Doğaç AKBAY
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METU Economics Society has been growing and developing together with its members for 29 years.
Founded in 1993, Middle East Technical University (METU) Economics Society continues today its activities as it has been for 29 years. All activities planned and implemented by the METU Economics Society are organized by the students within its body. It has the characteristics of being an independent community as it is a society where only students organize, discuss, learn, and evaluate together.
Although its working frequency changes and improves over time, it has been advancing itself within the framework of missions such as researching, discussing, and trying to develop the academy for 29 years.
Independent environment
The two most important qualities distinguishing METU Economics Society from other student communities are its independence and academic orientation. Regarding its independence, METU Economics Society sustains itself thanks to the organization of its own members without being influenced by any person, institution, or community. This means that while organizing the workshops, choosing the themes to be discussed in these workshops, deciding on the related sources to be read, and most importantly, while discussions and transfer of knowledge in the workshops continue, they carry on their emancipated academic discussions without remaining under any pressure and this freedom environment thus allows them to express their ideas better and more comfortably. It also enables people to discuss ideas without any restriction owing to the freedom of the platform, and this ensures knowledge to be processed more accurately.
This freedom of the platform is one of the most important values of METU Economics Society. Both old and new members make efforts to ensure that this independent discussion environment keep going and that more people can benefit from this freedom environment.
Workshops and seminars
Moving on with various events, the most frequently implemented form of activity of METU Economics Society are workshops and seminars.
Workshops are organized after being jointly agreed upon a particular theme by community members. The topics of these workshops can be on general issues, or they can focus on specific agendas or a specific event from history. The important thing when choosing a topic for these workshops is to determine a point that arouses curiosity and is intended to discuss. Since these subjects are established entirely by the members of the society, they can also be the matters that the members are curious about or simply want to discuss and learn.
After determining a theme, society members search for sources on this specific topic. The main purpose of this research is to provide the people who will attend the workshop with a sufficient set of knowledge to make them to participate in the discussion on the subject. Unlaborious short readings or videos giving the essential information about the point of discussion are preferred to gain healthier understanding and facilitate the course of the workshop. At the same time, since these sources can determine the boundaries of the discussion, where to start and how to proceed, more common and therefore healthier discussion platforms are formed. While organizing the workshops, a facilitator selected makes a brief introduction on the subject first and ensures that there is no confusion by monitoring the order of speaking. Thus, discussions take place in a healthier environment under the control of a facilitator who monitors the right to speak and explains the subject in general.
Another activity method of METU Economics Society is organizing seminars. Professors from academia or people from related sectors can attend these seminars. As in workshops, seminars on a more specific subject can also be held through essential readings. The chief point on seminars is to maintain a healthy discussion environment. Thus, the participants in the seminar reach a platform where they can discuss their ideas and ask their questions while listening to presentations from academicians.
Academic concerns
Another mission of METU Economics Society is to be an academic student community. This mission has become even more crucial, especially in recent years, as the importance and effort given to academia and academic discussion in universities has gradually decreased. METU Economics Society takes academic concerns in the topics and debates it chooses into consideration while creating the discussion platforms.
Today, many student communities at universities organize their events as a career gateway to the business world, away from academia and science. As such, the events created by many societies that allegedly hold discussions on economics are indeed organized with the aim of establishing a career and take place as certificate and career events under the name of a discussion on economics. METU Economics Society is aware of this scientific and academic lack among student communities and intends to conduct its discussions within an academic-oriented scientific perspective.
The society chooses the topics of discussion to be able to interpret the problems scientifically by focusing on the fundamentals of social sciences and believes that academic discussions and research will raise and develop both students, university, and academy in an atmosphere where the academy is of such little importance today. In other words, METU Economics Society provides a platform where students can make academic discussions and do scientific research while choosing and discussing the subjects. Participating students experience an organized academic discussion environment that is difficult to find in other student societies.
As it has been for 29 years, METU Economics Society, which has always been conducting its discussions in a scientific way, takes it a duty to protect its main missions in new formations, too. To reach more students by spreading its established academic discussion platform to other universities, it is also a participant and organizer of wider events in cooperation with the student communities of other universities. The biggest of these events is Turkey Economic Congress of Independent University Students (TÜÖBİK), which has been held for 20 years. As this congress is an event where only students are organized and gives presentations, it enables them to improve their presentation skills, promote discussions, and conduct academic research at larger public while they are still students. Although participating for 20 years, METU Economics Society is also one of the founders of TÜÖBİK.
While maintaining its own academic discussion environment, METU Economics Society also consults communities intending to create an academic discussion platform. The society is open to collective activities with various universities or communities from multiple departments, as well as sensitive to circumstances in the country and universities. And a permanent organizer and participant of events where these circumstances are discussed. It is aware that discussing the problems of the country and the university will both inform the students, and that the discussion environment can find answers that can solve the problems. If you would like to participate in our academic discussions, find answers to your questions, or experience the scientific discussion environment, you can always contact us.
*July 2022
