Approximate dates: July 7- August 15, 2008

Istanbul is one of the world’s most vibrant and dynamic cities in the world. Spanning Europe and Asia, its history stretches back to Ancient Greece. The former capital of three successive empires–Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman–Istanbul preserves and honors its legacy. Today’s Istanbul is a key world cultural center where the modern face of Islam meets Western Europe. Students will have an opportunity to experience the realities of today’s Turkey in cultural and historical context. Our six-week program offers two Northwestern credit courses focusing on Turkey and using Istanbul as a central text. Guided visits to the city’s most remarkable landmarks are woven into the fabric of our unique course offerings. In addition, contemporary issues pertaining to the relationship between Islam and secularism, multiculturalism, modernity, orientalism, and globalization are considered in the context of modern Turkish society. Istanbul’s vivid cafes, restaurants and night clubs add to our program’s allure.

COURSES:

HISTORY 391: City and Civilization in the Eastern Mediterranean World

Istanbul was the capital of major world empires for the good part of two thousand years, from the 4th to the early 20th centuries. A center of attraction and consumption of the material products and a focal point of the intellectual and cultural heritages of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, Istanbul was also an important node of international trade and a cultural hotbed in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Throughout its history, Istanbul no doubt reflected its times, but as an important urban center, it also shaped them. The extraordinary cultural and architectural heritage of the metropolis is witness to the important role it has played in the history of the eastern Mediterranean world in particular. After the First World War, Istanbul lost the political base that had enhanced its significance for such a long time: Republican Turkey chose Ankara as its capital. However, particularly in recent decades, the citys inner dynamism along with the cultural and economic developments that are known as globalization have worked in combination to transform Istanbul into a multicultural metropolis, a problematic megacity that defies easy definition.

The course gives an overview of the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and contemporary history of the city in the context of the civilizations of which it was and is a part. It identifies the main social, economic and cultural forces that shaped (and continue to shape) its development, provides insights into major research findings about the city and its civilizations, and demonstrates the connection between the built-up city and urban history. The course also focuses on the problems of contemporary Istanbul. It consists of three integrated components: lectures, class-discussions, and excursions to important places and monuments in Istanbul. Two overnight excursions to Edirne and the North-Western Anatolian town of Safranbolu show Ottoman and Turkish urban structures that enable the student to put his/her Istanbul experience into context.

RTVF 298-0 Studies in Media Topics: Pop Culture in Turkey: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle.

This course examines the social functions of popular culture in Turkey with particular emphasis on the period from 1980s to the present. It asks how popular culture is produced and consumed, and how the social function of specific forms (e.g. music, television, cinema, fashion, youth cultures) has altered the country in recent two decades. The course examines the distinctive ways in which popular culture, whether from Turkey or overseas, has developed. It analyses how certain cultural forms have been perceived as typically "Turkish" while others have been perceived as "foreign." The social and political consequences of such perceptions will be examined.
At the end of the course students should be familiar with recent debates about the nature of popular culture in general and Turkish popular culture in particular. Students should also have developed a good understanding of the main social and cultural forces operating in Turkey since the 1980s. Since the changing urban culture of modernity steadily generates new meanings of leisure and popular culture, the urban landscape becomes the representational space of different social and spatial practices. This course also aims to explore the ongoing urban transformation of the city of Istanbul with respect to the evolving popular culture and the new concept of leisure in the city.

RELIGION 359: Islam and the West

This course focusing on Islam and the West is concerned to map out the general framework of issues related to Islam and the Western world. The course examines, among other things, the relationship between Islam on the one hand and multiculturalism, colonialism, orientalism, occidentalism, imperialism, modernization, post-colonialism, post-communism, globalization, mysticism, the Ottoman Empire, the Balkans and the Middle East. The course also aims to give students a comparative perspective on the issues, ranging from Andalusia to the Ottoman Empire to Indonesia.

A historical account of the early encounters between Islam and the Judeo-Christian West will be provided by examining some fields of interaction in philosophy, science, and education. This will be followed by an analysis of the Western perceptions of Islam during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, paving the way for the modern conceptions of Islam and the Islamic world in the Western hemisphere. Special attention will be paid to the rise of the West as the supreme power in the modern world and its impact on the relationship of the two civilizations in negotiating various forms and patterns of encounter, challenge, rejection, reaction, and adaptation.

The course consists of three integrated components: lectures, class-discussions, and an excursion focusing on Islamic versus western life styles in Istanbul.

PROGRAM EXCURSIONS:

Istanbul Excursions are as follows:

The imperial center

This excursion includes a number of the most important highlights the city has to offer, exhibiting its full imperial splendor. The Hagia Sophia, the hippodrome, the mosaics of the Byzantine imperial palace, the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque, the Palace of Ibrahim Pasha with the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art are among the main sites to be visited.

