possible according to the special interests of the students. These texts will be made available on blackboard.
Rooster
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Onderwijsvorm
Sessions consist of lectures on specific subjects, exercise sessions and class discussions. Students will be required to read secondary literature, present papers and decipher/read original texts. Each week’s sessions consist, roughly, of three parts. They start with a 30-minute lecture followed by a 15-minute presentation by one of the students, both on a special subject concerning Ottoman philology The remaining time will be dedicated to a discussion on matters related to the presentation as well as deciphering/reading exercises in which original texts in handwriting are used, preferably such as are found in the University Library collection . The original texts will be chosen with a view to the interests of the students and, if that be practical in view of the number of students, made available on blackboard. The required reading of secondary literature will not be in excess of 150 pages each week.
Attendance
Attendance of the classes is obligatory. Students are allowed to miss two classes for a good reason (to the discretion of the conveners) and will have to make up for the classes missed. Students who miss more than two classes will fail the course.
Literatuur
A reader with secondary literature for required reading will be made available at the beginning of the course.
Toetsing
Students are expected to write a 3000-word essay in which they transcribe, translate and analyse a chosen, handwritten text.
The final grade of this course will be composed of the following elements:
Participation in group discussions (20%)
Presentation of a paper on a special topic in class (30%)
3000-word essay (term paper) (50%)
Students who earn a mark lower than 6 owing to insufficient participation, including the presentation of papers, will have to sit a written examination on the subjects discussed during the course. The result will contribute 50% to the final mark.
Informatie
Blackboard/webpagina
Blackboard will be in use for practical information and the providing of selected texts (see above).
Opmerkingen
Proficiency in reading not too complicated printed Ottoman Turkish texts.
Registration via U-twist.