ACADEMIC CALENDAR:
Summer: Late May - Mid-June (Classes begin May 26, 2007 and classes end June 13, 2007)

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English

CITY DESCRIPTION: Izmir, Turkey, the country's third largest city and a major Aegean port,provides an ideal location for studying contemporary Turkish society. Located in an idyllic setting on the western edge of Anatolia, Izmir, "the Pearl of the Aegean," enjoys a temperate Mediterranean climate and provides visitors with easy access to some of the most beautiful beaches on the Aegean coast, including Cesme, the most popular coastal resort in Turkey. The birthplace of the ancient Greek poet Homer, Izmir also offers visitors a rich variety of cultural and historical attractions associated with ancient Greek and Turkish civilizations as well as early Christianity.

FACULTY FROM: UW-Madison Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia

PRE-SESSION: Pre-departure orientation provided.

REQUIRED COURSES: During this three-week seminar in Izmir , students will examine issues relating to women and work in contemporary Turkish society. Students will study the range of issues facing Turkish women today, in a variety of socio-economic contexts. Students will have the chance to hear guest lectures by Turkish scholars whose works relate to this topic. In addition, professional women, women entrepreneurs, as well as women artists and authors will provide a unique opportunity to learn from Turkish women what issues they themselves regard to be of particular importance with respect to women and work. The seminar will include a series of background lectures on women and work in Turkey from the late Ottoman era to the early Republican period. Special attention will be devoted to the place of women in law and medicine, as well as in government and business. Gender and the centrality of the family and its implications for women and work will be emphasized.

COURSES AVAILABLE: Three course credits in LCA 300: Topics in Languages and Cultures of Asia.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: In addition to classroom lectures, students will also have the opportunity to participate in a fieldwork experience. The focus will be on women entrepreneurs who establish small business networks bridging urban and rural contexts. While studies have examined the significant number of women who head large corporations or enterprises in Turkey, little if any attention has been paid to women entrepreneurs in the middle classes, specifically those who market traditional handicrafts produced by and for women of diverse socio-economic status and of differing cultural and religious orientations. Thus, students will be participating in an original field research experience as they travel to villages outside Izmir to observe urban-rural intersections of entrepreneurial women¿s networks.

PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIPS: Merit-based scholarships are available through IAP. The application deadline is close to the program application deadline. Application forms are available in the Study Abroad Resource Room, 250 Bascom.