Why IHU Summer School?
University summer school programs are the best opportunity for international exposure and networking with the wider academic community in a specific field. Ibn Haldun offers two types of summer school programs every year; Intensive language and subject-specific academic summer schools. Students can benefit from all university facilities; dormitory, sports complex, library, dining halls, and shuttle services, and utilize their summer vacation focused on learning and growth, with plenty of free time to explore the magnificent city of Istanbul.
Our Students' Testimonials:
Andrew Hammond (Doctoral Candidate, Oxford University, Faculty of Oriental Studies):
The program is excellent for those who already know some or a fair amount of Ottoman but need revision to bring them up to speed before a period of research involving Ottoman materials. It works well in that regard since the school is in Istanbul and runs for less than a month, so it is easy to pursue research while doing the course. The course included trips to archives, excellent lectures from major scholars in Turkey, and, in the advanced group, classes conducted largely in Turkish. In our class we engaged deep reading of different forms of official correspondence from the Late Ottoman period, looking closely at grammar and intent behind documents. Lunch was provided on-site in a canteen, which was also really conducive to focusing on the work at hand and engendering a community spirit.
Maariyah Lateef (Ph.D. Student, Brown University, Department of History):
The Ibn Haldun Ottoman Turkish summer program proved to be a great asset for me as a student of history. Not only did the wonderful teachers make sure we were exposed to various kinds of texts, but they also shared with us the historical contexts of each text. By making us deeply understand what we were reading, the teachers helped us realize which kinds of texts and scripts we would need to focus on for our own research. In addition to practicing a variety of skills in class, we were able to benefit from leading guest lecturers and beneficial trips to premier research locations in Istanbul. Researchers in the field will not go wrong by choosing this truly well-rounded Ottoman summer program.
Daria Kovaleva (Ph.D. Student, Harvard University, Department of History):
In July 2017, I had a unique opportunity to participate in the first Ottoman Turkish Summer School organized by Ibn Haldun University. Combining intensive and focused many-hour in-class work with the relatively short overall length of the school, the advanced level course contributed enormously to my reading ability of unfamiliar Ottoman Turkish texts: it helped me to develop reading speed, to build vocabulary, and trained me to parse the text of the documents in such a way as to speed up and facilitate understanding of the content and translation. One of the strongest aspects of this school as far as education is concerned was that each level had two instructors assigned to teach it, exposing students to a greater variety of methods and techniques. While not offering accommodation, the program, in turn, did an excellent job of cultivating community and providing its participants with multiple opportunities to enjoy the company and benefit from the expertise of one another, all the four instructors involved, as well as to develop ties with guest lecturers from among the top scholars of Turkish academia and students of other summer programs in the EDEP. Having the classes in the heart of Fatih in Istanbul and the particularly welcoming atmosphere of the EDEP made my study experience truly special.