The Armenian Studies Program web page is sponsored by a grant from
The Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable
Foundation, Fresno.
It was an extraordinary
experience for me to attend the International Institute for Genocide and Human
Rights Studies (a division of
Zoryan Institute) because it gave me the
opportunity to engage with others on topics of similar interest and to discuss
the Armenian
Genocide. It was interesting to learn about other examples of
genocide that have occurred after the Armenian case. I had the opportunity
to
meet with individuals who witnessed and were survivors of the Rwandan Genocide.
It was devastating to hear the stories they told.
I felt the pain that they
were in, especially when one of the individuals broke out in tears when
explaining how people were being killed
or left to starve.
The highlight of the
seminar was my encounter with two Turks. One of them was completing a thesis on
the Armenian
Genocide in
Every year the
International
Institute for Genocide offers a two-week course on the study of
genocide and human rights issues. This year it took place July 28-August
8 in
There
were a total of nine
professors who each presented a case study on a different day: Dr. Joyce Apsel
(New York University), Dr. Doris
Bergen (University of Toronto), Dr. Maureen
Hiebert (University of Calgary), Dr. Herbert Hirsch (University of Richmond,
Virginia),
Dr. Simon Payaslian (Boston University), Dr. William Schabas
(National University of Ireland), Dr. Roger Smith (College of William
and Mary
in Virginia), Dr. Ervin Staub (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), and Dr.
Scott Straus (University of Wisconsin).
A total
of twenty-five
students, both Armenian and non-Armenian, attended. There were Armenians from
We discussed major issues
such as the development
of Human Rights, introduction and theories to genocide,
comparative genocide, the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Cambodian
Genocide,
the Rwandan Genocide, the Darfur Genocide, international law and how
it pertains to genocide, genocide denial, genocide prevention,
and
reconciliation. On the last day, we had to present material about a topic of
our choice that related to the discussions. I presented
a brief history on the
Armenian Genocide.
This seminar was a great
experience because I had the opportunity to meet wonderful people.
Each
individual had something in common and that was the willingness to discuss
important issues such as the prevention of genocide
in the future, and the
reconciliation process for coming to peace with one another. In addition, this
seminar helped me to understand
other cases of genocide and the difficulty of
reconciliation. As Armenians in the Diaspora, this is an excellent way to
educate ourselves
and others about the horrific events of 1915, where 1.5
million Armenians were massacred.
For more information about
the Zoryan Institute
and of the seminar you can visit www.genocidestudies.org.
