TEACHING ARMENIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE AT TBILISI STATE UNIVERSITY (TSU)

Abstract

This paper discusses the establishment and development process of the department of Armenology at Tbilisi State University. The main goal is to introduce the development environment for Armenological studies at different stages at Tbilisi State University. The first part of this paper consists of a historical review. In the second part of the article, the current situation is analyzed. The information on the TSU website and curriculum structures are studied. The teaching-learning process at the department of Armenology is also observed. In addition to observation, the main research methods used in this study rely on semistructured and in-depth interviews with professors and students. It should be noted that the Armenology Department suffers from a lack of students; the studies in this direction are not as intensive as in the past. Mainly, the Georgian-Armenians – citizens of Georgia, – and some Georgian and Turkish students from Vani are showing interest in studying Armenian. The clear decline of the Armenology sphere does not really indicate any unawareness of its importance, especially for historians and linguists. Moreover, it does not mean that there is no need for Armenology anymore or for the Armenian sources in general. It all depends on the market economy, which determines scientific interests. Nowadays, the humanities – including Armenology as its branch – is generally not favored.