News

Marine Vardanyan Staff Writer One of the interesting aspects of Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program includes the annual selection of a distinguished professor to visit and offer an Armenian Studies course related to modern Armenian history, including the Genocide of 1915, and the formation of the Armenian Republic. Students have the opportunity to take such a course and to gain ...

Ruzan Orkusyan Staff Writer As the fall semester comes to an end, the leaves have turned a beautiful array of warm red colors, the air is fresh with the smell of autumn, and professors continue to find joy in assigning countless term papers, giving quizzes and tests. Despite the chaos that ensues in the second half of the fall semester, ...

Andrew Esguerra Staff Writer On Sunday, October 14, members of the San Joaquin Valley Armenian community, and Fresno State students, faculty, and administrators, converged in the Henry Madden Library for a reception marking the official opening of the exhibit “The 500th Anniversary of Armenian Printing.” The event was sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program, the College of Arts and Humanities, ...

Suren Oganessian Staff Writer A frequent visitor to the Fresno State campus, Dr. Richard Hovannisian was invited by the Armenian Studies Program to deliver an informative lecture, “Armenian Smyrna” on Friday, October 5, about the terrible inferno that destroyed the Armenian and Greek sections of the city of Smyrna/Izmir in 1922. Dr. Hovannisian is Professor Emeritus of Armenian and Near ...

Editor Tamar Karkazian Layout Barlow Der Mugrdechian Photographers Barlow Der Mugrdechian Erica Magarian Staff Writers Denise Altounian Armen Arikian Andrew Esguerra Tatevik Hovhannisyan Suren Oganessian Ruzan Orkusyan Emma Shaljyan Marine Vardanyan Advisor Barlow Der Mugrdechian barlowd@csufresno.edu

Suren Oganessian Staff Writer The cycle of life on Earth revolves around the sea. Each breath we take, each bite we eat, is all thanks to the sea. It’s easy to forget this when one lives on the land. I only started thinking about it when I moved close to the sea. I walk to the beach again, past the ...

Tatevik Hovhannisyan Staff Writer Everyone needs an uncle—one who is always cheerful and willing to listen. Everyone needs an uncle like Uncle Rafael, from the newly released movie “Uncle Rafael.” Iranian-American actor, writer, and director Vahik Pirhamzei, who plays the main role of Uncle Rafael and also his son Hamo, is Armenian. The movie focuses on a charismatic old man, ...

Suren Oganessian Staff Writer Singer Narek Baveyan is among the emerging pop stars in Armenia today—one of the more unique artists on the musical scene. Baveyan’s musical style mixes traditional Armenian folk music with elements of rock and synth pop, and even polka. His upbeat track “Dzuk,” released in 2011, is a shining example of how well he is able ...

Emma Shaljyan Staff Reporter Dr. Stephan Astourian, Director of the Armenian Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley, presented a talk on “The Path to the Armenian Genocide,” on April 30, to conclude the Spring 2012 lecture series of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State. During his lecture Dr. Astourian spoke about perspectives on the cultural, social, economic, ...

Armen Arikian • Staff Writer Khachkar: Symbol of Armenian Identity http://www.khachkar.am/en Main Categories: News, Endangered Khachkars, Origins of Khachkars, Typology & Chronology, Khachkar Functions, Main Components, Semantics, Relations, Gallery, Bibliography. Summary: Khachkars are Armenian works of art that feature detailed crosses, carefully engraved on an upright stone. Khachkars are a fundamental part of Armenian tradition, artistic expression, and history. However, ...