Summer 2009 Courses

Human Rights and Civic Development in the Caucasus

Faculty: Vahan Bournazian and Theresa Khorozian, AUA

This course is a comparative review of the development of individual rights and of civil society in the three Caucasian republics during their continuing post-soviet transition.  Upon declaring independence, each state quickly acceded to international human rights treaties; to what degree have these societies been successful in internalizing these values?  Topics for discussion include: the universality of human rights vs. cultural relativism, sources and consequences of violations, the scope and limits of minority rights, respect for the prohibition on the use of torture, free and fair elections, respect for women's rights, the rights of the child, public health and the AIDS pandemic.  International, regional and national mechanisms, institutions and NGO's seeking to promote and protect human rights will also be discussed. 

Health Care Systems in Transforming Economies

Faculty: Varduhi Petrosyan, AUA; Michael Narimanyan and Marina Ohanian, Yerevan State Medical University

This course provides an overview of the conceptual aspects of the macro level organization of health care systems worldwide with a focus on economies in transformation.  The course presents the economic and financing mechanisms underlying changes occurring in the health sector.  It also provides a critical comparison of the philosophy, organization, financing, and benefit packages of different health care systems; comparing low, medium, and high-income countries. 

Current Issues in Global Security

Faculty: Khatchik DerGhoukassian, AUA and Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO/Argentina)

The traditional understanding of international security was closely linked to the preservation of the national territory from external threats. Since the 1980s, and especially after the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the concept has undergone a broad theoretical and practical change to include more than just the military sector and to expand beyond the narrow national security understanding. This course aims at explaining the transformation of the meaning and practice of security in contemporary international relations and focuses on the linkage of the local, regional, international and global levels of security through case studies that help understanding the ongoing theoretical debate.

Women and Human Rights

Faculty: Hasmik E. Khalapyan, YSU

The course examines how international organizations in general and UN in particular have institutionalized women's human rights in the course of the 20th century and examines the contemporary history of the women's movement worldwide and contemporary policies in legislation that seek to bring equality between the sexes, as well as allowing for greater inclusion and representation of women in policy making and policy structures. Particular emphasis will be given to countries in the South Caucasus and the Middle East .

Web Application Development

Faculty: Benjamin Janpoladyan, State Engineering University of Armenia

This course provides students with the skills needed to develop software for web applications. Students will learn the principles of how web applications are built and the course covers both beginning and advanced web technologies.