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Armenian Studies Summer School, 29 Jul - 18 Aug, 2018, Yerevan, Armenia
The testimonials from our previous participants are below.
After organizing 3 Armenian Studies Summer Schools and 2 Armenian Language winter schools in Armenia ARMACAD is now pleased to announce its fourth International Armenian Studies Summer School with special focus on modern Eastern Armenian in Yerevan, Armenia to take place from July 08, 2018 to 18 August, 2018 (6 weeks) or July 29, 2018 to August 18, 2018 (3 weeks).
This 42 or 21 days summer school offers participants to master skills in written and oral modern Armenian, reading and interpreting Armenian texts from different periods as well as rapidly deepening their knowledge in colloquial Armenian.
During the summer school 2 cultural trips will be offered, which will transform your stay in Armenia into an unforgettable, academically oriented endeavour.
On the first day (July 08 or July 29, Sunday) the program will be launched in Ejmiatsin, where the participants will have a chance to be present at a Divine Liturgy. In the evening the group will travel to Yerevan for an opening dinner.
Classes will start on July 9th or 30th and will include lectures, seminars and presentations. Two times a week classes of Armenian language will be followed by a lecture on different topics of Armenian literature and history.
This school is designed for students, at least 18 years-old, who not only want to make well-grounded progress in their knowledge of the Eastern Armenian language, but also to deepen their knowledge of Armenian Studies and Armenia.
The 6 weeks summer school offers an intensive Armenian language course spanning 120 hours, divided into 30 days of instruction and focusing on grammar, reading, speaking, and writing. Another 20 hours is devoted to lectures on Armenian literature and history.
The 3 weeks summer school offers an intensive Armenian language course spanning 60 hours, divided into 15 days of instruction and focusing on grammar, reading, speaking, and writing. Another 10 hours is devoted to lectures on Armenian literature and history.
If participants are interested summer school may be accompanied by guided tours to Tatev Monastery, Jermuk, lake Sevan, Ijevan, Dilijan or Tsaghkadzor, as well as visits to Museums, cultural and academic establishments in Yerevan.
Our courses are open to anyone with upper elementary or intermediate knowledge of the Armenian language. The lectures are organized with the academic interests of the participants in mind to ensure that BA, MA, PhD students as well as post-docs and professors who work in Armenian Studies and relevant fields can benefit from it.
Lectures will be held in Armenian and/or English.
All participants will receive the necessary readings in Armenian and English prior to the summer school dates.
The participation fee is 3590 USD for 6 weeks Armenian Studies Summer School and 1590 USD for the 3 weeks Armenian Studies Summer School.
Application deadline is April 20, 2018.
This price includes reading and writing materials, coffee breaks.
We will not cover accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, visa costs, travel costs to Armenia, from Armenia and in Armenia, any costs of accompanying friends or family members.
For Travel Grants Please Check Such Opportunities from Gulbenkian Foundation.
Scholarships for Armenian Studies Summer School
Up to 300 USD scholarship will be offered by Melik-Bakhshyan family to one of the participants, whose research interests are in the fields of medieval Armenian history, especially in the fields of Armenian - Islamic/Arabic studies and relations.
Up to 300 USD scholarship may be offered by ARMACAD to one of the participants whose research interests are in the fields of modern economic and political realities of Armenia.
Other scholarships in the amount of 200-400 USD may also be available.
Each participant of the summer school may find other sources of financial aid from their own University/School/Community or other relevant foundations. ARMACAD will provide applicants with an official letter of invitation to support scholarship and travel grant applications.
For registration please send the following information to armacad@armacad.info with "Summer school" in the subject.
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LANGUAGES KNOWN——————————————–
HOURS OF ARMENIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES RECEIVED——
TO WHICH SUMMER SCHOOL YOU APPLY - 6 OR 3 WEEKS——
ANY OTHER INFORMATION YOU MAY FIND IMPORTANT——
Registered participants should send 100% of the participation fee before May 20, 2018 online or via a wire bank transfer.
For questions and inquiries please contact armacad@armacad.info or call
Dr. Khachik Gevorgyan +374-91-557978
www.facebook.com/Armenian.Studies
ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2014 had 4 participants from Turkey, UK and USA. In 2015 the summer school had 2 participants from Netherlands and Israel. In 2016 the summer school had 4 participants from UK, Japan, Germany and Australia. In 2016 the winter school had 7 participants from Russia, Italy, USA, Belgium and Israel. In 2017 the winter school will host 4 participants from UK, USA and Poland.
