Intermediate Classical Armenian
Intermediate Classical Armenian
2026 Dumbarton Oaks / HMML Summer School
Intermediate Classical Armenian
In partnership with Dumbarton Oaks and the Zohrab Center of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, HMML will host an intensive three-week course on Classical Armenian for the intermediate level in summer 2026. This course is intended for doctoral students or recent PhDs who can demonstrate a need for Classical Armenian in their research. Priority is given to students who lack opportunities to study Armenian at their own institutions. The program welcomes international applicants but does not sponsor J visas.
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Funder
Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC -
Location
The 2026 summer course will be taught on the beautiful campus of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. -
Course level
Intermediate Classical Armenian -
Course length
Three weeks -
Dates
July 5 to July 25, 2026 -
Course size
Up to 10 students -
Application deadline
February 23, 2026 -
Cost
All course costs are covered by Dumbarton Oaks for the 2026 course.
Participants must pay their own travel costs to and from Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. -
Accommodations
Students will be housed in dormitory apartments on the Saint John’s University campus. Each participant will have an air-conditioned, private bedroom and bathroom, with shared kitchen and laundry facilities.
A meal contract at the college Refectory will be provided.
Course overview
Sessions are held Monday–Friday in the morning and afternoon. Total instruction time equals 84 hours. In this course:
- The Dumbarton Oaks/HMML 2026 summer course “Intermediate Classical Armenian” offers intensive, in-depth training in Classical Armenian at the intermediate level.
- Students will review grammar and read Classical Armenian texts in a variety of genres of prose and poetry from different time periods, with readings supplied both from published texts and manuscript images.
- Readings will be chosen in consultation with the participants’ research interests and suggestions.
- Students will be guided in the use of the primary lexica and grammars, bibliography, and print and online resources and repositories that are essential for study and research of the Classical Armenian literary tradition.
- By the end of the course, students will be able to independently approach Classical Armenian texts and to translate from Armenian into English with confidence.
Prerequisites
- Must have completed an introductory course in Classical Armenian or its equivalent.
Faculty for 2026
- Guest faculty: Dr. Jesse Siragan Arlendirector, Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America; postdoctoral research fellow, Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University.
Dr. Julia Hintlian, who defended her Ph.D. dissertation in Harvard University’s Committee on the Study of Religion in 2025.
- HMML staff: Dr. Columba Stewart, Executive Director, HMML; Dr. Matthew Z. Heintzelman, Curator of Western European Manuscripts & Special Collections; and Dr. Ani Shahinian, Cataloger of Armenian Manuscripts.
Application deadline
- February 23, 2026
Application submission
- Letter of no more than two single-spaced pages describing the applicant’s academic background, including language skills, and an explanation for why continuing to learn Armenian is important for future research and teaching. Address letter to HMML Executive Director Columba Stewart, Ph.D.
- Current curriculum vitae.
- A transcript of graduate school coursework for those who are currently doing graduate study. This is not required for those who have completed a PhD.
- Two letters of recommendation.
Applicants
- Send all materials as email attachments to scholarlyprograms@hmml.org.
- Include “Armenian 2026 Summer School” in the subject line.
Letter of recommendation authors
- Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the author of the letter to HMML. Please send the letter as email attachment to scholarlyprograms@hmml.org.
- Include “Armenian 2026 Summer School” and the applicant’s name in the subject line.
Selection criteria
- Applicants will be evaluated based on previous academic achievement, demonstrated need for intensive study of Classical Armenian, and research promise.
Notification of acceptance
- All awards will be announced by March 16, 2026.
- Students accepting a place in the course will need to notify HMML by March 30, 2026.
- Alternates, if space becomes available, will be announced April 1, 2026.
Questions
- Contact: Dr. Audrey Thorstad, Director of Programming, athorstad001@hmml.org.
About Dumbarton Oaks: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection is an institute in Washington, D.C., administered by the Trustees for Harvard University. It supports research and learning internationally in Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies through fellowships and internships, meetings, and exhibitions. Located in residential Georgetown, Dumbarton Oaks welcomes researchers at all career stages who come to study its books, objects, images, and documents.
About the Zohrab Center of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America: The Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center at the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America was founded in 1987 through a perpetual endowment by Dolores Zohrab Liebmann, in memory of her parents. Her father, Krikor Zohrab, was a renowned Ottoman-Armenian community leader, parliamentarian, lawyer, and writer, who was murdered in the early days of the genocide of 1915. Today the Zohrab Center functions as a research library and community center that promotes the full range of Armenian studies and assists students, scholars, the Armenian community, and general public in deepening their appreciation for Armenian history, civilization, and culture, especially within their overwhelmingly Christian ambit.