Deanship

Professor Hasan KAPLAN
Dean

Professor Hasan Kaplan graduated from Marmara University in 1993. After winning a scholarship from the Ministry of National Education, he went to the United States, where he completed his master's and doctoral studies in the field of Psychology of Religion at Fordham University and Syracuse University. He began his academic career in the United States as a faculty member at international higher education institutions such as New York State University, Syracuse University, and Le Moyne College.

After returning to Turkey, he served as a faculty member, department chair, dean, vice dean, and rector advisor at various universities, including Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, the University of Vienna, and Ibn Haldun University. Prof. Dr. Hasan Kaplan, who has been working at Yalova University since 2023, has been serving as Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences since 2024.

Professor Kaplan, who has presented papers at numerous scientific conferences both domestically and internationally, focuses his research on themes such as human nature, faith, spirituality, identity, ethics, addiction, trauma, and cross-cultural interaction. Professor Kaplan has made significant contributions to the literature with his works Psychology of New Muslim Identity in America (2009), İlahi Adalet Psikolojisi (2010), Kohlberg ve Ahlaki Gelişim Teorisi (2020) ve Psikolojik Bir Şey: Sen, Ben ve Ötekine Dair (2023). Furthermore, thanks to his academic contributions in the international arena, he serves as a Board Member of the International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR) and plays an active role in global academic circles.

Associate Professor Sinem BALTACI
Vice Dean

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sinem Baltacı graduated from the Department of Psychology at Hacettepe University in 2011. She completed her graduate education at the Middle East Technical University (METU) Integrated Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, which she pursued with a TÜBİTAK Doctoral Education Achievement Scholarship, and received her doctoral degree in 2019. In 2024, she earned the title of associate professor in Clinical Psychology.

During her graduate studies, Baltacı conducted academic research as a research assistant in the Department of Psychology at METU. She also worked as a specialist clinical psychologist at the AYNA Clinical Psychology Support Unit, conducting numerous psychotherapy and supervision sessions and coordinating clinical programs. She also conducted applied clinical studies at the adult and child psychiatry outpatient clinics and inpatient units of Ankara, Hacettepe, and Akdeniz Universities.

Focusing on psychoanalysis and discourse in her research, Associate Professor Sinem Baltacı examines topics such as the uniqueness of the subject, the function of symptoms, anxiety, obsession, repetition, addiction, and violence within the framework of Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, culture, and context, and has national and international publications in these fields.

Continuing her postdoctoral academic career at the Department of Psychology at Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Baltacı joined the Department of Psychology at Yalova University in 2020 and pioneered the establishment of the department. She currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Yalova University, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Senate Representative.

Assistant Professor Tahsin Eren SAYAR
Vice Dean

Assistant Professor Tahsin Eren Sayar graduated from the Radio, Television, and Cinema Department of the Faculty of Communication at Istanbul University in 2012 and completed his Pedagogical Formation education at the same university.

Sayar worked as a foreign news editor and reporter at various media organizations between 2010 and 2017. In 2016, he completed his Master's degree in Radio and Television Science at the Radio, Television, and Cinema Department of the Institute of Social Sciences at Marmara University. In 2017, he began his doctoral studies at Istanbul University's Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Radio, Television, and Cinema, which he completed in 2021.

From 2017 to 2024, he worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of Communication Arts at the Faculty of Art and Design and in the Department of New Media and Communication at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at Yalova University. Since 2024, he has been working as an Assistant Professor at the Department of New Media and Communication, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, at the same university.

Sayar has published book chapters, papers, and articles in the fields of new media, digital games, cinema, and political communication, as well as a book titled “Dijital Oyunlar ve Kimlik” Sayar has held numerous photography exhibitions and participated in national and international photography exhibitions with his personal photographs. He also serves as a jury member at national and international film festivals and continues to work on short films and documentaries.

Esat BİRTANE
Faculty Secretary