What Our Students Say
“The fact that Armenian has retained a staggering number of Middle Iranian loan words, and Ruben’s ability to masterfully cast light on such historical linguistics contacts, makes ASPIRANTUM the ideal place for studying Middle Persian.”
Kristof Szitar
PhD in Islam in India, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
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“The Aspirantum Shahname course was an excellent course with only 1 drawback- I wish it could have been longer!”
Hinesh Shah
M.Phil. student, University of Oxford
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“One of the greatest feats of the Shahname course is that it maintains a subtle balance between thoroughgoing scrutiny and active engagement with Modern Persian.”
Kristof Szitar
PhD in Islam in India, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
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“I was able to improve my Persian significantly while studying one of the most significant texts of medieval Iran and had fun being a part of the positive online learning community.”
Rachel Goshgarian
Associate Professor, Lafayette College, USA
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“The Shāhnāma course was a great way to learn Persian by sparing with a classical Persian text. Students left with a better understanding of Firdawsī’s magnum opus (shāhkār) and will never envision the Shāhnāma the same way again.”
Christopher "Carson" Conlon
MPhil, Islamic Studies and History, University of Oxford, UK
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“The course ”Learn Persian Through the Shahname” in which I took part in September 2020 was a wonderful experience.”
Piotr Szustakiewicz
MA student, University of Warsaw, Poland
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“As a long time and advanced learner of Persian, I was highly impressed by the quality of the instruction and gained myself much from it.”
Asael Benyami
MA student, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
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“Of all the language teachers that I have encountered over the years, Ani Beyt-Mouvsses is unquestionably the best. Not only is she extremely courteous, thoughtful, patient, and attentive. She clearly knows Persian grammar inside and out.”
Daniel Selden
Professor, University of California, Santa Cruz
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“I gained a deeper appreciation of the politics, arts, culture and history of Iran and my vocabulary is undoubtedly enriched. I warmly recommend this course to anyone who wishes to deepen his/her knowledge of the language.”
Benjamin Khoo
Independent Researcher, Singapore
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“I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to develop their knowledge of Persian language and culture. Thank you very much for the amazing experience!”
Max Bledstein
PhD Candidate, University of New South Wales, Australia
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“I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to boost their Persian level. I'm looking forward to joining the next summer course in Yerevan in person!”
Dana Kanarik
MA student, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel
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“This course left a lasting impression on all participants. We are grateful to the ASPIRANTUM team for quickly adopting to the online format this summer. We are also grateful to Professor Voskanian for his encouragement, support, and friendship.”
Christopher Conlon
MPhil, Islamic Studies and History, University of Oxford, UK
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“The 3 week upper elementary Persian course was the best online learning experience I've ever had. The programme was very well structured.”
Gemma Chapman
MA graduate, The Courtauld Institute of Art, UK
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“The intensity and quality of the classes meant that my level and confidence in Persian rapidly improved. I would wholeheartedly recommend this course to anyone who wants to take their knowledge of this wonderful language further.”
Emily Wallace
BA student in Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University, UK
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“I appreciate this experience, and highly recommend it to anyone who would like to utilize his Persian skills by learning from the best while having a great time. Looking forward to attending next year’s Summer school in Yerevan in person.”
Dafna Messing
MA student, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel
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“My language skills improved quickly over 3 weeks and I cannot wait to go to Armenia in person for future courses.”
Shutong Liu
Graduate Student, University of Oxford, UK
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“I greatly benefited from this course and my level of Persian improved rapidly. I would definitely recommend this course and I hope to attend next year’s Persian Summer School in Yerevan in person!”
Nadine Lützelschwab
Graduate Student, University of Oxford, UK
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“The teaching program and teacher were professional on one hand but also very flexible on the other.”
Jakub Osiecki
Post-Doc, Jagiellonian University, Poland
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“My summer with ASPIRANTUM’s Persian program has been a fun and productive experience.”
Xinyi Wei
PhD student, Princeton University, USA
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“My experience with ASPIRANTUM’s Persian language program was memorable because the support offered, the quality of instruction, and the connections I formed with classmates.”
Michael Reeves
MA student, Georgetown University, USA
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“ASPIRANTUM was a fantastic experience, both because its approach to language learning covered so many angles and because Armenia creates opportunities that are impossible to find elsewhere.”
Jeffrey Haines
PhD student, University of Washington, USA
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“I left the program inspired, eager for more, and would most happily return for another summer. Studying at ASPIRANTUM was one of the best learning experiences of my student life.”
Christopher "Carson" Conlon
MA student, University of Oxford, UK
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“I was able to improve my Persian in a country that borders Iran and shares many cultural similarities and a lot of history. I recommend the program to any student looking to experience both Persian language learning and adventure.”
Atussa Mohtasham
PhD student, Princeton University, USA
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“I participated in the summer school with quite limited knowledge of Persian, however, at the end of the program, I managed to obtain a decent level of reading, speaking, writing and listening skills of Persian.”