Below you will find some of the testimonials of ARMACAD summer and winter school participants.
TESTIMONIALS
- A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2014 participant EDWARD BLANKENSHIP (Arabic Program Director, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of South Carolina, MA, Harvard University)
The ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School was an experience I won't ever forget. I arrived in Armenia not really knowing anyone and not sure what to expect, but the Summer school staff, professors, and students made Armenia an experience I'll never forget. Not only did my Armenian improve, thanks to an environment conducive to using and learning Armenian daily, but my knowledge of Armenian history and culture expanded greatly. Unlike other summer programs that focus in Armenian language, ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School worked to teach us students about Armenian culture and history while actively using and improving our knowledge of the Armenian language. It was a time to remember, filled with knowledge and experiences that I will cherish for years to come.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2016 participant NICHOLAS MATHEOU (PhD Candidate, University of Oxford)
My experience on the ARMACAD Summer School 2016 was absolutely unforgettable. With a flexible lesson structure, lecture series and timetable I was able to tailor the course around my needs and interests, and came away with a thorough knowledge of the Armenian language as well as a much deeper understanding of the region’s ancient, medieval, and modern history and culture. My own research focuses on the middle ages, and I was able to receive lectures from world-class specialists on a range of topics, from maps, to the relationship between Armenian and other Indo-European language, to particular figures like Grigor Tatevatsi, in addition to a wide range of modern and contemporary subjects such as marriage in the 19th century Ottoman Empire, the first modern Armenian novel, and the hippie movement in Soviet Armenia. Each lecture not only introduced us to a new topic but also explicitly employed a critical approach, and many also introduced us to working tools such as www.digilib.am which will be of huge benefit for my ongoing research. We were also able to have a say in where we went for cultural excursions, and I was thrilled to be able to see Amberd, Dadivank and Gandzasar, three incredible sites important for my studies. Finally, the whole experience was truly made by the unforgettable evenings, discussing everything under the sun, and getting well acquainted with different types of oghi. Overall, I’d strongly recommend the Summer School to anyone interested in the Armenian language, the region’s culture and history, and hugely memorable evenings, the whole experience was fantastic.
The language tuition which I received from ARMACAD was of the absolute highest quality, and has increased my knowledge and abilities exponentially. I had a thorough grounding in Armenian language and grammar before the classes, but over the three weeks I felt this being expanded and firmed up into a real ability to use this in day-to-day exchanges, as well as to read academic articles for my postgraduate studies. Most impressively, despite the different starting levels the majority of tuition was done in Armenian from the beginning, taught in such a way that instructions and explanations were easy to follow, meaning that we all became quickly comfortable with listening to the language. I’m enormously happy with the level to which the classes brought me, and would highly recommend ARMACAD to anyone wishing to rapidly increase their knowledge of Armenian in a short space of time.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Language Winter School 2016 participant JESSE SIRAGAN ARLEN (PhD Candidate, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, UCLA)
I was very pleased with my experience in ARMACAD Winter School 2016. First, it was very impressive how affordable the program was, which of course was a big help to those of us in graduate school who came (my year there were seven of us who participated, and the majority of us were in graduate school or early career academics). In terms of logistics, I could not rate this program more highly. The teacher and organizers were both personal and professional, responding very quickly to any and all inquiries and making everything about the application process and other logistical arrangements as smooth and painless as possible. They also recommended housing, and gave help with matters such as local phone service, how to navigate local transportation including taxis, food, and other recommendations on things of cultural interest to do while in Yerevan. We participants instantly bonded, and I am still in touch with most of them, some of whom I now consider to be significant colleagues and collaborators. My year there was one teacher, who indefatigably led us throughout the intensive course. She has a very effective and modern methodology, and incorporates well both reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, supplementing the textbook that was used with exercises, activities, and grammar instruction of her own creation. Of course, everyone enters these types of programs with different language levels. They did a good job of trying to accommodate everyone, including creating an advanced level that took place as the last session of the day for those of us entering with higher linguistic capabilities. This advanced level was a real highlight for me personally, as it incorporated listening to poetry, academic lectures, and other talks with contemporary movies and TV shows, in order to target comprehension in the various registers of the language. In the future—if there are enough participants to support it—it might make sense to expand to two teachers conducting parallel courses on two levels: one for beginning-intermediate students and the other for intermediate-advanced students. Of course, one other major bonus of this program is that it takes place in Armenia, so that when formal classroom instruction ends, one is instantly surrounded with opportunities to hear and use the language in one’s daily activities.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Language winter school 2017 participant NATASHA BEDNARZ (Boston College graduate, US Fulbright Researcher at the Institute of Geological Sciences, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia)
