On April 22th, 2019, we had an interview with YSU Ijevan Branch graduate of 2012 academic year, Head of YSUIB Library, lecturer of the Armenian History and Social Studies Department Vladimir A. Poghosyan.

 – Please tell us your birth date and place.

 – I was born in 1991, in Ijevan.

 – Tell us a little bit about your family.

 – I live in an ordinary Armenian family. My father is a technician-builder, my mother, an engineer.  My sisters are also YSUIB graduates.

 – What was your childhood dream?

 – I still remember a similar task given by my teacher in the 5th grade to write  an essay on “What do I want to become?”  In response to this question in the fifth grade, I said that i would like to become a politician, though at that age I had little idea of politics and dreams.  After the first lesson of history, it was clear to me that wherever I went, this subject would accompany me and I began to fanatically be absorbed in history and wrote down everything you could not find in textbooks (some I kept up until now).

 – What education did you receive?

 – I received my secondary education at  # 1 Secondary School of Ijevan, then from 2008-2012, I studied at the Faculty of Humanities of Ijevan Branch of Yerevan State University, “History” specialty.  I continued my studies in the Department of World History at YSU Faculty of History.  Currently I am a Candidate of World History and I work in the framework of the research paper on “Cold War and Global Conflicts as an example of the Afghan War”.

 – What role did YSUIB education have in your life?

 – I am grateful to my parents and my friends for bringing me up as a human being and a citizen, and I  am grateful to YSU Ijevan Branch for bringing me up as a specialist. Indeed starting from each lecturer to the librarian, YSUIB plays an indispensable role not only in my own but also in the development of each student’s professional abilities. YSU Ijevan Branch gives me many friends, ideologists and people, without whom my daily routine would be a little different.

 – What work experience do you have?

 – I started my career at YSU Ijevan Branch, since 2016, first as a lecturer, then as Head of the Library.  I teach “History of Russia”, the history of a great country.

–What is your favorite book?

 -As I spend most of my time in the library, I, frankly speaking, do not manage to read much and sometimes I dream of a daily routine of my army, where I spend most of my time on reading.  I have many favorite books, but I will mention two of them – Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “Hundred Years of Solitude”, Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather” novels.

 – What is the last book you read?

 – The last book I read was a book by American-born writer Vardges Davtyan “Godmother” where you can see the clash of cultures, traditions and the universal.

 – What music do you prefer and what is your favorite song?

 – I am fond of classic music, especially the “The melody of paradise” by Chopin, Michel Legrand. In the army, I got a different meaning for the chorus, the stages, which greatly increased the combat mood of the army. When I have a leisure time I also hear pop and jazz music.

 – What is your favorite movie?

 – It’s a little bit difficult to answer, perhaps I would mention Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings”, Sergei Bondarchuk’s “War and Peace”.

 – Do you have a favorite sport?

 – Unfortunately, I’m not engaged in sports, but I enjoy watching the World Championships and Olympic Games.

 – What is your favorite place in Armenia and abroad?

 – I love my birthplace Ijevan, each corner of Armenia is sacred for me, I am fascinated by the picturesque nature of Artsakh and the courage and will of the Artsakh people.  I want to be abroad only as a tourist and I have a desire to travel in Europe.

 – What qualities do you value in people?

 – I respect ambitious and principled individuals, I value justice, honesty and simplicity.

 – Do you have a favourite quote or slogan you are guiding?

 – “What does not kill you, makes you stronger”, and live in such a way that you would not be ashamed.

 – What will you never do?

 – Never is a relative concept. So everything may happen tomorrow.

 -“What are you afraid of?”

 – First and foremost, I am afraid of me, than others.

 –“Why are you sorry?”

 – I’m sorry for the things I have not done, that I did not really appreciate time and use it more effectively.

 – What helps you make decisions in difficult situations?

 – Perhaps my persistence, evaluating the situation relevantly.

 – What do you think is the biggest achievement of your life?

-My family and friends are my greatest achievement.  I reckon life still will give me manifold opportunities of new achievements.

 – What is your formula for success?

 – Ambition and devotion to your profession and undoubtedly hard work, there is nothing impossible; “ A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.

 – What is the most invaluable advice you have received?

-“We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others’ happiness, not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world, there’s room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone”.

 – What is the main message that you would give to young people (in particular, YSUIB students)?

 –Firstly, I would advise the students to love their homeland, their surroundings, why not even their university.  “Act such a way so that you can set an example for others.  Be purposeful, for the materialist becomes a man-machine, throat and stomach only.  Being able to maintain a moral reparation, deeply realizing that the only person whom you can raise is yourself. So start with you … ”  Let this message of Garegin Nzhdeh accompany each of us.

 – We are so grateful for an interesting interview.

 Interviewed by YSUIB Public Relations and Media Responsible Hasmik Vanyan.

  On April 20th, 2019, YSU Ijevan Branch hosted a  seminar on the protection of Armenian monuments, conducted by Samvel Karapetyan, historian, monument specialist, folklorist, Head of  Yerevan Branch of Armenian Foundation studying Armenian Architecture.

 During the seminar, Mr. Karapetyan introduced his activity,  the history of Armenian monuments registration, about the past and current state of historical and architectural monuments left in the enemy land, about his memories.  It was stressed that some of the buildings were originally served as a sack or barn, then they were destroyed by the Kurds, the churches were privatized, and schools and other buildings were built in the graves.

