This course examines the history of Armenia, its land and people beginning with the early modern age through the establishment of the modern Republic of Armenia and renewed independence in the 21th century.  Students will explore Armenian history in its geopolitical, economic, religious and socio-cultural contexts. Students will critically examine historical events, processes, actors, and models of history writing. Students will conduct independent research using primary and secondary sources to analyze issues through a comparative lens and evaluate and synthesize evidence and arguments from various disciplines. Students will analyze Armenia’s history in a global context in order to anticipate challenges and opportunities for development.  Instructor-led discussions.

The course examines world religious traditions from a comparative perspective. Students will be introduced to the basic tenets, worldview, and practices of the major religious traditions around the world, polytheistic traditions, Asian religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as new religious movements. The course will also examine the sacred texts of various religions. Upon completing the course, students should be familiar with the key beliefs and practices of the major religions and gain an appreciation of the diversity of religious experience through time and across cultures. The course also aims to equip students with concepts and frames for thinking critically about the relationship of Christianity to other religious traditions and comparing the dogmatic, doctrinal and ritualistic practices within various religious traditions. The course combines lectures, in-class discussions, and analytical essays. Three hours of instructor-led class time per week.

In this course students will explore in-depth themes related to the phenomenon of genocide with emphasis on a comparative analysis of the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the Cambodian genocide, and Rwandan genocides. Themes include causes, similarities and peculiarities of these genocides, perpetrators/rescuers issues, genocide reparations and remedies, international reaction, genocide prevention. Assessment may include essays, projects, presentations, and quizzes.

Welcome to ENV 203: Environmental Monitoring

The course is to present general procedures, methods, theories and techniques in the monitoring programs for different environments. Environmental contamination in air, water and wastewater, soils, and food will be discussed with the emphasis on instrument selection and quality control, including documentation, calibration, and sample management. As a science-based, quantitative course, the course will teach students the methods of scientific inquiry, including planning and designing monitoring, biological and physical-chemical analytical methods, data generation and analysis, and effective presentation of the final results. Instructor-led discussion, along with reading, written, and practical assignments.

This course focuses on school/classroom-based assessment. It provides the latest information on the theoretical principles of language testing and assessment and discusses the implementation of the principles in real life practices. The primary focus of the course being language assessment in a classroom context, the course addresses the importance of assessment for learning and of learning. In addition, the course provides the learners with knowledge and skills required for critically examining the existing tests and selecting or developing appropriate tests for their own academic context/s.

Three hours of instructor-led discussion per week.

This course explores the various theories that scholars and researchers have put forward concerning second language acquisition, or how people learn languages.  Since it is language learning that is being examined, it is important to understand what language is.  Linguistics explores this question, and hence, this course draws to some extent on insights from linguistics.  In addition, as people and learning have both social and psychological dimensions, the course also draws on insights from sociology and psychology.  In other words, SLA is an inter-disciplinary subject that draws on all three disciplines, as well as the sub-disciplines and research areas that inter-relate them. Three hours of instructor-led discussion per week.

With the growing interest in teaching English for specific purposes (ESP) around the world and Armenia where almost all non-English major students study English through ESP programs, it is imperative that MA TEFL graduates develop a sound knowledge of the field. This course introduces students to many areas of ESP including English for academic purposes and English for occupational purposes. The course helps students understand and apply ESP principles to serve the needs of the society. Three hours of instructor-led discussion and experiential learning per week.

In this course, students will implement their capstone projects, which depending on the project, may include data collection and analysis, development and piloting of materials. In the process, they will have a few face-to-face class sessions, meet with their Capstone Committee or adviser on a regular basis, and write an MA Thesis or MA Design Project. In addition to the written work, students will present their final capstone publicly. The course does not meet face-to-face on a regular basis.

This course will help students to develop a deeper understanding of the principles and procedures that inform current practices in language curriculum design, how they impact classroom pedagogies and shape materials development. TEFL 309 will also equip students with a variety of theoretical resources and insights for the formulation and implementation of appropriate language courses.  Students will gain insight into EGP (English for General Purposes) and ESP (English for Specific Purposes).  ESP includes many areas such as EAP (English for Academic Purposes), EOP (English for Occupational Purposes), EST (English for Science and Technology), etc.  Finally, the course will enable students to develop a critical view of curriculum design as it relates to Armenia’s EFL context. Three hours of instructor-led discussion per week.