Arman Grigoryan Art Criticism and Curatorial Studies School

Lecturer: Nazaret Karoyan

The course examines the history of Armenian modern and contemporary art in the second half of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century, viewing it as a product of the spread and spatialization of modern art in the world on two dimensions: aesthetic and political. The six topics summarized in the course’s fifteen lectures will outline, on the one hand, local adaptations of the universal language of modernist art, and, on the other, initiatives aimed at overcoming the limitations of presenting these adaptations under totalitarian regimes. The course will pay special attention to the intersections of these two dimensions: Aesthetic Modernism as a contribution to political nationalism, and Political Nationalism as a force reshaping aesthetic modernism and pushing it towards contemporary art.

Political Theory / Philosophy

Lecturer: Naira Mkrtchyan

The course covers the theories and teachings of a number of key thinkers of the 20th and 21st centuries (such as I. Berlin, J. Rawls, H. Arendt, J. Butler, etc.). How to understand freedom? Why are human relationships characterized as fragile? Is human vulnerability unevenly distributed and why? What does this mean in terms of human life? How are justice and forgiveness possible? The above-mentioned teachings and theories, which revolve around these and other questions, as well as their solutions, often cross the boundaries of philosophy and are located in the field of interdisciplinary research.

Some of the included authors represent the wing of those who are critical, opposed to official institutions and dominant situations. Others, on the contrary, have carried out their activities within these institutions. This difference (sometimes even opposition) is expressed, and perhaps even conditioned, first of all in their way of thinking and philosophizing. Thus, it is possible to imagine the diversity of the intellectual spectrum of the period under consideration.
In addition to lectures, the course includes reading and discussion of short texts by some of these authors. 

History of Post-War Avant-Garde and Contemporary Art

The characteristics of contemporary art are the endless diversity of materials and styles, artistic pluralism. It considers art as an experience, it is an instrument of change. The viewer becomes part of the work of art, it is open and encourages dialogue and discussion, raises social consciousness, takes art outside of museums, is interdisciplinary and generally explores ideas, concepts, questions and practices.

The basis of all the above points is largely considered to be Marcel Duchamp, who stood on the threshold of modern culture with one foot and contemporary culture with the other, about whose contribution it would be impossible not to talk from the very beginning. Then we will move on to the main, key movements or artistic phases that have formed and continue to form contemporary art. The basis of the courses will be not only images, but also textual works of the same artists and critics who formed the context of the given cultural event.

Media Studies

Lecturer: Hrach Bayadyan

Introduction: Media studies as a multi- or interdisciplinary domain of research; prerequisites, conditions of formation, commitments, distribution and applications.

Part one: analysis of media texts
In this part of the course, the basics of media semiotics will be discussed, as well as the main means of organizing media texts (genre, format) and their modern transformations. Then examples of detailed analysis of media texts (advertisement, photo, film) will be considered. Special attention will be paid and separate classes will be devoted to photography and cinematography.

Part two: Media-society relations.
A number of questions will be discussed in this part of the course. what perspectives are there to look at the interactions between media and culture (as well as cultural identity), what is the “politics of representation”; What is ideology and how to approach the question of the relationship between the media and the government? The next topics of the course include: the study of mass culture, advertising and consumerism, media and globalization issues.

Urban Environment and Historical-Cultural Communication

Lecturer: Ruben Arevshatyan

Analysis of the concept of “city”, stories related to the origin and formation of cities and urban cultures. Urban space and architecture as a means of understanding the multi-layered nature of socio-political, cultural paradigms.