Targeted News Service
December 9, 2009 Wednesday 12:46 AM EST

Dr. Sergio La Porta Joins Armenian Studies Program At Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif.

California State University Fresno issued the following news release:

The world may have recently become flat for some, but Armenians have
longstanding connections to the nations of the world, according to Dr.
Sergio La Porta, the new Haig and Isabel Berberian endowed chair in
Armenian Studies at California State University, Fresno.

"Armenians have always been part of the fabric of the world," said La
Porta. "They are one of the few cultures still around after 3,000
years. There are not many cultures that can say that they have had a
continuous presence and continuous cultural production for that length
of time."

La Porta arrived at Fresno State this fall after teaching since 2009
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He joins the Armenian
Studies program, which is coordinated by Barlow Der Mugrdechian.

One reason La Porta considered Fresno State is because of the Armenian
presence in the Valley.

"I think Armenian studies programs are really dependant on community
support, it enriches the program when you have that interaction," said
La Porta. "There is a strong Armenian

community here and this program is a way for them to be a voice in the
university, as well as a way for the university to give back to the
Armenian community in recognition of

everything the community has given to the Central Valley."

Collaboration and development of graduate level courses that use an
interdisciplinary approach are part of La Porta’s vision for the
Armenian Studies Program.

"You can’t just study Armenian studies in isolation," said La Porta.
"It should be studied within a multidisciplinary framework that is
able to go beyond borders, beyond languages to

get at more universal developments in culture and the humanities."

With an English, Dutch and Italian heritage, La Porta may seem an
unlikely match for Armenian studies. However his life is very
intertwined with the culture to which he has devoted his career.

"I wish that I could say I fell in love with my wife and then decided
on Armenian studies," says La Porta. "It’s actually the opposite. I
chose Armenian studies, which then allowed me

to meet my wife. Now my daughter attends the Armenian school here in
Fresno. Armenian culture is part of every aspect of my life."

La Porta holds a Ph.D. in Armenian studies from Harvard University and
a B.A. in Indology and Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia
University.

La Porta’s resume also includes study of Second Temple Judaism and
early Christianity at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and
Sanskrit, Pali and Tibetan during a year abroad at Oxford University.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress