Turkish and Central Asia refers to a vast and culturally rich region extending from Anatolia across Central Asia, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and surrounding regions. Shaped by centuries of migration, empire, and exchange, this region has played a central role in global history and continues to be of growing geopolitical, cultural, and economic significance.

Home to diverse societies, languages, and religious traditions—including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism—Turkish and Central Asia has served as a crossroads connecting the Middle East, Europe, South Asia, and East Asia. The region encompasses Turkic, Persian, Slavic, and other cultural influences, and is marked by a rich legacy of literature, art, architecture, and political thought.

Whether your interests lie in language and culture, history and politics, religion and society, or contemporary global affairs, knowledge of Turkish and Central Asia provides essential perspectives for understanding today’s interconnected world. Affiliated faculty offer a range of interdisciplinary courses that allow students to tailor the minor to their academic goals and career interests.

Explore the cultures and languages of Central Asia, which includes countries such as Turkey and Uzbekistan.

There are also scholarship opportunities for students through the CLLC and the NSEP Boren Awards for Scholars and Fellows - see our 2022-2023 winner here: https://cllc.osu.edu/news/nsep-boren-recipients

Changes to the requirements for fulfilling the Turkish and Central Asia Studies Minor will go into effect at the start of the 2019/2020 Academic Year. Students who entered OSU prior to the Autumn 2019 semester can choose to fulfill either the old "Turkish Minor" requirements or the new program requirements, in consultation with the NESA Academic Advisor. Students who enroll during or after the Autumn 2019 semester will be required to fulfill the new program requirements. 

The previous major and minor program requirements can be seen here: https://nesa.osu.edu/turkish-old-program-requirements
Students with questions about any of NESA's undergraduate programs should contact the departmental undergraduate advisor Tommy Beyl at beyl.1@osu.edu or call (614) 292-8485 to make an appointment.