Harvard Summer Program in Istanbul, Turkey
This page contains content from the Summer School 2009. For current information, visit the Harvard Summer School website at www.summer.harvard.edu.
Information on the programs being offered summer 2010 will be available online in early September.
Humanities and social sciences in the fascinating city of Istanbul
Faculty: Faculty from Harvard and Sabanci Universities
(8 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
Program dates: June 15–August 7, 2009
Application deadline: February 27
Cost: $7,350
Located on the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe from Asia, Istanbul has long been one of the world’s most fascinating and important cities. Capital city of the Roman Empire in the fourth century, the Byzantine Empire until the fifteenth century, and the Ottoman Empire until early in the last century, Istanbul is today home to important cultural sites, including the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace, as well as a vibrant center of industry and trade.
The eight-week program brings together students and faculty from Harvard and Sabanci University in Turkey, creating an exciting intercultural experience both in the classroom and beyond. Students select two courses from a range of offerings in the humanities and social sciences. Courses are taught at a site along the Bosphorus in the old city, and students stay nearby, in an area famous for its cafés and seafood restaurants.
Course of study
Students choose two courses for credit from a curriculum spanning the social sciences and the humanities.
ECON S-1053 Study Abroad in Istanbul, Turkey: Game Theory and Strategic Decisions
This course, taught by Pinar Dogan, uses game theory to study strategic behavior in real-world situations. It develops theoretical concepts, such as incentives, threats and promises, and signaling, with application to a range of policy issues. Examples are drawn from a wide variety of areas, such as marketing, labor bargaining, international negotiations, auction design, and legislative voting behavior. This course also explores how people actually behave in strategic settings through a series of participatory demonstrations. These experiments will help refine our understanding of economic behavior in the real world. Prerequisites: Prior courses in microeconomics and mathematics are helpful but not required.
ECON S-1397 Study Abroad in Istanbul, Turkey: The Past, Present, and Future of Globalization
The current crisis has highlighted the frailties of the current model of economic globalization and has raised questions about its future. This course, taught by Dani Rodrik, analyzes economic globalization in a historical perspective. It evaluates the arguments of both its critics and advocates, and pays particular attention to problems of trade, finance, and economic development in an economically integrating world. We discuss different models of economic globalization and global governance, with an eye towards future possibilities. (This course replaces ECON S-1345 Study Abroad in Istanbul, Turkey: Economics of Development—A Policy Approach.)
HARC S-122 Study Abroad in Istanbul, Turkey: Major Works of Ottoman Culture
This course, taught by Tulay Artan, focuses on selected masterpieces of Ottoman artistic and literary production, chosen not only for their high aesthetic qualities, but also for their representativeness across different genres and historical periods. We start with the works themselves and proceed from them to explore the successive and ever-expanding backgrounds, instead of creating a continuous narrative of cultural history from the outset and submerging a much larger number of works within it. Students are introduced to a whole range of modes of expression—such as monumental religious architecture, decorative programs of line and color, the arts of the book, the ruling elite's changing "theater of life" and consumption patterns, and the conventions of composition—and to analytical perspectives on two main periods of Ottoman history with their specific power relations, socioeconomic problems, ideological readjustments, sensitivities, and outlooks. Prerequisites: none.
HIST S-1090 Study Abroad in Istanbul, Turkey: Introduction to Byzantine History (AD 300–1453)
This course, taught by Koray Durak, is an introduction to the society, politics, and culture of Byzantium. It covers the transformation of the late through the East Roman empire into the Byzantine empire; the role of the Byzantine church; the changing political, military, and economic fortunes of the empire over the centuries; as well as the everyday life of various social groups—including peasants, soldiers, monks, artisans, and women. Byzantium will be treated not in isolation, but in a broader world-context comprising its neighbors and political rivals, and focusing especially on its relations with the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire, the Balkan Slavs, and contemporary Muslim powers. Readings include a variety of printed primary sources in translation together with selections from the standard secondary literature. Prerequisites: none.
HIST S-1265 Study Abroad in Istanbul, Turkey: World War I and the Ottoman Empire
As the watershed between the "long" nineteenth and the "short" twentieth century, the Great War cuts across many national histories. In particular, it marks the twilight of empires. This course, taught by Halil Berktay, takes a close look at both the general and the Ottoman-Turkish experience of 1914–18. Aspects covered include the New Imperialism background, the road to war, the unfolding of military action and the various fronts and campaigns in Europe and elsewhere, the new war economies, the carnage at the front and other forms of human suffering behind the lines, dimensions of ethnic cleansing, the impact on art and literature, and social and political consequences. Prerequisites: none.
