Gul Deniz Korkusuz-Nisanyan
Teaching Assistant
Gul Deniz Korkusuz-Nisanyan
Contact
Stokes Hall South 315-D
Education
- MA, Middle East Technical University
- BSc, Middle East Technical University
Courses
Europe in the World I
Research Interests
History of the Society of Jesus
Ottoman History
Art and Architectural History
Advisor
Department
Biography
Deniz earned a BSc in International Relations and an MA in Architectural History with high honors from Middle East Technical University. An avid traveler, she spent a year in western Turkey documenting local adaptations of Baroque architecture in 18th-century Ottoman buildings. Her MA thesis focused on the architectural patronage of a prominent provincial family, exploring how local elites shaped the built environment in response to broader cultural shifts during this period.
Between 2021 and 2023, she co-led workshops as part of the Architectural Association London’s Visiting School in Turkey. The programs introduced local architectural histories and construction techniques from Western Anatolia and was attended by a number of international students. Before starting her PhD at Boston College, Deniz also organized and taught in other academic gatherings on Ottoman art and architectural history, with the support of scholars from around the world.
At Boston College, her research focuses on Jesuit missions in the Ottoman Empire. She examines how small Jesuit groups established political, educational, and architectural presences in Istanbul and central Anatolia, and how, in turn, these efforts gave rise to social backlash and even led to the development of conspiracy theories about them.