NAASR to Present 5-Week ‘Visual Journey Through Armenian History’

BELMONT, Mass. - The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will offer a five-week “Visual Journey Through Armenian History” course presented by Joe Dagdigian, beginning on Mon., Feb. 13 and running through March 12. Each session will take place from 7-9 p.m. at the NAASR Center, 395 Concord Ave. in Belmont, Mass.

“A Visual Journey Through Armenian History” is an introduction to Armenian history that will use, wherever possible, images of historical sites, artifacts, and maps to illustrate 3,000 years of Armenian history and culture. It is intended primarily for those seeking a basic overview of Armenian history and a sense of what Armenia’s past and present look like.

Fees for “A Visual Journey” are $100 for non-NAASR members (if Mr. & Mrs., 2 for $180); $85 for current NAASR members (if Mr. & Mrs., 2 for $150); and $25 for full-time students. A portion of the proceeds from the class will be donated to the Shengavit Historical and Archaeological Cultural Preserve in Armenia.

The course starts with the Armenian arrival on North American shores, then goes back to the origins and early history of the Armenian nation and covers up to the present Republic of Armenia. There will be considerations of Armenian art, oral history, and literature. Many of the images used are the instructor’s own photographs taken on many journeys in Armenia. Dagdigian previously offered a version of the course as a non-credit personal enrichment class at Middlesex Community College.

Dagdigian was brought up in Lowell and has a BS in electrical engineering with an MS in computer engineering from UMass-Lowell. He studied Armenian at the Nshan Palanjian Jemaran in Beirut, is a past chairman of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Central Executive and past co-chairman of the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Merrimack Valley, and serves on the Board of the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association. With Anahid Yeremian, a physicist at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California, he is co-founder of the Support Committee for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division (SCACRD).

For more information or to register for the class, contact NAASR by calling (617) 489-1610 or e-mailing hq@naasr.org.