 The speaker touched upon the activities of Jean-Michel Thierry, noting that he played a vital role in the protection of Armenian monuments.

The speaker also talked about the activities of Hambardzum Yeramyan. It was mentioned that even after blinding, he continued to study, develop and devote himself to studying Armenian historical-architectural monuments as well as to establish a school.

Karapetyan also introduced the book entitled “History of Armenia”, noting that the first book of the series was dedicated to the “Armenian Valley” province where, according to tradition, Hayk the Great built his house after winning Bell.

The seminar was held in an engaging and interactive atmosphere.

As a conclusion, Mr. Karapetyan touched upon the lack of motivation among today’s youth, stressing that a person need a purpose to make his/her life meaningful.

 On April 19th, 2019, YSU Ijevan Branch hosted a seminar-discussion entitled “Trends and Challenges of Contemporary Journalism Development (Fake, Internet)”, conducted by Tigran Simonyan, journalist, Head of “Pastark” Club.

The seminar was attended by representatives of YSU Ijevan Branch administrative and professorial staff and students.

Firstly, Mr. Simonyan touched upon the issue of the fake, secondly, the tendencies of journalism development.

First, the speaker introduced the essence of fake internet, the controversial opinions on it, and its types.

Particularly, it was mentioned that fake (fake – false), formerly known as ““газетная утка”, “слив” (leakage), was an indispensable part of the 21st century: has been rooted in the last 15 years: “Fakes have come to our life for a long time. Like a mouse on the butter and the fake on the web, feels good. We will live next to the Fake, finding ways to neutralize them”, T. Simonyan underlined.

Fakes appear in 3 ways: a visual (a photo that has been subjected to a modified Photoshop or other toolkit), anonymous (no photos, no personal data) and text. There are three factors causing misunderstanding: first, the title, then the addition of some word or phrase (for example,… and not only) and the presumption of innocence (whether publishers are fully aware of the content of their material).

In terms of content, there are some fakes that are explicit or partial, propagandistic, as a result of the misleading speech of the user and so on.

It was stressed that there was no law prohibiting fake in Armenia yet and it was necessary to create preventive mechanisms.

Then Mr. Simonyan touched upon the current state of Armenian journalism, its mission: “Our journalism is quite politicized. I think the Armenian journalism is not called for it. By overcoming each stage, it must reach another level. “

Speaking about the journalist’s activities, the speaker particularly mentioned: “Journalism (great contacts, thematic diversity, the ability to recognize your own country, opportunities to solve others’ problems, etc.) is a profession that provides wider horizons. The journalist lives and takes care of himself and others. Everything is interesting for a journalist; his glance is curious and attentive…”

Touching upon the students’ observation on the passivity of journalism in the region, Mr. Simonyan expressed his readiness to support the students who want to take the path of journalism. He advised students to start their career from photojournalism or its writing types.

The seminar was held in an engaging and interactive atmosphere.

On April 16th and 17th, within the framework of 2018-2019 academic year internship, third-year students of YSUIB Faculty of “History” specialty, Full-time training system, visited Dilijan, accompanied by internship supervisor, lecturer of the Department of History and Social Sciences A. Matinyan.

On April 16th, they visited CBA Dilijan Training and Research Center and got acquainted with the Center activities, visited Armenian Dram Museum, where the coins, stamps were exhibited from Alexander the Great of Macedonia, Artashesyans, Kilikia, Armenian and other kingdoms, including 2018 issued third-generation banknotes.

They got acquainted with history of the samples collection, the exhibits, and then the researcher answered to the students’ questions.

On the same day they visited the Geological Museum and Art Gallery of Dilijan and Folk Art Museum named after H. Sharambeyan. First and foremost, they learned about the history of the museums, its activities, then went through departments and studied the items and pictures of the museums.

On April 17th, within the framework of the internship, the same students visited the Geological Museum and Art Gallery of Dilijan, accompanied by L. Beginyan, Head of Professional Orientation and Practice Department, Assistant Professor of Tourism Management and Cultural Studies Department.

In the museum, the students were guided by a preliminary work plan. Accompanied by the museum director and staff, they walked around the museum, getting acquainted with the process of registration of museum subjects, funds and collections. Students got acquainted with the details on the design of collections, stands, building conditions and security issues.

On April 17th, 2019, Acting Dean of YSUIB Faculty of Applied Arts, A. Sh.  Margaryan, Acting Head of the Department of Painting, Design and Sculpture, Associate professor, member of the Union of Artists Association Hamlet Asatryan visited Azatamut community.

The visit aimed to conduct a master class for the students of  Azatamut art studio and to participate in the jury as part of “Keeping our Community Clean” Contest.

First, Mr. Asatryan conducted a master class for art studio students, giving them a drawing and technical skills, explaining some of the nuances.

 Then, at the Cultural Center of Azatamut Community, a painting contest entitled “Keeping our Community Clean” was held, organized by the Art Studio teacher, YSUIB graduate  Ani Aghajanyan.

At the end of the visit, Azatamut community Mayor Vahagn Alaverdyan conveyed his gratitude to YSUIB representatives for their initiative and expressed hope that they would further deepen and expand bilateral cooperation.