The Middle East Studies Center is pleased to announce its 3rd annual study tour to Turkey for educators, scholars and policy makers. The MESC-Niagara Turkey trip is unique because it focuses on interaction with individuals and communities rather than site-seeing. While some activities may appear touristic, the scope of the trip goes far beyond tourism. Even visits to famous sites are accompanied by conversation with international and local scholars. Scholars in-residence (Alam Payind, Barb Petzen, and others!) on the trip also accompany us the entire way. Our focus is on making history relevant to the present day, and decoding surrounding environments to learn about current culture/s.
Trips to schools form a large part of the trip with many opportunities to interact with teachers and classrooms, in addition we will have discussions with government officials about public policy, and visits university laboratories and classrooms.
For these reasons we are seeking participants keen on learning and applying their cultural knowledge in every day situations with local people. We are looking for participants interested in fully engaging with others in the group both before and after the trip in order to help each other get the most out of the experience, and to continue to expand our U.S. - Turkish community of educators and researchers. Please note that the trip requires walking substantial distances and climbing stairs. If you're interested in applying, please see the details below. Please also forward to your colleagues.
Thank you!
Application Information
The application is due December 2nd at Midnight. Only 10 will be accepted. We are seeking educators, researchers and teacher trainers interested in Turkey. Graduate students in PhD programs for education are welcome to apply. Prior international travel experience is preferred.
Key pieces of information
The Dates: March 6 - 16, 2013
The Fee: $1350 It includes lodging, in-country transport, and airfare from New York City. Participants will be responsible for the costs of transportation to New York City, and for getting to the pre-departure orientation in or near JFK Airport. The itinerary will include schools, universities, academic engagements, audiences with local and central government officials, dinners with local families, scholars and business leaders, and historic sites in both Istanbul, Ankara and Konya.
A final essay will be required with a possible follow-up interview. This is for the purpose of evaluation.
Read detailed information on what the trip entails, please see our report from last year.
For questions, please get in contact with:
Melinda McClimans
Assistant Director
Middle East Studies Center
Office of International Affairs
321a Oxley Hall, 1712 Neil Ave
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1219 USA
mcclimans.2@osu.edu
Sponsorship and Support
The Middle East Studies Center (MESC) and Niagara Educational Services co-organize the tour, with MESC taking the lead domestically, and Niagara taking the lead in Turkey. Participants pay $1350 each to register and are responsible for their trips to New York City. Niagara funds the airfare from New York City to Istanbul; local transport in Turkey, including to Ankara, Iznik, and the return to Istanbul; the lodging while in Turkey; the meals; entrance to museums and historic sites; and other miscellaneous costs which may arise on the trip. We have many generous hosts in Turkey, who welcome us into their schools, their classrooms, their boardrooms, and their homes, who we take this opportunity to thank. We especially thank Mehmet Ilker Bey, President of Ilkerler Tarim, for hosting such special occasions as dinner in the Khedive’s Palace.
MESC recruited teachers from P-12 schools and community colleges with the help of their partners in national outreach, The Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC), the Midwest Institute for International Studies, and Professor Merry Merryfield who runs an international listserve on Global Education. We take this opportunity to thank them for their support, which makes it possible to choose from the most highly qualified candidates. We also thank our former participants for their help in recruiting and continuing communication with colleagues in Turkey. We also thank our Title VI grant office and the department of Education for their continued support through the years and for funding payments for instructional materials from both trips to Turkey. Their funds also support MESC in administering registration for the participants, pre-trip orientation, post-trip assessment and related instructional resources development. These materials and others related to the trip will be available in the Middle East Studies Center’s community in the Knowledge Bank at OSU for which we also express immense appreciation.
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