The Carmel Institute will be sponsoring an AU Course/Trip to Istanbul over winter break from December 18-26. The Culture of Eastern Orthodoxy: From Constantinople to Eurasia will combine pre-assigned readings with visits to museums, galleries, and concerts in Istanbul, Türkiye, to explore the role of Byzantine Orthodoxy in forming the cultural and historical space of Western Eurasia from Anatolia and the Balkans to Russia and Eastern Europe.

Students in the Washington Consortium of Universities are invited to submit applications to take part in the course. The Carmel Institute covers the cost of students' travel, lodging, and meals. If students from universities other than AU choose to take the course for university credit, they should contact their home university to make those arrangements.

American University students: Please complete this application form. You will need your passport, your transcripts in pdf or image files, and your 150-word statement ready to submit the form. See the specifics listed below for students of other universities on the transcript requirements.

Students of other universities: Please complete this application form, then send your transcripts from all post-secondary coursework (unofficial are fine in a .pdf or image format with the logo of the university visible in the file), in a single email to carmelinstitute@american.edu with your name and "Winter Trip" in the subject line. You may include the required 150-word statement in the application form or submit it in Word or .pdf format in the email with your transcripts. 

ALL three parts of the application (the completed form, your transcript(s), and the 150-word statement) must be submitted by 5pm on October 20, 2023. I cannot forward your application to the selection committee until it is complete and the short timeframe to review the applications and notify the selected students is very tight. You will receive a confirmation email once we verify that your application complete and has been forwarded to the selection committee.

If you would like to receive academic credit for this course trip, please contact your academic advisor. Please contact us at carmelinstitute@american.edu if you have any questions or issues with the application form.