Husamettin Simsir
PhD student, University of Notre Dame, USA
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“The quality of language instruction makes this program an excellent choice for students interested in quickly improving their Persian, and the hospitality and warmth of the ASPIRANTUM team, and the country of Armenia, will make it an unforgettable experience.”
Tabriz Mohsenin
MA student, The Courtauld Institute of Art, UK
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“The ASPIRANTUM Persian Summer School offers two great benefits: a world-class Persian program and an opportunity to experience the cultural and geographical richness of Armenia.”
Robert Reasoner
BA student, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA
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“ASPIRANTUM’s summer program is one of, if not the, best way to learn Armenian over the summer. The length of the program, the environment, and, most importantly, the quality of teaching made it a productive and educational experience.”
Anna Mehrabyan
Assistant Editor, Council on Foreign Relations, USA
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“The course met and exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I’m so happy to able to have gone from a very basic Persian knowledge to be able to communicate fluidly in many situations and to have a much better reading and writing competence.”
Gwennan Higham
Faculty Member, Swansea University, UK
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“Daily Persian classes expanded my vocabulary, improved my speaking abilities and introduced me to some lovely classical poetry.”
Avanti Divan
BA student, Princeton University, USA
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“My expectations were high, and yet I was pleasantly surprised. I left the course with a thorough understanding of the grammar, a fundamental vocabulary, and all the resources to build upon it myself.”
Rasmus Thorsø Nielsen
PhD student, Leiden University, The Netherlands
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“After the three weeks, I came away from the program ahead of where I hoped to be and with the confidence of a student who knows that no matter what, he can learn the language.”
Malachy Mitchnick
BA student, Occidental College, Los Angeles, USA
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“I knew barely no Armenian when I arrived, the alphabet, a vague inkling of the grammar, some words, and by the time I left I was able to understand the logic of most texts I came across, and to become independent in my studies.”
Miguel Monteiro
MA student, University of Coimbra, Portugal
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“The Persian language summer school was not only very intense, informative and productive, but it was also an excellent event to expand the network of colleagues from different universities of the world, find new friends and travel to many wonderful sights of Armenia!”
Anzhela Kayumova
MA student, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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“I had the opportunity to improve and deepen my knowledge of Russian language, culture and literature with the help of highly qualified teachers in a friendly environment.”
Valentina Bernardi
MA student, University of Verona, Italy
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“The winter session exceeded all my expectations. I was able to learn Persian at a rapid pace, while also exploring Yerevan with new friends.”
Nancy Ko
MPhil Candidate, Modern Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford
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“The ASPIRANTUM intensive summer program was a wonderful experience because it provided both intensive instruction in Persian and numerous opportunities to travel within Armenia. I highly recommend this summer course.”
Rachel Cochran
PhD student in History, University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, USA
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“Learning Persian language was not limited to in-class exercises because daily homework kept me busy in the afternoon, and even at nights. I even had a dream in Persian language at the end of my sixth week.”
Bihter Esener
PhD student, Art history, Koc University, Turkey
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“I arrived with no knowledge of modern Armenian and at the end of only three weeks I felt able to have some basic conversations and to read fluently a text. I highly suggest to participate in one of these Summer Schools to have a totally new view of what learning a language can be.”
Salvatore Bellavia
MA student, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Italy
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“I participated in the three weeks program of the Persian summer school, and I can say truly that I had a great experience - educational and social. In the weekends we had trips outside of Yerevan to different places in Armenia, and this was really great, also after classes we had sometime different activities like going to museum or a tour in a Brandi factory.”
Moran Fararo
MA student, Mandel School for Advanced Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
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“The ASPIRANTUM Armenian Language Summer School greatly enhanced my Eastern Armenian speaking, reading, and writing skills. We had an excellent group of students in our class from different countries, all of whom balanced their serious academic interest with good wit and humor.”
Pietro Shakarian
PhD student, Ohio State University, USA
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“I cannot recommend the Persian program enough. This program was very challenging, yet flexible enough for postgraduate students who are also doing summer research in Armenia. I would certainly come back for another summer.”
Jessica Page
MPhil candidate in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, Oxford University, UK
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“Due to the pace of the course and it’s intensive nature, I think I can say that my vocabulary, reading, and speaking skills expanded astronomically. I had a great time and learned a lot.”
Michelle Al-Ferzly
PhD Student, University of Michigan, USA
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“Now six weeks have passed, they were full of daily exciting Persian classes and weekend adventures in the dreamy Armenian nature. Thank you ASPIRANTUM for making my experience unforgettable!”
Oula Alrifai
Master's Candidate at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
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“The classes are intense but the quality of instruction is excellent and the curriculum is structured such that its beneficial to students with a wide range of academic focuses whether that be cultural, political, historical, etc.”
Asha Sawhney
BA student, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, USA
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“The summer school staff made Armenia an experience I'll never forget. I am very pleased with this experience and, if I have the opportunity, I'll return again to Yerevan to attend another language summer school with ASPIRANTUM.”
Leonardo De Santis
BA student, Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy
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“Armenian studies summer school was the experience which made my dream about visiting Armenia and speaking Armenian come true. I already know I will return for sure as I´ve found new inspirations and ideas for my research and now I have even bigger motivation to develop my language skills – maybe in the Winter School this time.”
