Ebagdasarian@ucla.edu
Few names within the younger generation of the Armenian community resonate more strongly with notions of hard-work and leadership than that of Raffi Kassabian. Kassabian has consistently been a leader in the Armenian-American community, beginning with his early years at Mesrobian High School, where he served as the President of the Associated Student Body, and eventually as the President of the UCLA Armenian Student Association (ASA), the largest ASA of the top 25 universities in the United States. Specifically, under his ASA tenure at UCLA, Kassabian was able to not only inspire countless new students to become involved with the organization, but also successfully build a strong coalition with other on-campus ethnic and activist organizations to advance recognition of human rights and to further the Armenian Cause.
After securing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Political Science, Kassabian began law school at Southwestern, where he excelled in his studies, ranked in the top 5% of the first year class, and subsequently transferred to UCLA School of Law. While law school is a formidable enough endeavor for most, Kassabian simultaneously clerked for Warner Bros. Legal Department, assisted teaching Communication Studies 101: Freedom of Speech and served as Executive Officer for the UCLA Armenian Graduate Student Association (AGSA).
This year, Kassabian will be returning to UCLA for a third time, not as a student, but as a lecturer in the Communication Studies Department, where he will be teaching his very own course titled Communication Studies 168: Free Speech in Advertising. This four unit upper division course will be offered during the 2010 winter quarter and will be open to students from all majors.
The objective of this course is to explore the First Amendment and commercial speech (“speech that does no more than propose a commercial transaction”). Specifically, the course will focus on political and campus advertisement, as well as vice product advertisement (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, and gambling ads). “Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of our democratic society,” said Kassabian. “What makes this area of the law so complex, but at the same time extremely fascinating, is the fact that freedom of speech must sometimes give way to other competing interests, such as the health and well being of consumers,” Kassabian added.
Communication Studies 168 will be of particular interest to students who are interested in applying to law school. “I would like to educate students about the First Amendment, but I also want to give them an opportunity to experience what a typical day in law school is like,” said Kassabian. “The classroom experience in law school is entirely different from an undergraduate class - the reading is driven almost entirely by case law, students aren’t just expected to memorize facts, but to apply rules of law to hypothetical fact patterns. This course, like any law school course, will teach students how to think like a lawyer.”
In addition to giving his students a taste of their future law school career, Kassabian will bring his experiences from the law firm to the classroom. Kassabian currently practices business litigation as an associate attorney at Lurie & Park where he has litigated matters against major figures, including the famous pop star “Rain” and the Staples Center.
Aside from his practice and teaching career at UCLA, Kassabian remains involved in the Armenian American community. He is currently active with the Armenian National Committee Western Region (ANC-WR), the largest Armenian American grassroots community organization in the Western United States, where he leads the ANC’s Legal Research Task Force.
UCLA undergraduates are not often presented with the opportunity to learn from someone who is qualified and experienced, but who also retains a genuine element of relatability. Let us be sure to appreciate this opportunity.
Lecture for Communication Studies 168 will be held on Mondays between 5:00 p.m. and 7:50 p.m.
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