ARMACAD was one of the best, most challenging, and most rewarding language-learning experiences I have had. At the heart of ARMACAD's Eastern Armenian program was Sona, the teacher of the course. Besides being a highly skilled instructor, she comes up with creative ways to make the language sink in, and avoids English to make it an immersive environment. She also prepares a diverse range of instructive materials for every lesson; she covers speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar and listening every day, comprehensively approaching the language. I entered ARMACAD at an intermediate level of Armenian (speaking, reading, writing). My classmates were beginners, and Sona noticed immediately that the material was very basic for me. She set up one-on-one classes with me every day after her class with the other students. She doubled her workday for two weeks to make sure the course was useful and challenging for me. Whatever your current level of Armenian, ARMACAD classes will help you significantly develop your language skills! I am working as a researcher in Armenia this year, and halfway through the course, my colleagues commented on how much I improved my communication was. The course truly pushed me; it was never easy or boring. Sona's academic materials were always relevant and interesting, from listening to songs and poetry readings, to watching lectures from a diverse range of academic fields. Thus, concurrent with my language skill growth it was an added education in Armenian culture, history, arts, politics, and society. Lastly, the ARMACAD team is very fun; they organize two traditional Armenian dinners during the course :)
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2016 participant CHIHIRO TAGUCHI (Student, Department of Political Science, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan)
In my three weeks in 2016 ARMACAD summer school I spent unforgettable time. The program contained Armenian language classes, lectures about Armenian culture and history from various point of view, and tours to regions in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian language classes were the best language classes I have taken and I could enjoy having conversations with Armenians in Armenian at the end of the program. Lectures covered a large range around Armenian studies, and although most of them were out of my main interest, each of them was inspiring and they enlarged my academic interests. Regarding the tours, I am fond of them personally, because I could enjoy Armenian cuisine and astonishing nature of Armenia, and got acquainted many warm people. Through this program not only I could deepen my knowledge around Armenian studies and the language, but enjoy the stay and the learning, and became more curious than ever about learning new things. Also, during the stay I made good friends, to whom I promised to see them again. This program was of course academically inspiring and provided the high quality language classes, but moreover I am sure that it strongly influenced my life.
As a multi-language learner, the Armenian language classes in ARMACAD were the best of the classes I have taken so far. In class we learned vocabulary and grammar, and practiced each of speaking, listening, writing and reading. The class consisted of both learner at intermediate level of Armenian and learner at elementary level, and everyone realized progress in their Armenian. Personally during the program I realized my Armenian was improving day by day. Also my Armenian teacher corrected my essays in Armenian every day, and this helped me a lot in writing. After this program I enjoyed spending several days in Yerevan having conversations in Armenian with my Armenian friends and salesclerks.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Language Winter School 2016 participant ALYSSA MARIA MATHIAS (PhD Candidate, Ethnomusicology, UCLA)
I recommend the ARMACAD Armenian Language School to anyone learning Modern Eastern Armenian. In two weeks, we covered all major grammatical concepts and applied them to speaking, reading, writing, and listening. For my purpose of learning Armenian for ethnography, the speaking and listening exercises were especially helpful—my improvement in those areas was noted by friends and mentors almost immediately. Our instructor was superb. She was clear, creative, patient, and supportive, truly going above and beyond to make sure we had the best learning experience possible. The course was also well organized from an administrative perspective. Thanks to ARMACAD, the application and registration process was clear, and I felt very welcome in Yerevan. This is a unique and well run course, perfect for anyone hoping to make good progress in a short amount of time.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2014 participant MONIKA MANISHAK (Freelance Translator, Ankara)
I have gained a valuable experience throughout ARMACAD’s Armenian Studies Summer School program with its academically-oriented schedule. The school has offered a wide range of topics and lectures delivered by distinguished professors. The cultural events and field trips, on the other hand, were unforgettable and full of great memories. I highly recommend this program for those who wish to gain a real Armenian experience by exploring the language, history and culture under the discipline of social sciences. As participants of the summer school, we have built strong and long-term relationships with each other. It’d be best to describe this as a challenging, yet a rewarding program.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2014 participant ALYSON WHARTON (Lecturer, School of History and Heritage, University of Lincoln, UK)
I found the ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School a very rewarding experience. The program was full with classes, trips and activities that enabled me to learn a lot about Armenia’s past and present. The language classes, which we attended every week-day morning, gave us a basis of knowledge about the genealogy of the Armenian language. The afternoon lectures were informative on a variety of subjects relating to Armenian culture, religion, politics and society. After class we got to know the city of Yerevan through trips to museums, walking tours and, of course, plenty of eating. The weekends were also full with activities: we visited monasteries, natural wonders, as well as local cultural attractions and sampled different cuisines. The summer school leaders, Khachik and Gevorg, were always very kind and helpful – and they kept us thoroughly entertained throughout the three weeks. I would recommend the school to anyone who already has good knowledge of the Armenian language and who would like to spend time in Armenia developing this knowledge through exposure to an extensive program of lectures in Armenian. The participants will also benefit from learning about varied aspects of culture and society from the perspective of both experts recognized within the Armenian academic environment and speakers from outside. The intense and well-organized program is ideal for anyone who has a month to spend in Armenia with a strong determination to learn about this culture and society. However, taken less seriously, it can also be an opportunity just to spend time in Armenia, to travel, to attend lectures, to have everything conveniently organized for you, and to make new friends. It can be what you put into it! As a university professor with work and personal commitments, and with a poor level of Armenian, I found it a struggle to follow the program with the dedication that was required to gain a significant increase in my level of Armenian speaking and comprehension. However, even I, taking part without doing much homework and without being able to understand all of the lecture content, learnt a great deal and made some good friends with whom I intend to stay in close contact.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2015 participant YANA TCHEKHANOVETS (Archaeologist, PhD candidate, Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
The participation in the ARMACAD Summer School for Armenian Studies will be remembered as one of my most fruitful and pleasant study experiences. To study the language in friendly and helpful environment, with strong and patient teachers is always a great factor of success. But ARMACAD Summer School was not only the language course: the lectures and other cultural activities were scheduled according to the particular interests of the participants, introducing the most wide range of subjects in various fields of modern research in Armenia, including ancient history and archaeology, classical and modern Armenian literature, ethnography, art and architecture, etc. During the field trips we learn to know the country and its residents, visiting practically every “must see” site. The voyages were not a simple sightseeing, but rather a deep immersion into the life of Armenia, its past and present. Intense and well organized program, high educational standards, good accommodation, kind and generous attitude, in short – ARMACAD Summer School is highly recommended!
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Language Winter School 2016 participant Dr. YAKIR PAZ (Post-Doc, Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
The intensive winter course I participated in was a great experience not only of learning but also social and cultural. I highly recommend it.
Our indefatigable (անխոնջ) lovely teacher, Sona, brought to class endless amounts of energy and created a dynamic atmosphere which got all the students involved.
She balanced perfectly between grammar, listening comprehension, conversation and various games and exercises.
During the course we completed an entire overview of Armenian grammar in a very well structured and clear manner.
Alongside grammar, there was also much emphasis on conversation and the systematic building of vocabulary for daily use.
Prior to the course I had no knowledge of modern Armenian (only classical). Yet by the end of this short course I was already able to hold basic conversations and read texts.
This solid foundation enabled me to participate in advanced courses of Armenian.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Language winter school 2017 participant RACHEL DRYDEN (PhD student at the University of Cambridge, UK)
Introduction
In December 2017, I was fortunate enough to receive funding not only towards the cost of undertaking an intensive language course in Armenian but to have the opportunity to do so in Yerevan. This experience can best be described as life-changing.
