News

Marina Chardukian Liberal Studies Minor in Armenian Studies   What encouraged you to take an Armenian Studies course? I wanted to really develop and connect with my Armenian heritage. Listening to all the stories from my grandparents made me want to learn more about the history of the Armenians that came before me. What was your favorite Armenian Studies class, ...

  Carina Tokatian Staff Writer On Thursday, March 5, Dr. Ari Şekeryan spoke on the topic of “The Survivors: Armenian Orphans and Refugees After the First World War (1918-1923),” the second lecture of a three-part series on “Armenians in Istanbul during the Post Armistice Period.” Dr. Şekeryan is the Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies for the Spring semester. A ...

Arshak Abelyan Staff Writer For many Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the mid-1880s, migration to the United States presented opportunities of political and economic prosperity and security. This was the case for one Armenian by the name of Ohannes Topalian, who like many Armenian men, immigrated to the United States in the early 1890s. He worked for several years ...

Yervand Boyajyan Staff Writer The month of February ended with an amazing and professional concert with pianist Nara Ave-tisyan. The Philip Lorenz In-ternational Keyboard Concerts and the Fresno State Armenian Studies Program presented the third and final musician in the “Young Armenian Talent” series, bringing joy to the audience with a memorable performance of various repertoires. The Concert was made ...

Staff Report Dr. Ari Şekeryan was scheduled to give the third of his three-part lecture series on “Armenians in the Istanbul in the Armistice Period,” on Thursday, April 2. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the lecture was postponed, however, a summary of the lecture is provided below. In this lecture,  “The Armenian Patriarchate, Politics and the Postwar Settlement in Istanbul: ...

Staff Report The Armenian Studies Program was recently awarded a California Humanities grant of nearly $5,000 for “Amplifying Community: Recording the History of the San Joaquin Valley Armenian Music Production,” which is dedicated to recovering the history of Armenian-American music production in the San Joaquin Valley during the first half of the 20th century. Drawing upon the reminiscences and expertise ...

Claire Kasaian Staff Writer On Tuesday, January 28, author Sato Moughalian gave a presentation titled, “David Ohannessian and the Armenian Ceramics of Jerusalem.” Moughalian, who lives in New York City and wrote the book Feast of Ashes: The Life and Art of David Ohannessian, is the principal flutist for the American Modern Ensemble and the Gotham Chamber Opera. David Ohannessian, ...

Sosse Baloian Staff Writer Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program welcomed its 16th Henry Khanzadian Kazan Visiting Professor, Dr. Ari Şekeryan, to kick off his three-part lecture series with “An Untold Story of Survival: the Armenian Community in Istanbul During the Armistice Years (1918-1923),” on Tuesday, February 7, 2020. Dr. Şekeryan’s presentation enlightened the audience with insight on the political and ...

Dustin Vartanian Staff Writer Students and faculty who participated in the Armenia Summer Study Trip 2019 presented their experience of traveling through Armenia on Thursday, November 19, 2019 in the Fresno State University Business Center. Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, who led the Summer Study Trip, spoke about the past experiences of Fresno State students who had traveled to Armenia. He ...

Kara Statler Armenia was a life changing experience for me. I have been to Armenia twice, both times with the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State.  The first trip I went on in 2017 with Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian and Dr. Hagop Ohanessian was amazing. I was so grateful to be able to see the rich culture that our people ...