The Armenian Studies Program web page is sponsored by a grant from
The Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable
Foundation, Fresno.
One of the Armenian courses offered this semester at
The textbook is The Heritage
of Armenian Literature, Volume I, (Wayne State University Press, 2000) written and edited by Agop Hacikyan (Coordinating editor),
Gabriel Basmajian, Edward Franchuk, and Nourhan Ouzounian. Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian introduces students to different aspects
of the culture, such as the churches of
The Armenian 148 course fulfills the requirements for upper division
General Education, in area IC of Arts and Humanities, and also fulfills a requirement for the Minor in Armenian Studies. For this
reason, the class has a diverse atmosphere, where there is an opportunity for all students to learn something new. Some students in
the class are planning on receiving a Minor in Armenian Studies, while others are simply taking the course due to their curiosity
in the culture. At the beginning of the semester, students approached the class with different expectations and interests.
Daren Esqueda,
a junior at
Sarah Crawford yearns to learn more about the heritage. She said, “I hope we will learn a lot about how the rich heritage affected the great Armenian writers of history.”
Some students in the class had no previous background of the Armenian culture, prior to starting the course,
while others were born and raised in traditional Armenian families. Pa Xiong, a senior at
The content
of this course is very appealing and fascinating because it explains the origin of literature in the Armenian culture. We currently
know about the history of the Armenians due to the significant historians who recorded important events.
The discovery of the Armenian
alphabet in the early fifth century A.D. provided a means for the Armenians to write in their own language for the first time. A major
well-known historian was Movses Khorenatsi, who wrote in Armenian in the fifth century, and whose history covers the period form the
origins of the Armenians to the fifth century. He is responsible for recording the earliest oral epics of Armenian culture, such as
Hayk and Bel, the Legend of Aram, and Ara the Handsome. These traditional stories were orally transmitted from village to village
in ancient times. Khorenatsi recorded these oral traditions, which preserved them for future generations to enjoy. The works of other
historians such as Agatangelos and Yeghishe have been discussed as well as the great tenth century poet St. Gregory of Narek. There
are many more writers to be discussed and analyzed in this course.
“Masterpieces of Armenian Culture” is a distinctive course
that explores the origins of Armenian literature. Early historians managed to preserve and pass on the culture of the Armenians through
recording significant events in Armenian history. Armenians and non-Armenians today sincerely cherish the efforts of these historians
and writers.