International Programs / Study Abroad

Istanbul, Turkey

Byzantine, Ottoman, and Turkish History and Culture

This program explores the history and culture of Istanbul--the center of Byzantine civilization for a millennium, the capital of the Ottoman empire for more than 450 years, and the largest city of the modern Turkish republic. Because of its strategic location between Europe and Asia, Istanbul has played a key role in the history of the world since the emperor Constantine made it the capital of the eastern Roman empire in the year 330 and named it Constantinople. Conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the city now known as Istanbul remained the capital of the Ottoman empire until the 1920s, when Mustafa Kemal dissolved the sultanate and became the first president of modern Turkey.

Today, visitors to Istanbul can trace the evolution of this great city by examining the well-preserved monuments of Roman/Byzantine civilization, exploring the mosques and palaces of the Ottoman centuries, and experiencing the culture and hospitality of modern Turkey. In Istanbul, as perhaps nowhere else, one comes into contact with the stream of ideas and influences that have so profoundly shaped Middle Eastern and European civilizations.

The early summer scheduling of our study tour will also make it possible for us to take advantage of Istanbul's many outdoor restaurants and cafes and to experience the astonishing natural beauty and engaging street life of this historic and cosmopolitan city.

Courses   

The program is led by Warren Schultz, Associate Professor of History, and Gerald Mulderig, Associate Professor of English. Both have traveled in Turkey and have extensive familiarity with the local setting and with all of the sites included on the tour.

Students participating in this program must register for HST143/398 in spring quarter 2009 and for ENG398 in summer 2009. The tentative dates for the program are June 17-July 1, 2009. Participants earn a total of eight academic credits. Either HST143/398 or ENG398 may satisfy the Junior Year Experiential Learning requirement; HST 143/398 may satisfy the UP (Understanding the Past) requirement.

HST 143/398 (Spring 2009): The Muslim World 1400-1920/Byzantine, Ottoman, and Turkish Istanbul I

Team-taught by professors Schultz and Mulderig, this course will examine the historical, geographical, and cultural significance of Byzantine Constantinople (330-1453) and Ottoman Istanbul (1453-1922), concluding with an introduction to the modern Turkish republic in the twentieth century. Students will become familiar not only with the historical narrative of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires but with a selection of the primary texts that have shaped that narrative and with important issues of social and cultural history. The course will include an extensive introduction to the sites and monuments included in the tour.

ENG 398 (Summer 2009): Byzantine, Ottoman, and Turkish Istanbul II

Team-taught by professors Schultz and Mulderig, this fifteen-day study tour of Istanbul and its environs will develop the themes of HST 398 with exploration and study of key monuments of the Byzantine world (including the Haghia Sophia, the Hippodrome, the formidable land walls that protected Constantinople for nearly a thousand years, and the world's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics in the Church of St. Savior) and of the Ottoman Empire (including the Fortress of Europe, the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi and Dolmabahce palaces, and the fourteenth- and fifteenth-century mosques of Bursa and Edirne). A final course project will be due at the end of the summer.

Excursions

In addition to guided study of sites in Istanbul, the program includes three excursions:

(1) A half-day private cruise on the Bosphorus, followed by lunch, a tour of the Fortress of Europe (1452), and an Ottoman band concert at Istanbul's Military Museum.

(2) A full-day bus trip to Bursa, the first Ottoman capital (1326-61), including tours of the Orhan Gazi Mosque (1339), the Selcuk-style Grand Mosque (1399), the Green Mosque and Tomb (1421), and the mosque and royal tombs of the Muradiye. Lunch is included.

(3) A full-day bus trip to Edirne, the second Ottoman capital (1361-1453), including tours of the Old Mosque (1414), the Mosque of the Three Balconies (1447), the Selimiye Mosque (1575) designed by the great Ottoman architect Sinan, and the Beyazit II mosque and insane asylum complex (1488). Lunch is included.

Circumstances, such as an unexpected event abroad or a curriculum change at a host institution, may require DePaul University to make changes to the program. DePaul University reserves the right to cancel or alter programs and courses without notice.

Living Arrangements   

Students will stay in double rooms in the four-star Seres Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel centrally located in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul and within easy walking distance of the city’s most famous buildings and monuments. Daily breakfast in the hotel’s rooftop terrace dining room is included. The hotel’s nonsmoking rooms include individually controlled air-conditioning, well-appointed bathrooms, cable TV, computer data ports, and minibars. Laundry service and safe-deposit boxes are also available. 

Expenses   

In addition DePaul tuition for 8 credit hours ((HST 398 in spring, ENG 398 in summer).The cost of the program is expected to be a specific program fee.  For updated information on specific program expenses, click here:

The program fee includes round-trip airfare from Chicago to Istanbul; Turkish visa; airport transfers; hotel accommodations with daily breakfast; eight lunches and two dinners with the group; professional guide services and minibus transportation within Istanbul; Bosphorus cruise and day-long excursions to Bursa and Edirne (see above); all museum entrance fees; medical insurance; and a pass for use on Istanbul's extensive public-transportation system.

Students should plan their budgets to cover additional meals (five lunches and eleven dinners), supplies, and personal expenses. Moderately priced cafes and restaurants are found near the program hotel and throughout the city.  

Program fees are based on projected actual costs. Inflation and fluctuating exchange rates make it impossible to state a fixed cost. DePaul University reserves the right to adjust program fees without notice.

Application   

To participate in this program, students must have at least a 2.5 GPA. To apply to this DePaul Study Abroad Program, students must submit the following:

 

    • A completed DePaul Study Abroad Program application form

    • Two (2) recommendation forms from faculty familiar with your academic work.

    • A copy of the DePaul Course History Report. This may be found on Campus Connect in the Students section under Course History.

    • A digital photo uploaded into the application.

 

DePaul University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or handicap in admissions, employment or the provision of services. Inquiries regarding this policy should be addressed to the Director of Human Resources, 243 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60604-2287.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 15