USC Brings Its First Class to Armenia: Students Discover Armenia in First-Ever Maymester Course

In May 2025, the University of Southern California (USC) offered its first-ever academic class in Armenia, giving students a rare chance to explore the country’s culture, history, and ongoing challenges up close. Organized as part of USC’s Maymester program, this short but intensive course brought 15 students across the world to Armenia and Georgia to learn about identity, human rights, displacement, and resilience in the South Caucasus.

The course was a partnership between USC’s Department of Political Science and International Relations and the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies. It was co-led by Professor Steve Swerdlow and Gegham Mughnetsyan, a USC researcher and archivist born in Gyumri, Armenia. For Mughnetsyan, this trip was not only a professional milestone but also a personal homecoming. “To come back now—as an educator, mentor, and representative of USC—was a full-circle moment,” he wrote.

During the three-week course, students met with civil society members, journalists, and refugees from Artsakh. These meetings gave the students a deeper understanding of the pain and consequences of war and forced displacement. They didn’t just study these issues in classrooms—they heard directly from people who had lived through them. In this way, students connected emotionally and intellectually with the region’s ongoing struggles.

In both Georgia and Armenia, students were encouraged to learn through experience. They walked through the historic streets of Tbilisi, cooked traditional Armenian meals in Gyumri, and danced in village courtyards in Chobareti. They paid their respects at Armenia’s Genocide Memorial, Tsitsernakaberd, and listened to powerful testimonies of loss, survival, and strength.

But the most meaningful part of the journey for Mughnetsyan came when the group visited Gyumri, his hometown. Once devastated by the 1988 earthquake, the city has slowly rebuilt itself. As he led the students through its streets, Mughnetsyan saw the city not only through his own memories, but through their fresh eyes. It reminded him why the work of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies is so important—because it builds bridges across generations and geographies.

This Maymester course did more than teach political science or history. It allowed American students to step into the lives and experiences of people in Armenia and Georgia. It gave them a chance to see the region as more than a place on a map. They listened. They asked thoughtful questions. They began to understand the complicated truths of a part of the world many had never studied before.

The class was a unique opportunity for USC students and an important moment for Armenia. It showed how academic institutions can help raise global awareness and build cultural understanding. At a time when Armenia faces serious challenges—from border threats to humanitarian crises—the presence of international students who engage with compassion and respect sends a powerful message.

This program planted the seeds of understanding and solidarity. For the students, it may have been a three-week course—but for Armenia, it was a reminder that its stories, culture, and struggles are being seen, heard, and carried forward by the next generation. As Mughnetsyan wrote, “Home is not just a place—it is also a purpose.”

The USC Institute of Armenian Studies continues to play a vital role in making programs like this possible. As Armenia navigates complex regional and internal challenges, such global engagement can build lasting partnerships, shape informed advocates, and strengthen Armenia’s ties with the world.

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