Dr. Robert Hewsen and Mr. Karen Ketendjian came to UCI on January 27 to talk about their recent book on the important volume, A History of the Land of Artsakh, where they evaluate the situation of Armenians in relation to the great powers of the nineteenth century, that is, the Russians and the Persians.
The Meghrouni Lecture Series is an annual public lecture series aimed at bringing the history and cultural topics surrounding modern day Armenia to the broader Orange County community. This past year the series included: “The Armenian Genocide in Literature, Perceptions of those who Lived Through the Years of Calamity” with Rubina Peroomian; Giusto Traina’s presentation, “Tigran the Great, King of Kings”; and Stephen Rapp’s lecture about “Armenia, Armenians, and the New World History”.
Sebouh Aslanian presented “Port Cities and Printers: Reflections on Early Modern Global Armenian Print,” and the 2013 series concluded with Peter Cowe on “Print as Dialogue Medium on Corporate Identity Between the Diaspora and Armenian Plateau in the 17th-18th Centuries.”
The next lecture in this year’s series will be “Armenian Primary Sources for the Study of the History of Iran in the 17-18th Centuries” by professor, historian, and author, George A. Bournoutian on Wednesday, February 19. Other speakers in the 2014 lecture series include Myrna Douzjian, Aram Yengoyan and Roman Smbatyan. These lecture dates are still to be determined. All lectures start at 6:30 pm in Humanities Gateway 1030. Complimentary parking passes can be picked up in Lot 7.
UCI offers two undergraduate courses in Armenian Studies, Modern Armenian History, currently being taught, and Ancient Armenian History offered in the Spring Quarter.
Established in 2007, thanks to the vision of Sylvie and Garo Tertzakian, Armenian Studies at UC Irvine continues to thrive. This past December, the Tertzakians hosted their annual fundraiser, making this the sixth year Armenians from the Orange County community have gathered to raise funds in support of Armenian Studies at UC Irvine. It was the most successful fundraiser to date.
The mission of the Armenian Studies program is to provide intellectual and social space for any student with an interest in these areas of history, but also to provide a cultural framework for students who may be interested in learning more about their own heritage or those of their neighbors.
