This book will examine the ways in which Robert College and Bosphorus (Boğaziçi) University have been a bridge of culture between what orientalists have called East and West.



During the 38 years of its existence Bosphorus University has perpetuated the cultural traditions it inherited from Robert College, and it is generally considered to be one of the top undergraduate institutions in the world, with outstanding graduate programs in most fields other than medicine and law. Though it is a Turkish state university, the language of instruction in almost all courses is English; the majority of its faculty have doctorates from American universities and most of its outstanding students go on to do graduate studies at universities in the U. S. Our students come from every province of Turkey and from more than sixty other countries, for Bosphorus University is a cultural beacon that shines across national boundaries and internal political divisions, distinguished by the diversity of its student body and faculty and its tolerance of ethnic, religious, and cultural differences. And so my book will examine the ways in which Robert College and Bosphorus (Boğaziçi) University have been a bridge of culture between what orientalists have called East and West.