Armenian Studies
The Program in Armenian Language and Culture at UCLA was inaugurated with the establishment of the Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies in 1969, the oldest endowed chair at UCLA.
The Program offers instruction in all three major standards of the Armenian language, Classical, Modern Eastern, and Modern Western.
The Program also services an Armenian concentration in the NELC department’s Middle Eastern Studies Major as well as a popular undergraduate Armenian Studies Minor. Graduate degrees in Armenian Studies are offered at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels.
Recently an introductory class in Armenian Music has been created through cooperation with the Department of Music, which is cross-listed in both departments.
In 2015 the Program was involved in establishing memoranda of understanding between UCLA and the American University of Armenia, the Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, and the National Library in Yerevan and is currently engaged in various collaborative projects with these institutions.
The nucleus of the university’s rich Armenological holdings was formed by the bequest of the library of Dr. K.M. Khantamour in the late 60s, subsequently enhanced by the accession of the Minassian collection of manuscripts (most of which are digitized), archives, and printed books that buttressed the Program’s research capabilities. Collection development has been facilitated by a recent endowment from the Friends of the UCLA Armenian Language and Culture Studies, a support group that provides liaison with the Armenian community of Greater Los Angeles.