This is one of a series of term-courses reviewing sources relevant for the study of Ottoman and Turkish history in different periods, as well as methods that have been developed and employed by historians on the basis of different types of sources. Specifically for the 15th and 16th centuries, HIST 561 is arranged topically to review the political organization of a dynastic state, the social structures of townsmen, peasants and nomads, as well as the relationships between political authority and various social groups. The wider context of Ottoman lands in Europe and in West Asia is then considered in relation to ideology and political thought. Each topic is studied in terms of how it is being treated in current historical scholarship, emphasizing the interplay between sources and methods appropriate for analytical or narrative history.