2005_03 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper March 2005

              March 2005
Hye Sharzhoom
3
Der Mugrdechian Gives VartanantzTalk
Staff Report
Barlow Der Mugrdechian ofthe
Armenian Studies Programwas the
invited guest speaker at the Annual
Commemoration of the Battle of
Vartanantz, sponsored by the Chicago area Knights of Vartan on
Saturday, January 29.
Der Mugrdechian's talk was
titled, "St. Vartan andthe Battle of
Vartanantz in the 21s' century."
Below are some excerpts from the
talk.
"It is a pleasure to be with you
here tonight to speak on the occasion ofthe Feast of St. Vartan and
the celebration of the Battle of
Vartanantz.
When one considers that the
event we are here to commemorate
took place one thousand five hundred and fifty three years ago, it is
indeed a special day.
I would like to talk not only
about the historical events that occurred in the middle of the fifth
century, but also about the interpretation of those events, how we
today carry on the process of rein-
terpretation of the importance of
the day and how we can also continue the living tradition that is St.
Vartan.
If I were to ask you this evening
to name a hero or heroes in today's
world, some names might quickly
come to mind, or maybe it wouldbe
a little more difficult. The newspapers and television are often filled
with heroes. Some of the younger
generation would probably name a
sports figure, others a little older
might mention a political figure or
a military figure. In fact it is unlikely that different generations
would choose the same heroes.
Times and circumstances change
and we live in a world where things
lose their relevance very quickly.
But the point is that each society , each generation defines its own
heroes. It is rare that a hero can
remain a hero to many people over
many generations, unless there is
an impact which is felt broadly, and
unless the story has meaning to
each generation. In reality then, the
hero lives in memory only, through
our collective reiteration of that
memory. And, each generation
must "reinvent" the hero, so that
the hero can be passed on to future
generations. Simply put, the conscious choice to spend time and
remember and observe a special
day such as the Battle of Vartanantz,
is in and of itself an act of memory.
It also ties each of us together because of the choice to be part of a
larger cultural entity.
Clearly as we look back, St.
Vartan fits these definitions of hero.
The historical story places him at
the center of a fifth century narrative, one where there are choices
which will have consequences for
generations to come. But in Armenian historiography, St. Vartan is
not the only hero, indeed it is the
Armenian people themselves, along
with St. Vartan, who opposed the
Persian policy of forcibly changing
their religious beliefs. This idea of
collective identity and a collective
sense of peoplehood are atthe heart
of what we need to remember about
St. Vartan. We are individuals, but
also part of a collective community. By remembering, we actively
join the Armenian community and
validate the value that we give to
St. Vartan and his companions.
Architecture, From Page 1
occasional and very profound commentary on Armenian history politics, the United States education
system, and occasional hermeneu-
tics.
Thanks to digital campus and
the Blackboard platform, some
classes can now be offered partially or completely online. However, this was the first class to have
pictures as a key component, to be
offered online. The students could
spend more time discussing the topics in class and less time looking at
slides, since the all slides were available for viewing online, with appropriate notes and lessons. This
made it possible to review something that was unclear or ambiguous; we usually don't get this opportunity in regular classes. On the
other hand, we did miss out on a lot
of Dr. Kouymjian' s live lecture and
the anecdotes that he provides.
The topic of Armenian Archi
tecture is somewhat esoteric, even
in the larger study of art and architecture, thus many students may
find it hard to relate to or study with
care,but with Dr. Kouymjian teaching this class, most of the students
were intrigued and very interested
in learning about monuments such
as: the Temple of Garni, Holy
Etchmiadzin, Aghtamar and the
mysterious and amazing Zvartnots.
Of course others couldn't get interested about this class, or any other
class for that matter.
Anyone who has visited or plans
on visiting these churches that are
rapidly becoming vast tourist attractions ought to take the architecture class. After taking this class,
there is a whole new level of appreciation and understanding for these
monumental buildings. We study
them because of the nostalgia that
is embedded in every stone, found
in every wall, or dug up from excavation.
However, the most endearing
aspect of these buildings is the
thought of how over two thousand
years ago, Armenians were capable
of such architectural innovations.
Unfortunately, the majority of these
churches are in ruins because of
either intentional desecration or
natural disasters. And since the
churches located in historic Armenia are practically unreachable,they
are all gradually disintegrating.
Since it is difficult to know the
exact floor plans and structures of
some of the churches, the goal
shouldn't be to rebuild them. Instead, we need to preserve them so
that they can be studied and appreciated by future generations.
The class was a requirement for
the Armenian Studies Minor, but
even if it were not, I would have
taken it anyway. Every student at
one time or another should experience what it's like to take a class
with Dr. Kouymjian; I can't articulate it in any other manner.
Armenian Studies Honor Program
The Armenian Studies Honors Program is open to eligible students
who will be of junior or senior
status at Fresno State in the Fall
2005 semester, and who fulfill the
minimum requirements as outlined
below. Once admitted into the Program, there are other requirements
to successful completion of the program.
Honors Program Students are
guaranteed a scholarship:
• Full registration fees for two years
(four semesters)(Scholarship estimate for AY 2005-2006 is $2,700)
* Student must maintain the following GPA to be eligible for the
scholarship: • 3.4 for Junior year
No less than 3.25 during overall
university career.
Note: Up to four of these scholarships can be awarded in any one
academic year.
Minimum criteria for application TO THE PROGRAM:
• Entry as Fresno State student with
Junior standing or transfer student
with Junior standing
• Continuing Fresno State students
must have completed at least four
Armenian Studies courses. Transfer students must complete the Armenian Studies Minor with minimum progress of one course per
semester.
• GPA of at least 3.5 in Armenian
Studies courses. • Maintain 3.4
overall GPA as a Junior. • GPA of
at least 3.5 in the first three semesters (freshman and sophomore) of
course work.
application Procedure:
• Two letters of recommendation,
at least one from an Armenian Studies faculty member. • A sample of
work, preferably a paper written
for an Armenian Studies course.
Deadline:
A completed application form, letters of recommendation, and sample
of written work must be submitted
to the Armenian Studies Program
office no later than Friday, March
18,2005.
m
/                               1
Left to Right: John Paklaian, Rev. Fr. Haik Donikian, Barlow
Der Mugrdechian, Rev. Sam Agulian, Dr. Larry Farsakian.
Therefore, in a sense St. Vartan
represents each of us, and the qualities which he embodies are actually
qualities which we ourselves also
have, in varying degrees.
The main Armenian source on
St. Vartan is the historian Yeghishe,
whose work, The History of Vartan
and the Battle of Vartanantz, is
devoted to a single event in Armenian history. Yehishe wrote in the
fifth century, when the Armenian
alphabet had just come into widespread use. He is one of a handful
of primary historians whose works
laid the foundation of our knowledge of the early history and culture ofthe Armenian people...
The fifth century historian
Yeghishe was a priest, and wrote
his history from that point of view.
Christianity is a main focus of his
work, and he frames his work in
Christian terms... There is little am-
bigui ty or idea of spiri tual s tra g gl e -
everything is laid out in stark
choices of good and evil...
But in Yeghishe's work, St.
Vartan is not only depicted as a
hero, embodying noble virtues of
leadership and self-sacrifice, but
St. Vartan is also depicted as a man,
a human being. He also has doubts,
and second thoughts, concerns
about family, about his future, his
status in the society in which he
lived, and about the overarching
issues of life and death.
Because if onetalks of St. Vartan
as only a historical figure, as a hero
only,andnotas a person, we would
miss the real reason why he has
remained alive in the Armenian
people today. It is his very human
frailty and weakness that makes
him so appealing to us today. We
can identify more closely with a
hero who is also a human in thought
and feeling, a man who had to
struggle to make the right decision
for himself and for his family and
ultimately for his people....
•Armenians on the Internet^
Alex Bunch-Staff Writer
Touring Ani - Virtually
Address: http://www .virtualani.freeserve .co.uk/
Main Categories: History of Ani, Maps of Ani, Buildings of Ani, Message Boards, General Pictures, and
Travelers Accounts
Brief Summary: Virtual Ani takes you an on an in-depth look at the
Armenian capital city of Ani. Through many pictures and descriptions viewers are exposed to the once capital and now deserted city.
The website looks like a map and by clicking your desired destination
new pages fade in. One can also find a profound look at all of the
churches that are/were housed within the city walls. Floor plans and
history for each are provided. Overall, the site is very good: it is easy
to navigate; it has a plethora of information, and a lot of beautiful and
vivid pictures. An interesting aspect ofthe website is the fact that the
whole thing can be viewed in Turkish. The webmasters are hoping to
bring awareness to the Turkish government of the monumental
churches that are slowly disintegrating within their borders.
Little Armenia
Address: http://www .littlearmenia.com
Main Categories: Professional links, Armenian
supplies including clothing and books
Brief Summary: This Armenian website, Little Armenia, is centered around the theme of being Armenian. Through this website,
one can find many Armenian supplies from the Hollywood area.
Included are Armenian books, auctions, gas stations, Armenian
history, Armenian schools, food recipes, and other services such as
Armenian doctors and other professionals. One link even takes
people to an Armenian senior center. Other features include links to
jobs, shopping, and videos.
The idea behind this website is to promote a sense of Armenian
community as well as to promote the many Armenian based businesses in the area. The site also allows one to find many Armenian
products which are available.