Erika Wilkens-Sozen was studying for her master’s degree at Syracuse University when she met a young man from Turkey. The two eventually decided to take a trip back to Turkey together.

‘We spent time in Istanbul, where he showed me his favorite haunts, as well as took a trip to one of the gorgeous village resort areas on the coast of Turkey,’ Wilkens-Sozen said.

After the visit, not only did Wilkens-Sozen fall in love with the rolling countryside of Turkey, she fell in love with the Turkish student, who is now her husband.

Wilkens-Sozen is the first director of SU Abroad’s newest center in Istanbul, Turkey. Based out of Bahçeehir University, where her husband is a professor, the new center will offer students a chance to learn about a crossroads of culture and politics first-hand.

‘You see veiled and unveiled women walking side by side in the streets,’ said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, the director of the Middle Eastern studies program at SU. ‘You see a citizenry that has become more confident about their role in global politics, thanks to their flourishing economy.’

Istanbul, a city of more than 12 million people, is located on the southern part of the Bosporus Strait that bridges Europe with Asia. It has been the capital city of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire and now the Turkish Republic.

SU Abroad has already received at least 10 applications and has met with more than 100 students in information sessions, said Sue Shane, director of programs for SU Abroad. Applications for studying in the spring 2011 semester are due Oct. 11.

The creation of the program was initiated by Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s idea to create more diverse SU Abroad options besides Western Europe, Shane said. The director of SU’s Strasbourg program, professor Raymond Bach, envisioned a new program in Istanbul, and in 2009, Wilkens-Sozen came on board as the director of the program.

‘Turkey provides us with a unique opportunity to delve into some of the most important issues of our time, through a country increasingly central in the future of East-West relations,’ Wilkens-Sozen said.

Cat Mehta, a cultural anthropology and international relations major who plans on studying in Istanbul in the spring, said going to Istanbul would complement her major, as Turkey is a hot spot for anthropologic research and a crossroads of international politics.

‘I’ve always been fascinated in Turkey,’ Mehta said. ‘Their culture is changing, their society is changing, yet it’s a country you don’t hear about.’

SU Abroad has been recruiting students for the past two weeks and has done presentation at institutions like Harvard College, Williams College and Kenyon College for students from other schools. The new SU center would be one of only a handful of American colleges operating programs in Istanbul, Shane said.

The price of airfare varies from $800 to $1,300, while the program cost is about $5,700, which includes field study trips and rent for furnished dorm suites complete with modern, western appliances. The new center in Istanbul would be about $1,000 cheaper than some other study abroad options, Shane said.

Shane traveled to the center in June as a part of SU Abroad.

‘I was stunned,’ she said. ‘It’s just an incredibly magical and beautiful place.’

What struck her most was Bahçeehir University’s position right on the Bosporus and that both ancient stone and hyper-modern glass buildings mingled side by side in Istanbul, she said.

‘It’s a country that will really play a pivotal role for the next generation,’ Shane said. ‘It’s kind of custom-made for international relations students.’

ajswab@syr.edu

Published on September 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm