1.    To provide students with a broad perspective of approaches to Ottoman history and an understanding of the various ways in which they manifest themselves and to assess students’ ability to express their perspectives through exams essays.
2.    To provide students with a deeper understanding of diverse historical and interdisciplinary traditions the course focus and to express this deepened understanding in written response papers and a critical essay.
3.    To provide an overview of historical analysis and interpretation methods and help students apply these skills in writing essays.
4.    To read widely and critically in a variety of historiographic and historical texts and to demonstrate the depth and breadth of this reading in essays