On the Film Studies Certificate Program

Dear Colleagues,

The Film Studies Certificate Program, established by our Department of Western Languages and Literatures in 1998 and conducted with great care and pride for twenty-seven years, has been discontinued following the decision taken at the Senate meeting on February 28.

Our film courses, which have held a distinguished place in the institutional identity of our university, were taught by esteemed filmmakers who have made significant contributions to the industry. Since the invaluable donation of his film archive by Mithat Alam and the establishment of the Mithat Alam Film Center in 1999, each instructor teaching within the program was interviewed by our department, their syllabi were reviewed upon confirmation of their expertise, and they were asked to deliver a sample lecture.

The Film Studies Certificate Program should not be seen merely as an academic minor equivalent. The feedback we have received from numerous Boğaziçi alumni who have completed the program indicates that it broadened their horizons. Esteemed filmmakers, from Atilla Dorsay to Yavuzer Çetinkaya, from Derviş Zaim to Can Candan and Özcan Vardar, shared their knowledge with students, contributed to the development of new filmmakers, and honored us with their presence.

First and foremost, we extend our deepest gratitude to our esteemed professors Oya Başak, Cevza Sevgen, and Dilek Doltaş for entrusting our department with this distinguished program; to Özlem Öğüt, who has coordinated the program since 2006; to our department assistants, particularly Lamia Kabal, for their dedicated efforts; and to all our film instructors, who, without any financial expectation, have taught with great dedication and instilled in students a passion for cinema.

Department of Western Languages and Literatures