Betül Ba?aran, Formerly of the University of Chicago, Earns Promotion from St. Mary's College of Maryland

ST. MARY'S CITY, MD (05/18/2011)(readMedia)-- St. Mary's College of Maryland announces that Betül Ba?aran, of Lusby, Maryland, has been reappointed with tenure and promoted to associate professor, effective August 1, 2011. Ba?aran joined the faculty at St. Mary's in 2005. She earned her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, where she also taught courses in Ottoman Turkish and women in Islam. She teaches courses on the history, politics, and cultures of the Islamic Middle East, covering foundations of Islam, women in Islam, Islamic empires in medieval and early modern eras, and Islam in the modern world. Her research and writing focus on the social and economic history of the Ottoman Empire, with an interest in the urban and legal history of Ottoman Istanbul in the late 18th century.

St. Mary's College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. More than 2,000 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland.