[Bilimsel Haber] CfA: Harvard and Koc Universities Ottoman Summer School in Turkey

[Onur Inal]

Ottoman Studies Foundation's Harvard and Koc Universities Ottoman Summer
School in Turkey invites applications for Summer 2009 term.

HARVARD-KOÇ UNIVERSITY
INTENSIVE OTTOMAN AND TURKISH SUMMER SCHOOL IN TURKEY
CUNDA, AYVALIK
JUNE 29 - AUGUST 7, 2009

This program is co-sponsored by the Harvard University Summer School, the
Harvard Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and Koç
University in Istanbul, Turkey.

PROGRAM: The Intensive Ottoman Summer School in Turkey provides
proficiency-based instruction in reading and translating Ottoman Turkish
texts in both manuscript and printed forms. Students will also develop
skills in paleography for reading original archival documents written in
styles like dîvânî, siyâkat, and rýk’a.

LEVELS: (1) Late Ottoman Turkish concentrates on developing the ability to
read, transcribe, and translate printed Ottoman texts from the 19th and 20th
centuries. (2) Early Ottoman Turkish focuses on manuscripts from the 14th to
the 18th centuries. By studying a selection of fermans and sections from
mühimme and tahrir defters, chronicles, and biographical works, students are
introduced to different grammatical structures and styles in Ottoman Turkish
and to various manuscript hands.

PREREQUISITES: A solid knowledge of modern Turkish grammar, normally at
least two years of academic study or the equivalent, and demonstrable
experience in 
reading printed Ottoman texts are mandatory. Some knowledge of Persian
and/or Arabic is highly desirable, and study of these languages will be
taken into consideration in the selection process. Prospective students
should note that in recent years the level of applicants has been extremely
high, and typically successful applicants have had three or more years of
modern Turkish. Those with no academic training in Arabic and/or Persian
will most likely not be selected.

COURSES: Daily: (a) 9-11 AM: Ottoman Turkish; (b) 11:30-12:30 AM: Persian
and Arabic support for Ottoman Turkish; and (c) 2–3 PM: modern Turkish
reading and conversation class, or, for native speakers of Turkish and those
with near-native ability, translation from Ottoman to English.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES: General Seminars: presentations by leading scholars
in the field of Ottoman and Turkish Studies. Students will have a chance to
meet 
prominent scholars and discuss the topics presented. There are normally four
presentations during the course. Information about scholars who will be
visiting the school will be announced on the Intensive Ottoman Summer School
web-site.

LOCATION AND FACILITIES: The Harvard–Koç University Intensive Ottoman and
Turkish Summer School is located on a small Aegean island, Cunda (officially

called Alibey Adasý), which is connected to the mainland town of Ayvalýk by
a causeway and a small bridge ("Türkiye’nin Ýlk Boðaz Köprüsü"). It is
situated on the northern Aegean coastline, two hours north of Ýzmir and
directly across from Lesvos. The lovely old Greek village is preserved as a
historic site and is ideal for concentrating on language learning since it
is far removed from large cities and the local population knows little
English. A small but growing reference library in the school is available
for students’ use. Cunda has many restaurants and coffee shops, a clinic,
two pharmacies, and 24-hour convenience stores. There is regular bus and
boat service to Ayvalýk, where intercity bus service is available. Students
are housed in Kapya Apart Otel (kapya.com.tr) and Kaptan Dede Otel in apart
suites provided with cooking and refrigeration facilities.

OFFICIAL APPROVAL: The Harvard-Koç University Intensive Ottoman and Turkish
Summer School has been approved by the US Department of Education, Center
for International Education, Title 6 of Higher Education so that American
students can apply for FLAS summer scholarships.

CREDIT: Credit is equal to a full year (two-semester) course. Participants
who so desire will receive a certificate indicating that he/she participated
in and completed the program. Ottoman Summer School is affiliated with
Harvard Summer School, but ONLY those who wish or need to obtain official
university credit and a transcript from Harvard Summer School need apply to
Harvard Summer School. Application forms are available on-line at
www.summer.harvard.edu.

ADMISSION & SCHOLARSHIP: Students who are enrolled in an M.A. or Ph.D.
program or who hold teaching or research positions in an academic
institution should submit the attached application form. For funding,
students may apply to various sources (FLAS, ITS, Mellon Foundation, etc.)
through their departments 
or centers of study.

PARTIAL FUNDING: There are a very few partial and full scholarships
available from Koç University and from the Türk Tanýtma Fonu of the Turkish
Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs. Koç funds are available only to those without recourse to
other sources of financial assistance such as FLAS, and priority is given to
Koç University students. Türk Tanýtma Fonu funds are restricted to
non-Turks. These funds are awarded by merit.

FEES:
Tuition $ 3,750.00
Lodging 350.00
TOTAL $ 4,100.00

Air fares and board are not included in the total. The total is to be paid
by the first week of May. Checks should be mailed to Ottoman Studies
Foundation, c/o Thomas Wood, CFP, UBS Financial Services, One Post Office
Square, Boston MA 02109.
O
ttoman Studies Foundation Tax Exempt Number 04–3319132
N.B. We do not have the time, personnel, or inclination to fill out
bureaucratic forms for payment if you attend an institution that requires
such things. Students will be responsible for providing such information, if
necessary. Students who want Harvard Summer School official credit should
consult the Harvard Summer School catalogue for additional fees
(www.summer.harvard.edu).

APPLICATION: The attached application form, accompanied by one letter of
recommendation and a university transcript, should be sent by all students
for 
credit or non-credit, by March 1, 2009 to:
Ottoman and Turkish Summer School in Turkey
c/o W. M. Thackston
43 Linnaean St. #26
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
or electronically to
wthackst at gmail.com.
For further questions e-mail: wthackst at gmail.com or selims at u.washington.edu.