The Course
The course took place on Monday - Saturday during the first week and Monday - Friday during the second, from c.9am - 3:30pm each day. Using Dora Sakayan's Eastern Armenian for the English Speaking World (2007) as a guide, Sona Mnatsakanyan, a lecturer in Armenian language and literature at the American University in Yerevan, guided us through all the main grammatical features of modern Eastern Armenian. Grammar explanations were accompanied by additional separate exercises, listening exercises were followed by group discussions and there was the opportunity to present individually. As the course progressed, Sona spoke to us more and more in Armenian and we attempted to respond and ask questions where possible. Within the small group of four students on the Winter School, one participant had done at least three years of Grabar, one, a year of Eastern Armenian and one had been living in Armenia for several months and could converse quite fluently in Western Armenian learnt previously. On the first day, I could only just read the alphabet but Sona coped admirably with the challenges presented by this wide range of experience with Armenian. I may have initially doubted whether I would get beyond sounding out the alphabet but although somewhat behind my more experienced co-participants, by the end of the course I had achieved more than I had expected and feel well-prepared to continue with self-study, until such time as I am able to attend another course, which I very much hope I will be able to do at some point.
Extra-curricular Activities
ARMACAD looked after us very well: I was the first of the group to arrive and was met by Khachik Gevorgyan of ARMACAD at the hotel and taken out to lunch. On the first and last days of the course, we were treated to splendid meals in traditional Armenian taverns. After class on one of the afternoons, we attended a lecture by Dr Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, associate professor of religion in the Department of Theology at Yerevan State University, on the history of the Armenian Orthodox Church. Although the topic does not relate to my research, it proved to be really interesting and it was more like a seminar than a lecture, so we were able to ask questions and it provided us with an overview of the relationship between state and religion in Armenia from the earliest times to the present day. On my last free day in Yerevan, I was able to visit the Matenadaran, one of the reasons why I had wanted to visit Yerevan in the first place. Having previously attended a workshop on Armenian manuscripts at the State Library of Berlin, I was aware of the importance and breadth of the collection and was therefore keen to see it myself. I thoroughly recommend taking a tour of the museum, it was very informative and there are both permanent and temporary exhibitions showing the development of illustrated manuscript/book production, as well as more modern historical archive material.
Conclusion
The language course and trip to Armenia far exceeded my expectations in every way. My belief that an understanding of Armenian language, history and culture would, and will enhance my study of the Late Antique, Near Middle Eastern, monotheistic milieu in which the Quran arose, was unequivocally confirmed. I intend to continue my study of Armenian, until I am hopefully able to access a body of apocryphal literature, which in some cases is only preserved in its entirety in Armenian.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2015 participant MELANYA HAMASYAN (BA in Fine Arts, University of California Santa Cruz)
The ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer school 2014 has been a very exciting and productive experience for me. In the span of three weeks, with the guidance of wonderful professors and lecturers, I was able to soak up a great amount of precious knowledge in the areas of history, language, literature, archeology, art and many more. The recreational visits to different cultural landmarks were inspiring as well as educational. I wholeheartedly recommend this program to whoever is interested in such a rewarding experience.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Studies Summer School 2015 participant RENE BEKIUS, Amsterdam
I was delighted to have participated in ARMACAD's 2015 summer school. It was an excellent idea to test in advance the knowledge of the Armenian language of the participants. In this way the teacher could quickly assess their level.
The three weeks were perfectly organised. During the mornings we had a very inspiring young teacher explaining grammar, based on a wonderful grammar book. Simultaneously the teacher intertwined beautiful poems and songs in her lively lessons. This helped us as students to get accustomed to the rhythm and melody of a new language. Additional lectures by experts in the afternoons provided interesting views on a range of topics: architecture as well as Armenian literature. Due to the language lessons, to our surprise, we were able to comprehend lectures on modern Armenian poetry.
ARMACAD organised wonderful trips all over the country even to Nagorno Karabagh on request of one of the participants. This combination of language lessons, lectures about the Armenian culture, and visiting beautiful historical places make the summer course a unique event. The lessons and tours also cement warm bonds between the teacher and organisers as well as between students from various nationalities.
I warmly recommend all future students, whether they are beginners or advanced students (in small or bigger groups), to participate in the unique ARMACAD summer school concept. The secret is the set-up of the course being fully immersed in the language and culture of Armenia. Thanks to this approach I overcame my barrier and started to communicate at simple level and picking up conversations. In this way I came closer to understand the beautiful structure and suppleness of the Armenian language as well as a bit closer to the Armenian soul.
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Language Winter School 2016 participant JOHN WYNTER, Australia
In this three week summer school, the language lessons took up most of the first week, morning and afternoons, and the mornings in the second and third week.