HIST S-1892 Study Abroad in Istanbul, Turkey: The Economic History of the Middle East Since World War II
This course, taught by E. Roger Owen, provides a critical overview of the processes of economic growth and transformation in the Middle East from World War II to the present. Countries to be studied include Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, the Arab states of the Arabian Peninsula, Israel/Palestine, Iran and Turkey.
Course credit
For Harvard College students, this program counts as two half-year courses (4 credits each) of degree credit.
Transfer credit. Harvard Summer School courses and credits are accepted toward degrees at most colleges and universities. Since degree requirements vary among schools, students are advised to obtain transfer credit approval from their home institutions before registering for Harvard Summer School courses.
Faculty
Turlay Artan, Associate Professor History Department, Sabanci University
Halil Berktay, Associate Professor, History Department, Sabanci University
Pinar Dogan, Lecturer on Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Koray Durak, Assistant Professor, History Department, Bogazici University
E. Roger Owen, A. J. Meyer Professor of Middle East History, Harvard University
Dani Rodrik, Rafiq Hariri Professor of International Political Economy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Application
Students must be at least 18 years old to apply. The application materials, outlined below, are due February 27:
- An application form (the application period for this program has ended)
- Official transcripts (sent directly from schools to the address below; unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted for Harvard College students only)
- A $50 nonrefundable application fee
- A supplementary statement describing interest in the program, relevant coursework, and travel experience abroad (not a prerequisite)
Applications should be addressed as follows:
Matilda West
Study Abroad Coordinator
Harvard Summer School
51 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Students will be notified of admission decisions by mid-March.
Cost
The cost of the program is $7,350, plus a nonrefundable $50 application fee. In addition, students are responsible for a health insurance fee ($165; waived if students have US insurance that provides coverage outside the United States) and for transportation to and from Istanbul. The cost of the program covers the following:
- Tuition
- Room and some meals
- Excursions (including meals when appropriate)
Program directors will advise students of likely additional expenses.
Payment deadlines
Harvard Summer School online services allows accepted students to make payments or deposits with a valid credit card.
Students can also mail their payment, along with a completed Study Abroad Payment Form (available in Forms), to:
Student Financial Services
Harvard Summer School
51 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
For those admitted to the program, a nonrefundable deposit of $735 must be received by April 15 to secure a place in the program. Payment in full is due by May 15. A $100 late fee will be charged for payments received after this date.
Funding
Harvard College students are eligible for funding through the Harvard College Office of International Programs (OIP), as well as a variety of centers around campus. All Harvard Summer School study abroad programs qualify for summer funding. Programs of eight weeks or longer in duration (including extensions of Harvard Summer School Programs approved by faculty members) qualify for Rockefeller International Experience Grants; programs of shorter duration qualify for other summer grants.
Students may consult the Funding Sources Database for more information on all sources of funding. Please note that the funding application deadline for summer grants and Rockefeller International Experience Grants is February 27.
To apply for any study abroad funding, students need to provide information about the program’s budget, submit an application through the Common Application for Research and Travel (CARAT), as well as supplementary documents to the relevant center, if necessary. Additional information on the funding application process is available through CARAT.
Also see the Harvard College Financial Aid Office summer school page for information about assistance.
Other Harvard students may be eligible for financial assistance through their Harvard financial aid offices. Students enrolled at other institutions should consult their respective financial aid offices.
Accommodations
Students stay in dormitories at Sabanci University in Istanbul. All rooms are doubles and include breakfast.
Additional information
Contact Matilda West, matilda_west@harvard.edu, (617) 998-8593, fax (617) 496-4525.
Students with disabilities should contact the disability services coordinator as soon as possible: (617) 495-0977, (617) 495-9419 (TTY), or disabilities@dcemail.harvard.edu. Request-for-accommodation forms and supporting diagnostic documentation must be submitted by April 15. See the Disability Services page for more information about disability services, including request forms and guidelines for documentation.
Students applying for admission to Harvard’s study abroad programs should understand that although the University provides reasonable assistance and support to facilitate the participation of qualified students in its programs (including students with disabilities and health impairments), some of our programs are located in parts of the world where accommodations may not be readily available. Students are encouraged to be forthcoming with the disability services coordinator about any specific needs and functional limitations so that the Summer School can collaborate with those students in a way that fosters their safe participation and allows them to fully appreciate any barriers that they may face, depending on the location and rigors of the particular program.
Harvard Summer School is aware of the risks associated with international travel. Should the US Department of State issue a travel warning for any of the countries in which a study abroad program is planned, the program in that country may be canceled.