This report follows the general lines established by Professors Peter F. Abboud and M.A. Jazayery when they dealt with Arabic and Persian respectively. Its purpose is to survey the development of Turkish language instruction in North America, to present and evaluate the present position, and finally to put forward some questions and recommendations for consideration in the future. Although responsibility for the general tenor and emphasis of the report is mine, I have been guided by the various opinions of my colleagues and have attempted to give these opinions a fair presentation. Towards this end I have not hesitated to indicate where there is divergence among us, or between us and those who teach in other, but related, areas.

This course of one semester for undergraduates samples the literature—broadly defined—of the Arab, Persian and Turkish peoples and a time span of from just before the rise of Muhammad to modern times. It is literature-centered, i.e., the attention is on the reading and discussion of certain works or selections from works, rather than on literary history. Conceived more on the style of a Great Books course, its aim is to give the student as much direct acquaintance as possible in a few weeks with the thought, and the literary sensibilities of a great civilization. An alternative title would be Islamic Humanities, taking a cue from the more inclusive Oriental Humanities courses and the successful Western Humanities courses which led the way for them.