Aykut Kilinc

During winter term, 13 Roman history students dressed in white togas gathered in the Latin study to watch their instructors reenact the historic scene of Julius Caesar’s assassination on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. As the class fell silent, history instructor Aykut Kilinc, playing the part of Brutus, stepped out from the shadow of the doorway and approached Julius Caesar, played by Latin instructor Nicholas Unger. With a dramatic flourish, Kilinc’s Brutus stabbed the unsuspecting Caesar, earning a round of applause from the students.

"Throughout four years at Exeter, Kilinc’s talents in the history department and on campus have greatly benefited the school community."

Throughout four years at Exeter, Kilinc’s talents in the history department and on campus have greatly benefited the school community. Born and raised in Turkey, Kilinc pursued  undergraduate studies in Turkish, European and Islamic history before moving to New England in 2000 to pursue further studies. These studies culminated in earning a master’s degree and doctorate in American history and foreign policy at the University of New Hampshire in 2014. His master’s thesis reviewed Turkish-American foreign relations in the 1920s, and his Ph.D. dissertation on U.S. foreign policy toward Cyprus during the 1960s and 1970s dealt with the limits of American policy during the Cold War. During his graduate studies at UNH, he taught undergraduate courses in Middle Eastern and American history.

Kilinc credits his undergraduate teaching with his desire to pursue a career in education. Exeter first caught his attention when he met Dean of Faculty Ethan Shapiro, then the Academy’s Director of Summer School. “Exeter had been on my radar for about a year and a half,” Kilinc said of when he first came to the Academy. “And then as I was finishing my Ph.D., there was an opening, and I just jumped at it. I applied for it, and I got so lucky. I felt so blessed.”

Kilinc was an important addition to the history department at the time of his arrival, as no current history instructor had such a deep background in foreign policy. He especially enjoys working with international students. “I can understand the difficulties they may be having,” he said, noting that he had been an international student for fifteen years before coming to Exeter.

Outside the classroom, Kilinc has been deeply involved in several activities, including advising the Model UN club. Working with the Karam Foundation, a non-profit organization seeking “to restore the dignity and quality of life for people affected by conflict by eliminating barriers,” he was instrumental in bringing Syrian refugee students to Exeter Summer School as well as bringing awareness on campus to the Syrian crisis. Kilinc is also one of the history teachers who, along with English instructors and under the guidance of English instructor Alex Myers, piloted and continues with the work of the Writing Center, a joint venture by the English and history departments to help students improve their writing skills and to provide advice on student papers. Kilinc has broadened his history interests to include Greek and Roman history, and he just returned from co-leading a spring break trip with the Classics Department to Rome. “It is just a breathtaking, magnificent city,” he said.

Kilinc’s fellow instructors in the history department praise his individuality and the work he’s done to bring attention to the Syrian crisis. “He’s a great colleague, knowledgeable, eager, enthusiastic,” history instructor Michael Golay, who is collaborating with Kilinc on an advanced U.S. history course during the spring term, said. “I like his candor. He’s not shy about speaking his mind. His point of view is individual to him and quite refreshing.”

Now in his fourth year at Exeter, Kilinc playfully calls himself a “senior.” He spends his free time with his son, Jonah, his wife and a rescue greyhound dog named Omar. Though nine-year old Omar is rumored to be “part tiger,” the Kilinc family adopted him when he was two and a half years old after he broke his leg during a race. Kilinc enjoys going to farmers’ markets and to “cook, freeze, pickle and jam whatever is available.” He boasts that he makes the best hot sauce in New England and enjoys watching slow, depressing movies and history documentaries.

Kilinc’s teaching style combines difficult subject matter with humor, the latter of which he sees as a way to connect better with students. Acknowledging himself as an introvert, Kilinc understands the importance of humor at the Harkness table. “Being sarcastic and being funny helps me get out of my skin and be someone else,” he said. “I don’t think I would be exaggerating when I say that students tend to think that I am kind of funny in class, so that’s helpful for me because it’s a sort of performance.” He uses humor as a tool, “and that makes it easier for me to engage with students and to teach.”

Students have responded well to Kilinc’s classes and teaching style, stating that his classes are tough but fun, and that he expects rigorous Harkness participation. Lower Grace Ferguson took Kilinc’s Medieval World history course during prep spring and appreciated his support both in and out of the classroom.

“He made the classes really interesting with stories about his travels,” she said. Ferguson credits Kilinc’s guidance of her class participation for improving her ability to contribute to discussions. “I met with him about my Harkness participation. We talked for a while, and it really encouraged me to start talking and to put my ideas out there; and not just in the classroom,” Ferguson said.

Lower Pepper Pieroni shared Ferguson’s sentiments, noting that in her first history class at Exeter, Kilinc’s Medieval World history course, “he always made sure that his students were in a good mood before starting class. His jokes were funny enough to turn the entire day around.”