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UCLA Armenian Studies Banquet to Honor Prof. Peter Cowe
By MassisPost
Updated: May 15, 2014
LOS ANGELES ' The annual banquet of the Friends of UCLA Armenian
Language and Culture Studies, honoring the 30th anniversary of Prof.
S. Peter Cowe's scholarly career and the 45th anniversary of the
Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies, will benefit the expansion of the
Armenian Studies program and particularly Western-Armenian instruction
at UCLA.
Organized jointly by the 30th Anniversary Committee and the Friends of
UCLA Armenian Language and Culture Studies, the banquet will take
place on the evening of June 1 at the London West Hollywood. Following
a cocktail hour at the hotel's Marble Terrace, the banquet will be
held at the Kensington Ballroom, featuring the culinary creations of
globally renowned chef Gordon Ramsay. There will also be a number of
special surprises in celebration of Prof. Cowe's Scottish background,
the organizers said.
`UCLA probably has the largest Armenian Studies program outside the
Armenian Republic,' said Cowe, who heads the Narekatsi Chair. `This
year our primary goal is to raise funds to support our program in
Western Armenian and expand instruction in that medium by establishing
advanced-level courses.'
`Apart from its impressive history and the constellation of writers
that have elevated its capacity to express the whole spectrum of human
thought and emotions, Western Armenian remains an indelible part of
Armenian culture and has the potential to serve as a nuanced modern
medium of communication,' Cowe continued. `At the same time, it is
clear from a number of metrics that Western Armenian is severely
challenged, and hence has been placed on the UNESCO list of endangered
languages. It is therefore all the more important for the local
Armenian community and the various Armenian schools to collaborate
with academic programs like that at UCLA to achieve a better
assessment of the issues involved and develop strategies to tackle
them.'
In this connection, Cowe explained, it is vital to sustain the UCLA
program in Western Armenian, under the direction of Dr. Hagop
Gulludjian, and expand it to include a set of third-year-level
courses, beyond the first- and second-year levels currently available.
A full-fledged Western-Armenian program will benefit not only the
regular student body at UCLA but also members of the local Armenian
community, enabling them to develop their command of the language,
communicate fluently in both oral and written forms, and thereby
participate more fully in Armenian culture and its development in
Southern California.
The Armenian Studies program at UCLA has seven instructors, who offer
a total of 26 courses in Armenian language, history, and culture.
Apart from an undergraduate Minor in Armenian Studies and a
concentration in the new Major in Middle Eastern Studies, the
Narekatsi Chair offers Masters and PhD programs, and currently has
seven doctoral students under Prof. Cowe's supervision. UCLA is also
home to the recently inaugurated Armenian Music Program, with a course
taught by Vatsche Barsoumian and an Armenian Music Ensemble; as well
as the Armenian Archaeology and Ethnography Program, established in
2013 through a $2-million gift from Mrs. Zaruhy Chitjian.
The Narekatsi Chair maintains an active program of lectures and
seminars by visiting academics. In addition, together with the
Armenian Graduate Students Association, the Chair organizes an
international graduate-student colloquium in Armenian Studies
annually.
Cowe was appointed Visiting Associate Professor of Armenian Studies at
UCLA in 1996. Two years later, he established the Friends of UCLA
Armenian Language and Culture Studies, as a conduit to foster
community involvement through academic and cultural events and raise
financial support for the expansion of Armenological offerings at
UCLA. In 2000, he was named holder of the Narekatsi Chair in Armenian
Studies.
`It has been a great honor for me to work with Prof. Cowe for the past
17 years,' said Anahid Keshishian, the Narekatsi Chair's lecturer in
Eastern Armenian. `He has continuously inspired me, first as a
teacher, then as a colleague. I have witnessed his countless efforts
to raise the stature of the Narekatsi Chair. I have also seen the
enthusiasm of students who have been under his guidance. I wish him
many more years of successful teaching and research.'
