SU to open abroad center in Istanbul, Turkey

Syracuse University launches its eighth SU Abroad location this spring: in Istanbul, Turkey. 

The department will host an information session with the program’s director, Erika Wilkens-Sozen, at 4 p.m. today in 225 Eggers Hall.

The new center, docked on the waterfront campus of the private Bahçeşehir University, will offer classes that include European Union studies, film, engineering, religion and Middle Eastern studies. The program starts Feb. 1 with a seminar called “Istanbul, the City,” and runs through June 22.

Sue Shane, director of programs for SU Abroad, said the Istanbul center is similar to SU’s locations in Santiago and Beijing: students take classes with SU and at the partner Turkish university. SU will offer a course called “Issues in Contemporary Turkey” and sponsor internships, tapping into Bahçeşehir University’s co-op with more than 200 business internships.

“Students can lounge outside under umbrellas, in beanbag chairs, and watch the big boats go by. It’s really spectacular,” Shane said of the campus.

The application deadline with financial aid is Oct. 11. Some of the scholarship money is provided by Turkish alumni who support the program, and there is external funding available for minority students, Shane said.