Bucknell In Greece and Turkey

Greece and Turkey in the Anglo-American Imagination
(ENGL 275/HUMN 275)

May 13 - June 4, 2013

The English poet Rudyard Kipling once wrote, "Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the two shall meet." The three-week, one academic credit 2013 Bucknell in Greece and Turkey Summer Study Abroad Program will seek to prove Kipling wrong. By examining responses in painting, song, poetry and prose from the 19th century to the present, we will explore the ways these cultures became simplistic and iconic representations of East and West: Europe and Asia, Christianity and Islam, democratic and despotic.

Details

Our program runs from May 13 - June 4, 2013, beginning on the Bucknell campus, then traveling to Athens, Greece. After a short stay in Athens we will travel through two Greek islands (Crete and Rhodes) to Fethiye on the coast of Turkey, to İzmir, ending in İstanbul. Our academic course (ENGL 275 / HUMN 275) will study Greece and Turkey through the eyes of British and American writers who have traveled and lived there.

In traveling to ancient and modern sites, reading selected sources, and in writing about your reactions and thoughts, you will complete the one-credit course ENGL 275/HUMN 275: Greece and Turkey in the Anglo-American Imagination. Your final project will consist of a travel journal and a photo-essay detailing what you have learned, both academically and personally.

Course Information

View the 2013 course itinerary and syllabus (both tentative and still subject to change).

Trip Leaders

Professors Ghislaine McDayter and John Rickard of the Department of English have planned this Greece-Turkey study abroad experience and will lead the trip. Please do not hesitate to contact either of them with any questions you may have.

Financial Aid

The Office of Financial Aid has some need-based institutional financial aid available for summer study abroad programs for select students.

Student Reflections from Past Trips

I went into the trip knowing no one and never having taken a classics course, but when you share such an amazing experience with people you can't help but feel connected to them and connected to the subject matter that is surrounding you. The Greece and Turkey trip was by far the best experience I have had since coming to bucknell and allowed me to meet so many interesting people. Plus you have the bonus of seeing amazing sites, eating amazing food, and having the time to explore what the cities have to offer. It was an incredible trip! -- Bucknell student '13

BIGT gave me a stronger and more accurate understanding of Classical texts and cities. It really opened my eyes to the realities of modern Greece and Turkey and helped me appreciate the relationship these two countries share with the past as well as with each other. An invaluable for anyone of any background, truly the trip of a lifetime.-- Bucknell student '12