News

Staff Report Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian was a guest speaker at the St. Sarkis Armenian Church of Carollton, Texas on Friday, May 17. His talk “Western Armenia on the Eve of the Armenian Genocide: 1878-1914” focused on Armenian life in the Ottoman Empire, prior to the Armenian Genocide. This was Prof. Der Mugrdechian’s first visit to the Dallas community and ...

Sosse Baloian Yanez Armenian Studies Program The Armenian Studies Program Archive has identified two short children’s books – renditions of the Armenian National Epic, David of Sassoun. Both works are illustrated and briefly summarize the epic. The first, David of Sassoun: Epic Hero of Armenia: Children’s Booklet, was published by the United Armenian Commemorative Committee in 1976. The book was ...

The Armenian Studies Program would like to thank the donors, authors, and publishers for the following books, periodicals, videos, and archival gifts, either offered personally, or to the Program. Dr. Sergio La Porta, Fresno, CA, for a copy of An Armenian Futūh Narrative: Lewond’s Eighth-Century History of the Caliphate by Sergio La Porta and Alison M. Vacca (Chicago: Institute for ...

Sara Beberian Business Administration-Marketing Minor in Armenian Studies What encouraged you to take an Armenian Studies course? It came naturally for me to want to take Armenian courses – it was not even a question. I was so happy to see that they were offered at Fresno State. As a Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School alumna, I was excited for ...

Ani Sargsyan Staff Writer Musician and jazz artist Tigran Hamasyan was introduced to music from a young age. In an interview from the podcast Rearrange with Narek Amirkhanyan, Hamasyan said “even when I was in my mother’s womb, my father would play a lot of music, especially rock. And I don’t have a recollection of when I started. I just ...

Ani Sargsyan Staff Writer “We have a lot of films that amplify what is bad about humanity, and to me the concept of someone watching somebody else and starting to care about them…that’s human nature, and an idea that is important to reflect in film,” said Michael A. Goorjian, director of “Amerikatsi.” On Friday, April 26, 2024, the Armenian Studies ...

Staff Report On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Berberian Coordinator of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State, gave a talk on “The Armenian Genocide: 1915-1923,” at Madera Community College. The event was organized by Dr. Hagop Ohanessian of the Madera Community College History Department and the “Our Story” History Club. Nearly fifty people were in attendance ...

Natalie Agazarian Editor Dr. Bedross Der Matossian discussed “Armenian Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future” on Friday, March, 2024 at the Smittcamp Alumni House on the Fresno State Campus. Dr. Der Matossian is a Professor of Modern Middle East History at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and was born and raised in the Old City of Jerusalem. His presentation was organized ...

Hannah Paloutzian Staff Writer On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, the Fresno State International Coffee Hour invited international student Harutyun Amirkhanyan to discuss Armenia and its history. Each month, the International Coffee Hour holds an event highlighting a different country in order to engage students in the wide range of cultures that Fresno State students come from. Everyone is welcome to ...

Ani Sargsyan Staff Writer On Thursday, April 25, 2024, the Armenian Studies Program welcomed Dr. Elyse Semerdjian, Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair of Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University, to talk about her new book, Remnants: Embodied Archives of the Armenian Genocide. The presentation was made possible through the Ralph Shabazian Armenian Memorial Fund. ...