Duke Summer Program- Turkey

  Turkey

Istanbul

Term: Summer 
Dates: Early June- Early July

Description: This four-week, one-course (Special Topics in Philosophy: Thinking About God -The Nature of Religious Belief at the Crossroads of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam)program in Istanbul offers a philosophical study of the nature of religious belief against the magnificent backdrop of a city that has been a major center to all three religions of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition for centuries. The program is directed by Professor Guven Guzeldere, of the Duke Department of Philosophy, in Istanbul - the only city located in both Asia and Europe. Capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, as well as modern Turkey, Istanbul is home to numerous majestic sites of worship, and presents a truly unique opportunity for an on-site study of the nature of religious thought.

Highlights: The program will have weekly tours of historical sites of worship in Istanbul, such as the Byzantine churches of Hagia Sophia and the Holy Savior of Chora (both museums at present), the Blue Mosque and the Suleymaniye Mosque complex, and the Ahrida and Beth Israel synagogues. The course also includes a week-long trip down the Aegean coast, visiting the most important Greco-Roman sites that hold a central place in the philosophical and religious history of Asia Minor, such as Assos (the home of Aristotle's Academy), Troy, the Pergamon Acropolis (where the ruins of Zeus Altar are located), Ephesus and the ruins of the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the World), the House of Virgin Mary and the Basilica of St. John, Miletus (the city of the first recorded Ancient Greek Philosopher, Thales), and the Castle of St. Peter, and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.

Cost in US$: Inquire for more info.

Experience Required: no

Participants Travel to Turkey Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Transcript