News

Aleek Karkazian Staff Writer “Knowledge is power”—this idea was the driving force behind the creation of the documentary “Orphans of the Genocide.” Motivated by this powerful concept, ValleyPBS (based in the San Joaquin Valley) screened the film on Thursday, April 18, bringing together the director of the film, Bared Maronian, actor Ken Davitian, and Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Barlow Der ...

Staff Report Rita-Marie Costanian Social Work Minor in Armenian Studies What did you value most from your experiences in the Armenian Studies Program? I valued learning about the history of my culture. Being Armenian has made me who I am today, and I truly enjoyed and appreciated having the opportunity to further my education about my heritage. What was your ...

Emma Shaljyan Staff Writer Middle East specialist Gregory Aftandilian was a guest of the Armenian Studies Program on Thursday, April 4, when he presented a talk on “Trans-Generational Trauma: The Impact of the Armenian Genocide on the Second Generation.” The focus of Aftandilian’s presentation was on how the Genocide affected the offspring of the Genocide survivors. He became interested in ...

Ruzan Orkusyan Staff Writer The power of translation is the ability to overcome cultural barriers and make history and memories available to a global audience–this was the central theme of Dr. Sona Haroutyunian’s (University of Venice, Italy) second lecture in the series “The Theme of the Armenian Genocide in Literature, Translation, and Cinema.” The lecture, given by Kazan Visiting Professor ...

Staff Report The interconnectivity of the world is a characteristic of our age of globalism. While the pre-modern period did not witness an intensity of interaction comparable to our own, it nonetheless was interconnected. On April 16, Dr. Sergio La Porta, Haig and Isabel Berberian Chair of Armenian Studies at Fresno State, explored some of the areas of interaction between ...

Denise Altounian Staff Writer The San Joaquin Valley is lucky to be home to a melting pot of distinct cultures. Immigrants from all over the world, including the Armenians, have settled here to become the backbone of its success. One of the most important missions we have is to preserve these rich cultures. The Valley Cultural Coalition (VCC), a local ...

Marine Vardanyan Staff Writer February 20, 1988, marks a moment in Armenian history when the people of Armenia and Karabagh utilized their willpower to protest and demand the independence of Karabagh from Azerbaijan and its unification with Armenia. That date gave birth to the Karabagh Liberation Movement and was the first drop of the ripple effect that continues to touch ...

Suren Oganessian Staff Writer Can a NYTimes Bestselling novel raise awareness about the Genocide and be entertaining? The answer is yes, and Chris Bohjalian, author of The Sandcastle Girls, visited Fresno State on April 14, 2013, to share just how he wrote such a novel. The novel is about the romance between an American nurse and an Armenian engineer set ...

Denise Altounian, Andrew Esguerra, Tamar Karkazian,and Emma Shaljyan Staff Writers April, although a sad month for Armenians, is a time that highlights the strength of Armenians across the world, both in Armenia and in the Diaspora—young and old. It is in April that Armenians come together to commemorate the Armenian Genocide and this year the Armenian Community came together for ...

Tamar Karkazian Editor It has been over a quarter of a century since the Armenian Studies Program established the tradition of an Annual Banquet. So it seemed fitting that the Armenian Studies Program held its 25th Annual Banquet to celebrate this milestone, on Sunday, March 17, at the Fort Washington Golf and Country Club. The focus of the evening was ...