LilitAzarian@yahoo.com
Richard Hovannisian is no doubt a familiar name to anyone who has studied Armenian History. At UCLA, however, it is more than a mere name. Needless to say, as with most other students on this campus, his reputation had preceded him.
Everyone I spoke to made it a point to remind me that his courses were amongst the most difficult on campus. Being the adventurous and curious History student that I am, I decided that I must take at least one of these courses before I graduated as a personal challenge.
Preparing myself for the worst, I walked into his Comparative Genocide course utterly intimidated. Here was one of the premier historians in his field, teaching a seminar about a colossal topic, which for better or worse, has come to be a defining element of our identity.
As I struggled through the heavy reading and writing assignments, however, I found myself becoming even more engrossed in the subject I had thought I knew something about. This wasn’t about April 24 marches, protests, or commemorative events; instead, it was an exploration of man’s inhumanity to man, an attempt to understand what genocide entails and what it means for those unfortunate enough to experience it.
Two years later, I am currently enrolled in my third course with Professor Hovannisian - Modern Armenian History. After an exploration of Armenian history from Urartu to today’s Diasporas, I will walk out with not only an introductory overview of our rich history, but more importantly, with a better conception of who our people are…a better sense of my own identity.
More importantly, however, having been presented with various historic approaches, I am walking away with my own opinions and understanding of the various elements of our history.
As an acclaimed historian, Professor Hovannisian’s work takes him to conferences all over the world ranging from Calcutta to Munich. Yet, despite his fame in the international academic community, in the classroom Professor Hovannisian is far more than the researcher forced to teach.
Taking the time to learn the names of the students in his class, he will likely remember their faces for years to come. And despite the busy schedule, he is always available to meet with students who have questions, whether they are about further exploration or their grade on an exam.
Furthermore, although tough, his exams and papers are always fair and for those who stay on top of the reading and attend lectures, the classes are quite manageable. Many sleepless nights, countless red bulls, and cups of coffee later, I can confidently say that it doesn’t matter what grade I receive in these classes…it’s not the grade that counts. If you are looking for an easy A, by all means, avoid these classes. However, if you actually care about learning something of value, this is one of the best ways to go about it.
These courses are what you make of them, but don’t take my word for it, enroll in one and find out for yourself - that is my challenge to you.
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