The objective of this course is to provide  the students of political science with a theoretically-informed analysis of democratization in Turkey following the latest military regime (1980-1983) up to the early 2000s.  The main axis of the lectures and class is organized around the process of transition and democratization challenges by focusing on relevant actors and the specific issues of democratization reforms since the mid-1980s. Adopting a comparative perspective on democratization processes worldwide, the course material highlights the interplay between domestic and international forces in Turkish democratization to better comprehend the challenges of legal reforms and their implementation. In the first part of the course, major theoretical frameworks and conceptual schemes on transitions from authoritarianism, consolidation of democracy and the significance and the limits of external democracy promotion are reviewed.  In this context, democratization in the EU accession countries is approached as the political aspect of Europeanization. The second part deals specifically with the Turkish case analyzing the transition dynamics, political parties  and governments and legal -constitutional reforms towards democratization. The course ends with reflections on the recent global tide of democratic backsliding and the Turkish case.