Simona Reseková
Graduate Student, Department of General History and Department of Romance Studies at Charles University, Prague
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“After three weeks of learning with a great professor, Leili, and getting to know Khachik and the rest of the staff of ASPIRANTUM, I can say that I had one of the most enriching experiences of my life.”
Christian Petrillo
BA student, University of Pennsylvania, USA
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“The language course and trip to Armenia far exceeded my expectations in every way. By the end of the course I had achieved more than I had expected and feel well-prepared to continue with self-study, until such time as I am able to attend another course, which I very much hope I will be able to do at some point.”
Rachel Dryden
PhD student, University of Cambridge, UK
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“This winter school was one of the best, most challenging, and most rewarding language-learning experiences I have had. At the heart of Eastern Armenian program was Sona, the teacher of the course. Besides being a highly skilled instructor, she comes up with creative ways to make the language sink in, and avoids English to make it an immersive environment.”
Natasha Bednarz
Boston College graduate
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“I can honestly say that the ASPIRANTUM language classes were among the best I have ever attended. The three weeks of the language classes provided the perfect opportunity to acquire a profound insight into Modern Eastern Armenian. I would like to encourage everyone (beginners as well as advanced learners) who is interested in Modern Eastern Armenian to attend the ASPIRANTUM language classes.”
Thomas Jurczyk
PhD candidate and Research Assistant, Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
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“This summer school provides a solid language course with very good instruction and offers some insights into Armenian culture and history. Our teacher, gave us a very thorough tour through the rules of the Armenian language, with lots of diversions to supply interesting vocabulary, use of songs and encouragement to get us speaking. She is an excellent teacher and presented the material very well.”
John Wynter
Australia
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“The intensive winter course I participated in was a great experience not only of learning but also social and cultural. I highly recommend it. During the course we completed an entire overview of Armenian grammar in a very well structured and clear manner.”
Yakir Paz
Post-Doc, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
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“This is a unique and well run course, perfect for anyone hoping to make good progress in a short amount of time. I recommend the Armenian Language School to anyone learning Modern Eastern Armenian.”
Alyssa Maria Mathias
PhD Candidate, Ethnomusicology, UCLA, USA
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“As a multi-language learner, the Armenian language classes were the best of the classes I have taken so far. In class we learned vocabulary and grammar, and practiced each of speaking, listening, writing and reading. The class consisted of both learner at intermediate level of Armenian and learner at elementary level, and everyone realized progress in their Armenian.”
Chihiro Taguchi
Student, Department of Political Science, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
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“I was very pleased with my experience in Armenian language winter school 2016. The teacher and organizers were both personal and professional, responding very quickly to any and all inquiries and making everything about the application process and other logistical arrangements as smooth and painless as possible.”
Jesse Siragan Arlen
PhD Candidate, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, UCLA, USA
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“My experience on the Armenian Studies Summer School 2016 was absolutely unforgettable. With a flexible lesson structure, lecture series and timetable I was able to tailor the course around my needs and interests, and came away with a thorough knowledge of the Armenian language as well as a much deeper understanding of the region’s ancient, medieval, and modern history and culture.”
Nicholas Matheou
PhD Candidate, University of Oxford, UK
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“I warmly recommend all future students, whether they are beginners or advanced students (in small or bigger groups), to participate in the unique ASPIRANTUM summer school concept. The secret is the set-up of the course being fully immersed in the language and culture of Armenia. Thanks to this approach I overcame my barrier and started to communicate at simple level and picking up conversations.”
Rene Bekius
Researcher, Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands
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“The participation in the Summer School for Armenian Studies will be remembered as one of my most fruitful and pleasant study experiences. Intense and well organized program, high educational standards, good accommodation, kind and generous attitude, in short – ASPIRANTUM Summer School is highly recommended!”
Yana Tchekhanovets
Archaeologist, PhD candidate, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
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“The Armenian Studies Summer school 2014 has been a very exciting and productive experience for me. In the span of three weeks, with the guidance of wonderful professors and lecturers, I was able to soak up a great amount of precious knowledge in the areas of history, language, literature, archeology, art and many more.”
Melanya Hamasyan
BA in Fine Arts, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
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“I have gained a valuable experience throughout Armenian Studies Summer School program with its academically-oriented schedule. The school has offered a wide range of topics and lectures delivered by distinguished professors. The cultural events and field trips, on the other hand, were unforgettable and full of great memories.”
Monika Manishak
Freelance Translator, Ankara, Turkey
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“I found the Armenian Studies Summer School a very rewarding experience. The program was full with classes, trips and activities that enabled me to learn a lot about Armenia’s past and present.”
Alyson Wharton
Lecturer, School of History and Heritage, University of Lincoln, UK
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“The Armenian Studies Summer School was an experience I won't ever forget. I arrived in Armenia not really knowing anyone and not sure what to expect, but the Summer school staff, professors, and students made Armenia an experience I'll never forget.”