History of Hacettepe Turkish folklore

As Ord. Prof. M. Fuad Köprülü, scholarly founder of Turkish literature historiography, emphasizes with his saying which is "Generations complement science", academic studies conducted in social sciences emerge as a result of data built on top of one another. In this respect, Department of Turkish Language and Literature in Hacettepe University that Prof. Dr Şükrü Elçin founded and structured in 1969 became a basis for Turkish Folklore Major Discipline/Department, which forms our thesis's subject. Hacettepe Turkish Folklore became a major discipline under Prof. Dr Dursun Yıldırım in 1982, and department in 2013 with Prof. Dr Özkul Çobanoğlu. This thesis, in which the history of Hacettepe Turkish Folklore is dealt with, has an aim and quiddity to be examined within the frame of the contribution of its half-century history to the field and the scientists that are trained since it has brought a new dimension to the studies of folklore at the academic environment in Turkey. The study is composed of six chapters. In the First Chapter, the information about the study's conceptual framework, subject, aim, content and method is given. In the Second Chapter, intellectual basis, which has been effective in the emergence of folklore as a discipline in Turkey, is clarified; the functions of leading characters, journals and institutions during the process are explained. In the Third Chapter, the history of Hacettepe University Turkish Folklore Major Discipline/Department is given: its founding purpose, curriculum, and departmental activities are represented. In the Fourth Chapter, besides biographies of the founder and present academic staff, their approaches to folklore and academic studies along with information and remarks about academicians that worked for a while in the institution are presented. In the Fifth Chapter, annotated bibliography of completed graduate works is given with reference to the reason that they present the basic tendencies of Hacettepe Turkish Folklore. As for the Sixth Chapter, general outcomes, determinations, obtained findings that are based on whole research are evaluated. Key Words: Hacettepe University, History, History of Turkish Folklore