Our teacher, gave us a very thorough tour through the rules of the Armenian language, with lots of diversions to supply interesting vocabulary, use of songs and encouragement to get us speaking. She is an excellent teacher and presented the material very well.
As there were four of us at different levels of knowledge, I’m not sure that everyone got the maximum out of the course. I think those who already had a knowledge of grammar and a bit of vocabulary could have spent more time in active conversation and oral exercises to reinforce and make usable what had already been learned, rather than revising what can be read in textbooks. However, Sona happily provided extra conversation time and tried to cater for everyone’s needs.
I think the real gems we received were teacher’s diversions along the way of learning grammar: supplying vocabulary and expressions for whatever topic may have come up, insights into colloquial speech and also learning Armenian grammar in Armenian. My exercise books are packed with things that sometime I hope to find the time to really explore.
This summer school provides a wonderful opportunity to meet people doing the course, each of whom has developed their interests in the country from a different background and for different reasons, and also to meet the Armenians providing the course, and from them to get the first-hand experience of Armenian expertise, friendship and enthusiasm for their country. It provides a solid language course with very good instruction and offers some insights into Armenian culture and history.
The cultural lectures ranged from fascinating, with real insights into aspects of the culture, to lectures from which I gleaned almost nothing. Social historians gave us an opportunity to discuss things such as the hippie movement in a communist country and aspects of women’s roles over the centuries, which gave some fascinating and unexpected insights. Amazing digital resources for historical researchers were demonstrated, which is perfect for many students attending this course. The lectures on the Armenian identity seemed to be a vague discourse on models of historical research and gave me no insights whatsoever. We were asked what topics we would like to hear about before the course and during it, and again I would suggest Armenian art and music! (As a suggestion find an expert on some of the fantastic Armenian painters, or a lecture on Komitas.)
It was a wonderful idea to do the first week of the language course in the relaxing environment of Aghveran. The second weekend involved a very long and intensive trip, spending short periods in many places. Most of us had seen many of the places before, but the experience of doing it again with the summer school is unique, and certainly the visit to Dadivank, and seeing the old mosques in Sushi were new experiences and real highlights. Once back in Yerevan, the proposed trips and visits to museums etc were flexible, as appropriate.
And how can I finish without saying that the food supplied on the trips and during the course was exceptional. And my appreciation of mulberry vodka , in fact homemade vodka in general has really taken off (at least until the morning after).
A testimonial by ARMACAD Armenian Language Winter School 2016 participant THOMAS JURCZYK (PhD candidate and Research Assistant, Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany)
For me as PhD student of history and religious studies who is interested in early Christianity, the ARMACAD Summer School 2016 was the perfect opportunity to get to know Armenia as well as Armenian culture and language from both a scholarly and a cultural perspective. The almost four weeks lasting summer school provided everything I was looking for: a visit to many of the important historical and contemporary sites of Armenia (in and outside of Yerevan), intensive language classes on Modern Eastern Armenian (6+ hours/day), academic lectures on various topics held by established scholars from the field of Armenian studies, and not least the opportunity to get in touch with other scholars from the field of Armenian/Oriental studies among the participants, organizers, and lecturers.
I can honestly say that the ARMACAD language classes were among the best I have ever attended. As a PhD student of history and religious studies who did only have some basic training in Grabar, the three weeks of the ARMACAD language classes provided the perfect opportunity to acquire a profound insight into Modern Eastern Armenian. Even though I started from zero (with regard to Modern Eastern Armenian), I am now, after the summer school, able to fluidly read simple texts in Modern Eastern Armenian, express myself in basic situations of everyday life, and most important: I have obtained the skills to keep working on Modern Eastern Armenian myself as well as to attend advanced courses of Modern Eastern Armenian in my home university. In sum, the ARMACAD language classes do not only provide the perfect conditions for those who do already have a certain level of Modern Eastern Armenian, but do also enable people who have just started learning the language to advance very quickly. Therefore, I would like to encourage everyone (beginners as well as advanced learners) who is interested in Modern Eastern Armenian to attend the ARMACAD language classes.
The ARMACAD summer school 2016 was a great experience in several respects and I can highly recommend the participation to everybody who is interested in Armenia and Armenian culture (students, scholars, people who are generally interested in Armenia and Armenian culture without an academic background etc.).