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    David Ashkharian Biology Minor in Armenian Studies What was your favorite Armenian Studies class, activity, or event? My favorite class was the Arts of Armenia, ArmS 20. I found it incredibly fascinating to explore how faith in Christianity inspired so many beautiful pieces of artwork, church architecture, and more – both in Armenia and abroad. What did you ...

Rachel Yepremian-Owens Staff Writer “What is so sweet in this land that we continue to come back?” said Vrej’s grandmother. It was a question she constantly asked herself and her family members and was a central focus of the film “My Sweet Land.” The award-winning documentary “My Sweet Land” was screened before a large audience at 5:30pm on Friday, April ...

Natalie Agazarian Editor With a measured breath, the tender, yet commanding touch of the Armenian pianist Svetlana Navasardyan sent the Fresno State Concert Hall into a resonance of flourishing melodies. For the next two hours, the audience was swept into a colorful realm of intonation, phrasing, and texture. With her strong presence and masterful precision, Navasardyan didn’t simply play – ...

Careen Derkalousdian Staff Writer The Armenian Students Organization (ASO) has enjoyed a fun and productive Spring semester! In January, the Executive Board planned a “Trivia and Game Night” complete with board games, pizza, and a specially designed Armenian “Jeopardy” Tournament. ASO members formed teams and brought out their competitive spirit as they learned more about Armenian history and culture while ...

Careen Derkalousdian Staff Writer “As much as the Internet is developing,” said Dr. Bedross Der Matossian, “denial is developing with it.” On Friday, April 11, 2025, Dr. Der Matossian presented a lecture on “Denial of the Armenian Genocide in the Digital Age: Re-fashioning the ‘Events of 1915’ on the Internet and Beyond.” Dr. Der Matossian is a Professor of Modern ...

Ani Sargsyan Staff Writer On Friday, March 28, 2025, the Armenian Studies Program welcomed Dr. Talin Suciyan, Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies, for her third lecture of the semester titled “Kept with Care: Letters from Purgatory.” Dr. Suciyan discussed a series of letters written between 1913 and 1917 from Arabgir to Philadelphia, between Kevork Shamlian, and his younger brother ...

Anahid Valencia Staff Writer Dr. Hakem Al-Rustom, Manoogian Professor of Modern History at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, gave a lecture titled “From Natives to Foreigners: Enduring Erasures of Armenians in Turkey” on Friday, March 21, 2025, at Fresno State. The presentation was organized by the Armenian Studies Program and the Ralph Shabazian Armenian Memorial Fund. Dr. Al-Rustom grew ...

Staff Report Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian participated in the 13th Annual Genocide Awareness Week program, held at Arizona State University, March 31-April 3, 2025. This year’s conference, “Remembrance, Memorialization, and Repair,” featured a panel on Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh, on Thursday, April 3. The session on “Nagorno-Karabagh: Destruction of Indigeneity,” featured three panelists: Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program at ...

Natalie Agazarian Editor “My camera is one of my best friends; I always take an extra day or two wherever I travel to document what I see. Every place I went to in Armenia I documented and put them in my computer hoping I would get to do something special with them one day,” said David Karamian. On Friday, March ...

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. David Karamian, Oakland, CA, for a copy of his book, Armenia – The Lone Stone: Invincible Through the Ages (Oakland, CA: NorArtGallery LLC, 2022) 358 pp., in English and Armenian. This ...