First USC Class in Armenia
Starting right after the commencement bells ring at USC in mid-May, short courses known as Maymester (the May Semester) are offered to students seeking one last meaningful scholarly experience before the end of the academic year.
This Maymester, I had the privilege of leading a group of 15 USC students on a journey that was both academic and deeply personal.
The course was offered through the Department of Political Science and International Relations in partnership with the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies, with co-instructor Professor Steve Swerdlow. Over the span of three weeks, we traveled to Georgia and Armenia to explore themes of human rights, memory, identity, displacement, and resilience.
For many of the students, this was their first time encountering the region, its complex histories, and its vibrant cultures. For me, it was also a return home. Born and raised in Gyumri, Armenia, I left the country as a teenager. To come back now—as an educator, mentor, and representative of USC—was a full-circle moment.
The students participated in lectures, site visits, and conversations in both countries in the South Caucasus. They listened closely to stories of trauma, war, and displacement when meeting with refugees from Artsakh. Civil society members, scholars, and journalists offered first hand experience and context for understanding regional dynamics.
What stood out most, however, was the way students immersed themselves in the region, not only intellectually, but emotionally and culturally. From dancing at an Armenian-Georgian family’s 200-year-old village courtyard in Chobareti, Georgia to making and eating chanakh, the oxtail stew in a clay pot, in Gyumri, or from exploring the old streets of Tbilisi to paying quiet respect at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, they opened themselves to every experience with humility and curiosity.
Our day in Gyumri was especially meaningful. As we walked through the earthquake-scarred and recently revamped streets of my hometown, I was overcome by emotion. Here, in the city where I was born, I now stood with students from halfway across the world, trying to offer insight into the layers of history. I saw the city with new eyes—through theirs—and it reaffirmed for me once more the importance of having the Institute at USC: to build bridges, make connections, and carry stories across borders and generations.
Leading the first-ever USC class to Armenia was not just an academic exercise; it was a moment full of personal and collective meaning. This was my first formal teaching experience, and it has shaped how I think about pedagogy not only as the transfer of knowledge, but as a shared journey of discovery. Guiding students through unfamiliar terrain, translating not just language but context, helping them connect the dots between past and present, felt both like a responsibility and a gift. I saw them change over the course of the trip. They began to ask better questions, to listen more deeply, and be a part of the conversation.
I am grateful to the Institute for making this possible, and to the students for their openness and trust. And most of all, I’m thankful to Armenia for receiving us with its usual warmth and for reminding me that home is not just a place—it is also a purpose.
Gegham Mughnetsyan
Chitjian Researcher Archivist