Armenian Research Center
Armenian Research Center
Armenian Research Center
Armenian Research Center
Armenian Research Center
Armenian Research Center

Armenian Research Center

The Armenian Research Center (ARC) houses resources on all things Armenian.

In this section

ARC Mission and Goals

ARC's primary mission is to serve students, the academic community and the public, both in the U.S. and worldwide, by facilitating research and publications on all aspects of Armenian history, society and culture.

The ARC

  • adds a multicultural and international perspective to the educational process on and off campus;
  • aims to help students better understand the world and define their proper role in it;
  • provides the metro Detroit community, and particularly the Armenian-Americans, with valuable learning resources, educational materials, outreach programs, and helps to serve local cultural needs;
  • supports innovative research in Armenian Studies by providing classes, scholarships, resources and publication opportunities to students and scholars both nationally and internationally;
  • organizes Armenian Studies conferences and exhibitions to advance its mission to serve the academic community in the U.S. and worldwide.

UPCOMING EVENTS

"Arno Babadjanian: Reviving the Voice, Reclaiming the Legacy" lecture announcement, with the picture of Dr. Nune Melikian on the left side holding a violin. The Logo of the Armenian Research Center is in the bottom. The image also shows the cover of the newly published book by Nune Melikian, with some pictures of the composer, Arno Babadjanian.

Arno Babadjanian: Reviving the Voice, Reclaiming the Legacy

Dr. Nune Melikian
Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at 7 PM

St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church
19300 Ford Road
Dearborn, MI 48128
 

Dr. Nune Melikian's talk will feature the newly published, first English-language book on the prominent composer Arno Babadjanian (1921-1983). Presenting never-before-seen photos from the Arno Babadjanian International Foundation and a complete list of his works, the author will explore Soviet-era realities and why so little material about him exists outside Armenia and Russia.

Dr. Nune Melikian, an acclaimed violinist and scholar, has performed worldwide, from the Lincoln Center and Walt Disney Hall to the United Nations Headquarters. She is the only Armenian woman violinist to debut at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium with a symphony orchestra. Dr. Melikian is an Adjunct Lecturer at Yeshiva University and a faculty member at the Kaufman Music Center's Special Music School in New York.

Admission is free. 

Light refreshments will be provided.

The 每日大赛 does not necessarily endorse the speaker's views.
 

ARC News

Dr. Ara Sanjian sitting at a desk, eyes on his laptop screen. The background shows a poster of a blown-up bus, from the Lebanese Civil War times on the left side, and a power point slide projected on a whiteboard, with the title, place and date of the lecture.

Ara Sanjian Lectures on Armenian 鈥楶ositive Neutrality鈥 During the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990)

May 15, 2025.

On May 12, 2025, Dr. Ara Sanjian spoke at the American University of Beirut as part of the History and Archaeology Department鈥檚 year-long series, 鈥50 Years of Amnesia,鈥 marking the 50th anniversary of the Lebanese Civil War.

Sanjian discussed how the outbreak of the Civil War on April 13, 1975 coincided with global Armenian preparations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The renewed violence across Lebanon evoked among the country鈥檚 200 thousand-strong Armenian community memories of intracommunal killings it had experienced during Lebanon's previous civil war in 1958. Sanjian鈥檚 talk examined why and how Lebanon鈥檚 Armenian political factions鈥攂itterly divided in 1958鈥攆aced the new wave of violence just 18 years later with a resolute determination not to turn their weapons on one another, a steadfast political commitment that has endured for the past fifty years. Sanjian examined the various factors within the global Armenian Diaspora that contributed to this transformation in attitudes, and emphasized the role of Lebanese Armenians in driving this change across the Diaspora. He further showed how this transformation from 1958 to 1975 gradually shaped the patterns of Armenian involvement in the Lebanese intra-communal politics of the same era.

 

Flyer for a film showing a scene of a boy facing a mountain landscape in the background. A black-and-white photo of the film producer, shown in a circular frame, partially overlays the image. Additional film details are included in the surrounding text.

Detroit Premiere of the film My Sweet Land

May 12, 2025.

The Armenian Research Center at the 每日大赛 has partnered with the Armenian National Committee of Michigan to host the Detroit premiere of the film, My Sweet Land on May 9, 2025. The film follows the life of 11-year-old Vrej Khatchatryan for three years, first in his village in Nagorno-Karabakh and then in a refugee camp in Armenia. It has been shown at numerous film festivals around the world. 

The screening drew a large audience to Kochoff Auditorium in the CASL building, which was followed by an engaging Q&A with the producer, Sareen Hairabedian. The Q&A session was moderated by the ACN-Michigan chair Dzovinar Hamakorzian.

 

A group of students working on desk facing the large block M poster in Yellow and Maze in the hallway next to the Armenian Research Center's entrance.
Gerald Ottenbreit explaining students how to make boxes for fragile items.

Armenian Research Center Welcomes AGBU Manoogian High School Students 

April 25, 2025

On April 17, 2025, the Armenian Research Center (ARC) had the pleasure of hosting 24 high school students from the AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School (Southfield, Michigan), as part of their school鈥檚 community service program.

The students visited in two groups, each group spending 1.5 hours at the Center and 1.5 hours on a tour of the UM-Dearborn campus. During their time at the ARC, the students engaged in hands-on tasks essential to library operations. These included shelving books, barcoding items, and preparing boxes to store and preserve fragile volumes. Collectively, the students barcoded and reshelved 150 books and created custom boxes for 12 fragile items.

The ARC is proud to contribute to this educational initiative and remains committed to engaging with local Armenian community organizations. 

Photo credits: Arus Khcheyan Movsesyan (all images).

 

Two students at Vahe Sahakyan's desk assigning barcodes to books. Vahe Sahakyan in the background checking their work.
Two students at another station, barcoding books.
One student sitting on the floor, and the other standing, reshelving the barcoded books.
Ara Sanjian observing the students, as they work on the computer station for linking the barcoded books with the records.
Hayk Sahakyan placing a custom cut tape on barcodes, showing two students how to properly affix the bardoces to make sure they will stay in their places while shelving the books.
Gerald Ottenbreit observing two students, as one of the folds the cardboard material over the book, to make sure it fits, before cutting the edges of the material.

ARC office hours

Our In-person office hours are:

Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

For further information and inquiries please contact Mr. Gerald Ottenbreit, Jr. at [email protected] or call the ARC at 313-593-5181.

Location, Address and Parking

The Armenian Research Center is in 136 FCN, at 19000 Hubbard Drive. Consult the UM-Dearborn illustrated campus map for the location of the FCN building on Hubbard Dr.

Free visitor parking is available on the parking lot across from entrance to the FCN. Visitor parking is marked on the campus map by VP.

Our mailing address is:

Armenian Research Center
4901 Evergreen Rd.
Dearborn, MI 48128