Tickets to the June 1 banquet are priced at $150 per person. To
reserve your seats, call (818) 645-5571.
http://massispost.com/2014/05/ucla-armenian-studies-banquet-to-honor-prof-peter-cowe/
By MassisPost
Updated: May 15, 2014
LOS ANGELES ' The annual banquet of the Friends of UCLA Armenian
Language and Culture Studies, honoring the 30th anniversary of Prof.
S. Peter Cowe's scholarly career and the 45th anniversary of the
Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies, will benefit the expansion of the
Armenian Studies program and particularly Western-Armenian instruction
at UCLA.
Organized jointly by the 30th Anniversary Committee and the Friends of
UCLA Armenian Language and Culture Studies, the banquet will take
place on the evening of June 1 at the London West Hollywood. Following
a cocktail hour at the hotel's Marble Terrace, the banquet will be
held at the Kensington Ballroom, featuring the culinary creations of
globally renowned chef Gordon Ramsay. There will also be a number of
special surprises in celebration of Prof. Cowe's Scottish background,
the organizers said.
`UCLA probably has the largest Armenian Studies program outside the
Armenian Republic,' said Cowe, who heads the Narekatsi Chair. `This
year our primary goal is to raise funds to support our program in
Western Armenian and expand instruction in that medium by establishing
advanced-level courses.'
`Apart from its impressive history and the constellation of writers
that have elevated its capacity to express the whole spectrum of human
thought and emotions, Western Armenian remains an indelible part of
Armenian culture and has the potential to serve as a nuanced modern
medium of communication,' Cowe continued. `At the same time, it is
clear from a number of metrics that Western Armenian is severely
challenged, and hence has been placed on the UNESCO list of endangered
languages. It is therefore all the more important for the local
Armenian community and the various Armenian schools to collaborate
with academic programs like that at UCLA to achieve a better
assessment of the issues involved and develop strategies to tackle
them.'
In this connection, Cowe explained, it is vital to sustain the UCLA
program in Western Armenian, under the direction of Dr. Hagop
Gulludjian, and expand it to include a set of third-year-level
courses, beyond the first- and second-year levels currently available.
A full-fledged Western-Armenian program will benefit not only the
regular student body at UCLA but also members of the local Armenian
community, enabling them to develop their command of the language,
communicate fluently in both oral and written forms, and thereby
participate more fully in Armenian culture and its development in
Southern California.
The Armenian Studies program at UCLA has seven instructors, who offer
a total of 26 courses in Armenian language, history, and culture.
Apart from an undergraduate Minor in Armenian Studies and a
concentration in the new Major in Middle Eastern Studies, the
Narekatsi Chair offers Masters and PhD programs, and currently has
seven doctoral students under Prof. Cowe's supervision. UCLA is also
home to the recently inaugurated Armenian Music Program, with a course
taught by Vatsche Barsoumian and an Armenian Music Ensemble; as well
as the Armenian Archaeology and Ethnography Program, established in
2013 through a $2-million gift from Mrs. Zaruhy Chitjian.
The Narekatsi Chair maintains an active program of lectures and
seminars by visiting academics. In addition, together with the
Armenian Graduate Students Association, the Chair organizes an
international graduate-student colloquium in Armenian Studies
annually.
Cowe was appointed Visiting Associate Professor of Armenian Studies at
UCLA in 1996. Two years later, he established the Friends of UCLA
Armenian Language and Culture Studies, as a conduit to foster
community involvement through academic and cultural events and raise
financial support for the expansion of Armenological offerings at
UCLA. In 2000, he was named holder of the Narekatsi Chair in Armenian
Studies.
`It has been a great honor for me to work with Prof. Cowe for the past
17 years,' said Anahid Keshishian, the Narekatsi Chair's lecturer in
Eastern Armenian. `He has continuously inspired me, first as a
teacher, then as a colleague. I have witnessed his countless efforts
to raise the stature of the Narekatsi Chair. I have also seen the
enthusiasm of students who have been under his guidance. I wish him
many more years of successful teaching and research.'
Tickets to the June 1 banquet are priced at $150 per person. To
reserve your seats, call (818) 645-5571.
http://massispost.com/2014/05/ucla-armenian-studies-banquet-to-honor-prof-peter-cowe/