Armenian Studies Program at UC Irvine

Armenian Studies Program at UC Irvine
Name	Armenian Studies Program at UC Irvine
Established	1990s
Location	Irvine, California
Parent institution	University of California, Irvine
Website	University of California, Irvine

Armenian Studies Program at UC Irvine The Armenian Studies Program at UC Irvine is an interdisciplinary unit within the University of California, Irvine that focuses on the history, language, literature, culture, and politics of the Armenian people and the Armenian diaspora. It engages faculty, students, and community partners through teaching, research, public events, and archival initiatives that connect local Armenian communities with international scholarly networks.

History

The program traces roots to initiatives connecting UC Irvine with Southern California Armenian communities, influenced by figures associated with University of California, Irvine development and regional organizations such as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Assembly of America, and St. Vartan Cathedral. Early curricular development intersected with broader campus programs including Department of History (UC Irvine), Department of Comparative Literature (UC Irvine), Department of Religious Studies (UC Irvine), Center for European and Russian Studies, and institutes like the Institute of Global Studies (UC Irvine). Program history is linked to scholarly trends represented by conferences at venues such as the Armenian Studies Conference and partnerships with academic centers like University of California, Los Angeles, California State University, Northridge, Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of Chicago. Milestones include curricular expansions during periods of heightened attention to events like the Armenian genocide centennial commemorations and collaborations responding to political developments involving Republic of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, First Nagorno-Karabakh War, and subsequent diplomatic efforts including the Madrid Principles.

Organization and Administration

Administratively, the program operates within structures of the School of Humanities (UC Irvine) and coordinates with departments such as Department of History (UC Irvine), Department of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (UCI), and Department of Comparative Literature (UC Irvine). Governance includes faculty committees drawn from scholars affiliated with units like Department of Political Science (UC Irvine), Department of Anthropology (UC Irvine), Department of Film and Media Studies (UC Irvine), and centers such as the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies (UC Irvine). Funding and oversight have involved external partners including Aznavour Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Norian Foundation, and Armenian diaspora institutions like Armenian Students Association chapters and local parishes including Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Cathedral (Montebello). Advisory boards have featured individuals connected to University of California system governance and donors connected to philanthropic entities like the Armenian Missionary Association of America.

Academic Programs and Curriculum

The curriculum offers courses in Armenian language, literature, and history taught in collaboration with departments including Department of European Languages and Studies (UC Irvine), Department of History (UC Irvine), and Department of Comparative Literature (UC Irvine). Coursework engages canonical texts from authors such as Mesrop Mashtots, St. Gregory of Narek, Hovhannes Tumanyan, William Saroyan, Paruyr Sevak, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, Hagop Baronian, Zabel Yessayan, and contemporary writers linked to diaspora communities in Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, and Paris. The program integrates studies of Ottoman-era archives referencing events like the Treaty of Sèvres, Law of 1915-era legacies, and post-Soviet transitions involving Republic of Armenia institutions after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Cross-listed seminars explore subjects tied to Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Catholic Church, Armenian Evangelical Church, diasporic networks in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Turkey, and migration flows to United States, Canada, and France. Collaborative degrees and minors draw on resources from the School of Humanities (UC Irvine), Graduate Division (UC Irvine), and interdisciplinary initiatives with centers like the Humanities Center (UC Irvine).

Research and Grants

Faculty and affiliated researchers have pursued grants from bodies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of Education, Social Science Research Council, and private foundations including the Kalos Foundation and diaspora benefactors. Research projects have addressed topics like archive digitization in partnership with institutions such as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Archives, Matenadaran, Armenian National Institute, Zoryan Institute, and university libraries including UCI Libraries and UCLA Library. Collaborative research networks involve scholars from Yerevan State University, American University of Armenia, University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Brown University. Grants have supported oral history projects documenting survivors of the Armenian genocide, comparative studies on diasporic memory linked to the Holodomor and Greek genocide, and digital humanities initiatives mapping Armenian cultural heritage in regions including Ani, Smyrna, Cilicia, and Mount Ararat.

Community Engagement and Outreach

The program maintains outreach with local organizations including Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), Armenian Relief Society, Little Armenia neighborhood groups in Los Angeles, parish communities such as St. Garabed Armenian Church (San Francisco), and cultural institutions like the Aram Khachaturian House Museum and Armenian Museum of America. Public programming includes lecture series, film screenings featuring works by filmmakers like Atom Egoyan, Henri Verneuil, Serge Avedikian, and symposiums co-sponsored with civic entities such as Orange County Board of Supervisors and university museums like the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art. Community-focused initiatives have partnered with advocacy organizations such as the Armenian National Committee of America and humanitarian groups responding to crises in Syunik Province and assistance efforts linked to 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war relief.

Notable Faculty and Scholars

Faculty affiliated with the program include historians, linguists, and literary scholars connected to institutions such as University of California, Irvine, University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University, Columbia University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Michigan, Brown University, University of Chicago, and University of Toronto. Individual scholars working on Armenian topics in the region have included researchers with prior affiliations to Matenadaran, Zoryan Institute, Armenian Studies Program (UCLA), and the Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School. Their scholarship engages figures like Komitas Vartabed, Khachatur Abovian, Hrand Nazariantz, Alfred de Zayas, Vartan Gregorian, Richard Hovannisian, Peter Balakian, Taner Akçam, and Adam Jones in comparative genocide studies.

Alumni and Career Outcomes

Alumni have pursued careers in academia at universities such as California State University, Northridge, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, Harvard University, and University of Toronto; in cultural institutions like the Armenian Museum of America and Matenadaran; in journalism at outlets such as Los Angeles Times and Arutz Sheva; in non-governmental organizations including Armenian Relief Society and Zoryan Institute; and in public service roles connected to the Republic of Armenia and diaspora civic groups like the Armenian National Committee of America.

Category:University of California, Irvine