KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Summer School 2016 international programme implemented jointly by the Youth Foundation of Armenia (YFA) and the Student Council of Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) continues.

Over 90 students, who arrived in Armenia from six countries, started the new day with an excursion to Sevan National Park.

First they visited the Harsnakar beach. After active rest and joyful entertainment on the beach they headed to Akhtamar Peninsula where they admired Sevanavank, the largest monastic complex located on the peninsula.

The foreign students learned many things about the Armenian monastic complex and got acquainted with its architecture. “Despite the windy weather, we were able to enjoy our day. In addition to spending a good time on the beach, we also visited historic places in Armenia, which was very important for us. Being a historian by profession and a student of a catholic university, it was most interesting for me to study Armenian monasteries and make new historical discoveries,” said Gardik Daniel, a student of Pázmány Péter Catholic University (Budapest, Hungary).

The participants of the Summer School programme then returned to the Aghavnadzor-based training centre of the Pedagogical University, where they heard a lecture by Tigran Mikaelyan, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages.

The latter focused on the influence of cultures on education, problems of perception of cultural values and the educational value and importance of dialogue between cultures.

The lecture was followed by interactive games, video presentations, excerpts from different films and performances.

This was followed by a heated discussion about the influence of intercultural communication and cooperation on education processes, which involved student groups from different countries.

Tigran Mikaelyan noted that they discussed a topical theme which was aimed at helping students understand cultures more objectively and profoundly, perceiving new things effectively and understanding the importance of finding alternative options.