News

Anahid Valencia Staff Writer  A childhood lost to war, an entire people’s yearning for their homeland, and the vibrancy of the Armenian heritage – three of the many themes told by the short films in the event “Armenians in Film,” held on Friday, October 4, 2024, in the Leon S. Peters and Pete P. Peters Educational Center on the Fresno ...

Natalie Agazarian Editor On Wednesday, November 20, the Armenian Studies Program hosted the United States Ambassador to Armenia, Kristina Kvien, on campus, to discuss U.S.-Armenian relations. The event was attended by the Armenian Studies Program faculty, including Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Dr. David Zakarian, and Dr. Hagop Ohanessian. Special guests included Fresno State Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, ...

Natalie Agazarian Editor “Colophons of Armenian manuscripts are a separate genre of literature; among many other things, they reveal the inter-relationships between Armenians and other groups,” remarked Dr. David Zakarian during his presentation, “Colophons: Treasures of Armenian Manuscripts,” held on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at St. Paul Armenian Apostolic Church, in collaboration with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Greater ...

Ani Sargsyan Staff Writer “What happens to heritage in conflict? And how can we find pathways for saving what still survive?,” stated Dr. Simon Maghakyan, who presented a talk on “The Future of the Past: Pathways for Saving Armenian Vestiges in Turkey,” on Friday, November 8, 2024. This was the final presentation in a three-part series by Dr. Maghakyan on ...

Rachel Yepremian Staff Writer Dr. David Zakarian is the new Haig & Isabel Berberian Endowed Professor in Armenian Studies at Fresno State. He is beginning his first semester and is teaching Armenian 1A-Elementary Armenian – speaking, reading, and writing. Students from different backgrounds, majors, and cultures, take Armenian courses at Fresno State for a variety of reasons. “The Armenian language ...

Careen Derkalousdian Staff Writer “[This book] investigates the international and internal security aspects of the Armenian and Macedonian Questions in the late Ottoman period,” said Dr. İlkay Yılmaz. “It analyzes how these two important political topics became issues of security for the Ottoman government.” On Friday, November 1, 2024, Dr. İlkay Yılmaz, a research associate in the department of Modern ...

Rachel Yepremian Staff Writer On Friday, October 11, Dr. Simon Maghakyan, Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies at Fresno State, continued his three-part lecture series. Dr. Maghakyan’s first lecture, presented on September 27, was entitled “The Past of the Past: Armenian Heritage in Ottoman and Republican Turkey,” and his second lecture, on October 11, was entitled “The Present of the ...

Sosse Baloian Yanez Special to Hye Sharzhoom The Armenian Studies Program Library has many books written by the 19th century Armenian author, Hakop Melik Hakobian, better known by his pen name, Raffi. Born in 1835 to a local nobleman in a Persian province, Raffi was instilled with a tremendous appreciation for learning (“Raffi: A Biographical Sketch,” Asbarez, April, 2023). Engulfing ...

Careen Derkalousdian Staff Writer “The 50th anniversary of the Armenian Students Organization is a significant milestone,” said Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian. “We are recognizing the efforts and dedication of hundreds of members who have served in the organization over the last fifty years.” On Saturday, May 4, 2024, the Armenian Students Organization (ASO) celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Holy ...

Staff Report On Friday, September 20th, the members of the Armenian Students Organization (ASO) celebrated Armenian Independence Day near the Fresno State Library. On September 21, 1991, the modern Republic of Armenia declared its independence from the former Soviet Union. With live music and traditional dancing, they showcased Armenian culture to the campus community. Students passing by paused to observe, ...