Osher Institute Hosts Series on Armenians by Der Mugrdechian

Tamar Melkonian
Staff Writer

Have you ever wanted learn more about Armenia and the Armenians? It is never to late to be a student. This semester participants in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Fresno State had the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the Armenian people. They attended a four session series, which started on Wednesday, September 4, and concluded on Wednesday, September 25, led by Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program.

Each lecture had a specific topic that chronologically and thematically linked together the history of the Armenians and their culture. The first presentation covered the topic of “The Armenians: History and Culture,” the second on September 11 was titled “From Armenia to California: The Odyssey of the Fresno Armenians,” the third on September 18 was on “The Armenian Genocide,” and the final lecture was titled “Armenia Today: The Modern Republic of Armenia.”

The Osher Institute is designed specifically for adults over the age of 50 who have a passion for continuing their education. Each semester the Osher Institute offers a new schedule of workshops, classes, and even field trips.

It was great to see how excited and passionate Osher Institute participants were to learn during each of the lectures. They remained engaged throughout the series by asking questions, and even occasionally contributing information that they had previously read about. Professor Der Mugrdechian did an excellent job at organizing the four lectures, each fully illustrated with power-point slides, into a coherent overview of Armenian history.

Professor Der Mugrdechian’s first lecture about ancient Armenia began by introducing the kingdom of Urartu, which was the first Armenian kingdom that flourished during the 9th-6th century BC. He also made sure to include various interesting facts about the culture, such as how the word “Armenian” was first used in an inscription by King Darius the Great of Persia in 520 BC.

Professor Der Mugrdechian also enlightened the audience about the major events in Armenian history; these included the Christianization of Armenia in 301 AD, and the development of the Armenian alphabet by Saint Mesrop Mashtots in 406 AD. Apart from teaching the history of the Armenians, Prof. Der Mugrdechian also presented interesting aspects of the Armenian culture. For example, he discussed the Armenian language, and how it belonged to the Indo-European family. The Armenian language is most closely related to the Greek and Persian languages in terms of vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and phonology. The first lecture was very informative on the early history of the Armenian people and their culture.

The second lecture, “From Armenia to California,” focused on the immigration of Armenians to the United States in the years 1834-1914. There were three periods of major immigration, “Origins” (1834-1890), “Flight” (1891-1898), and “Mass Migration” (1899-1914). Prof. Der Mugrdechian gave an in-depth review, explaining what occurred during each of these periods and the causes for the immigration to the United States. By the end of this presentation, the Osher Institute participants learned that there were about 70,000 first generation Armenians living in the United States by 1914. This lecture served as a foundation for the upcoming lecture on the Genocide.

The Armenian Genocide that began in 1915 was the topic of the third lecture in the series. Prof. Der Mugrdechian provided a very detailed and graphic presentation on the Armenian Genocide, and the Osher participants were very attentive throughout. Der Mugrdechian covered the historical aspects of the Genocide, and also discussed the policy of denial by the modern Turkish Republic. He emphasized the impact of the Genocide on Armenian culture.

Finally, Professor Der Mugrdechian concluded the series by speaking on “Armenia Today.” He explained how the modern republic of Armenia was established on September 21, 1991 and informed the audience on the accomplishments of the Armenian people in education, in cultural life, and in the modernization of their capital. He also discussed politics in Armenia and the economy. Throughout the presentation he displayed a variety of photographs of present day Armenia, and many of the beautiful churches and monuments.

The Osher Institute participants enjoyed and appreciated this four-part series, and commented that they had not seen such detailed and substantial presentations, as those given by Professor Der Mugrdechian.