The social life of Ottoman Istanbul

Concentrating on a number of ancient quarters in the historic centre of the city this excursion includes some religious, social and commercial sites from the 16th to 19th centuries. The mosque complex of the Süleymaniye, Vefa, the Grand Bazaar area with the Valide Han, Rüstem Pasha Mosque, the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar, the old Ottoman Postal Office, and the historic railway station of Sirkeci, where the Orient Express ended its soujourn from Paris.

19th century modernizing Istanbul

Istanbul’s transformation into a modern city has left its imprint especially on the quarters north of the Golden Horn. Visits include a wide variety of historical buildings with different functions: the district of Karaköy at the mouth of the Golden Horn will be explored, as will Pera, (the old European quarter), Tophane, Tophane fountain, the clock-tower, various schools, customs houses and the churches of Karaköy, bank buildings, synagogues and old commercial buildings in the 19th century financial center of the city, the 14th century Galata Tower, the Arab mosque. Focus will be on the transformation of urban structures and the westernisation of the city. Further sites include Narmanli Han, the first municipality headquarters, old European embassies and 19th century shopping “malls”.

20th and 21st century urban developments

The 20th and 21st centuries were difficult for the city after it lost its status as imperial centre. A dynamic modern urban life contrasts with the rather self-regulated urban development resulting from mass migration from rural areas. Modern life in Taksim Square, Maçka and Nisantasi with their fancy shops, cafes and chic restaurants will be explored. A bus trip to the oldest shantytown district of Zeytinburnu near the airport will give us an idea of the life of the new and older migrants to the city. Visits to the Armenian Hospital, Merkezefendi and to various urban settlements outside the Byzantine city walls will give students a sense for current urban development and sprawl.

Religion in the metropolis

Religion is an important part of city life in Istanbul. Historically, religion and community were perhaps the most formative social institutions for most inhabitants after the immediate family. Today, religion is closely connected to questions of identity and political position. Visits are paid to Muslim, Christian and Jewish sites: Fatih Mosque, Iskenderpasha, religious institutions in Balat and Fener including various schools, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, churches, dervish convents, the Jewish hospital and the like, as well as the Islamic religious center and pilgrimage site of Eyüp with its extraordinary mosque and ancient Islamic cemeteries.

Contemporary Islamic and western ways of life

This excursion will expose students to the striking contrasts of contemporary Islamic and western ways of life in Istanbul with walking tours through traditional Muslim and modern western residential and commercial districts. Students will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the various ways in which these two “worlds” exist side by side in this complex meeting place of civilizations and cultures.

Overnight Excursion to Edirne (ancient Adrianople)

Founded by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, Edirne is a provincial city located near the Bulgarian border where the main roads of southeastern Europe intersect before they continue to Istanbul. Edirne served as the Ottoman dynastic seat prior to the conquest of Istanbul. In later centuries, it temporarily challenged Istanbul’s rank as capital. After the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, the city lost much of its population and dynamism, only beginning to regain to some extent its earlier position in recent years. All this makes Edirne a fascinating historical city with many monuments from Roman times to those of the industrial age (an old railway station, ruins of a 19th century synagogue). The most interesting buildings show Edirne as an early and high Ottoman city. The main attraction is the Selimiye mosque (1571), widely regarded as the apogee of Ottoman architecture. The environs of Edirne are a very pleasant landscape set between rivers with very attractive places to eat and rest.

Safranbolu Excursion

Going towards the Black Sea, passing through villages and viewing beautiful landscapes. Arrival at Safranbolu, a lovely town with its traditionally built wooden houses. Exploring the timbered houses and local market and taste the regional food. Overnight stay in Safranbolu.

Bosphorus cruise

Bosporus cruise through the waterways separating the two continents Asia and Europe.

LOGISTICS:

Housing: Accommodation (in double rooms) is in Istanbul Bilgi University dormitories located at the mouth of Golden Horn in the center of the city. The dormitory is equipped with kitchenettes, laundry facilities and TV, computer and study rooms. Daily room cleaning and breakfast are provided.

Sports Facilities: Istanbul Bilgi University provides a variety of sports facilities, including an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center and a basketball court.

Libraries, Computing Services and Studios: Istanbul Bilgi University holds an impressive collection of books and other items, as well as extensive audio-visual and sound recording collections. The library offers essential and supplementary resources for students in all academic disciplines. University has 27 computer labs with a total of 2,000 PCs.

Flight Arrangements: Students must make their own travel arrangements to arrive in Istanbul on Sunday, July 6, 2008. Following the program's completion, students must make their own travel arrangementsto to return to the U.S.