KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

From now on, a series of public lectures will be held at the Faculty of Philology of Armenian State Pedagogical University. The initiative belongs to the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Yuri Davtyan, who says the aim is to see well-prepared and knowledgeable lecturers in auditoriums.

As it was planned, exemplary lecturers were the first to deliver lectures: Professor Aelita Dolukhanyan, Head of the Department of Ancient and Medieval Armenian Literature and its Teaching Methods, Doctor of Philology, a corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences, was the first to take the floor and deliver a lecture in the presence of the teaching staff. 

She did not deviate from the routine: first she filled in the attendance register, then asked questions about the previous lesson, summed up the material and introduced the new lesson. This time she spoke about historian Faustus of Byzantium (also Faustus the Byzantine) and presented his “History of the Armenians” – a book dedicated to the 4th-century events in Armenia.

 In her speech, the professor stressed that although the book had been neglected in the Middle Ages, it significantly differs from the works of his contemporaries with its content and style of writing.  “Byzantium wrote the book in a language close to the conversational language, but along with its folkloric embellishments the book has great historical value and significance. This is the only book in the Armenian historiography that depicts [to some extent] the life of courtiers and the intrigues incited by nobility and clergy. It also became the basis for future masterpieces of art and literature with historical content. 

The professor gave a detailed analysis of the book, focusing on the superhuman efforts and exertions of Arshak II and King Pope who did everything possible to preserve the independence of Armenia. She also referred to the character of Nerses the Great whom the historian devoted many pages in the book. 

During the lecture, the professor asked the students different questions to reinforce the material and urged them to turn to her in case they did not understand anything. 

At the end of the lecture, Dean of the Faculty Yuri Davtyan asked the professor to mark the students’ activity in the register. He did not hide his satisfaction and delight over the lecture, praising the professor and the lecture which, he said, was full of live improvisations and professional attitude.

“I emphasize the organization of open lectures and their format. This is a good opportunity to share unique experience that keeps lecturers vigilant and enables the teaching staff to understand the level of preparedness and teaching methods of their colleagues,” Aelita Dolukhanyan told old.aspu.am, adding that a lecture should be lively and students should have some prior knowledge on the subject matter. “In that case, the lecturer’s speech will not be forgotten; rather, it will be stored as knowledge which is our ultimate goal.”

The professor confessed that today’s lecture did not differ from the previous ones. She did not prepare for the lecture in a special way. However, one thing is evident: every time she delivers the material in a new way. She says one should learn and update his or her knowledge every day to keep up with the times.