Study Philosophy and Religion in the Capital of Empires
This four-week, one-course program offers a philosophical study of the nature of religious belief against the magnificent backdrop of a city that has been a major center to all three religions of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition for centuries.
PHIL 127: Thinking About God: The Nature of Religious Belief at the Crossroads of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
[CCI, CZ, EI; cross-listed in Religion, Cultural Anthropology, Turkish, International Comparative Studies]
Taught by Professor Güven Güzeldere of Duke University's Department of Philosophy, this course provides an analytical examination the bases for belief in God and the possibility of an afterlife, the relation between faith and reason, and interrelated issues concerning the justification for and the content of religious belief.
As part of the course, we will briefly consider the similarities and differences on these issues among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, while intermittently visiting historical sites of worship in Istanbul, such as the Byzantine churches of Hagia Sophia and the Holy Savior of Chora (both museums at present), the Blue Mosque and the Suleymaniye Mosque complex, and the Ahrida and Beth Israel synagogues. As the only city located between Asia and Europe, and the capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, Istanbul is home to numerous magisterial sites of worship, and presents a truly unique opportunity for an on-site study of the nature of religious thought.
| Three weeks by the Bosphorus (Istanbul) The Istanbul section of the course will be hosted on the beautiful campus of Bogazici University in Istanbul (formerly, Robert College), with full access to campus, library, computer cluster, and gym facilities. Students will stay in the university's dormitory, in single rooms with common kitchen, bathroom, and living-room spaces. The campus is located in lively section of the city with many inexpensive restaurants and cafes nearby. Meals at the campus cafeteria are also available. Istanbul is a safe city, especially when compared to cities of similar size (approximate population: 10 million). Public transportation and taxi cabs are easily accessible, safe, and inexpensive. |
One week along the Aegean Coast & in Cappadocia The course also includes a week-long trip down the Aegean Coast and in Cappadocia, visiting the most important Greco-Roman sites that hold a central place in the philosophical and religious history of Asia Minor, such as Assos (the home of Aristotle's Academy), Troy, the Pergamom Acropolis (where the ruins of Zeus Altar are located), Ephesus and the ruins of the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the World), the House of Virgin Mary and the Basilica Of St John, Miletus (the city of the first recorded Ancient Greek Philosopher, Thales), and the Castle of St. Peter and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Bodrum. Transportation for the weekly tour along the Aegean Coast will include air travel and an air-conditioned private coach with a designated professional driver and a tourist guide. Accommodations will be in 3-star or small boutique hotels. These expenses are included in the program fees. |
For further information, contact: Professor Güven Güzeldere, Department of Philosophy, 201 West Duke Bldg., Box 90743, Durham, NC 27708 • Phone: 919.660.3068/3050 • Fax: 919.660.3060 • E-mail: guven.guzeldere@duke.edu.