AUA Students Visit the National Assembly

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YEREVAN, Armenia — As part of the Introduction to Political Science course taught by adjunct lecturer Dr. Tatevik Movsisyan, the students toured the National Assembly (NA) on April 20. 

The timing of the visit coincided with one of NA’s extraordinary sittings earmarked for the examination of the 2022 government program execution. Students briefly observed the parliamentary session during which they heard several remarks by NA members, including the announcement of their visit by the majority leader and other NA members right from the sitting hall. 

The students then had the unique opportunity to meet with two “Civil Contract” alliance delegates represented in the NA Standing Committees on “Defense and Security” and on “Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth, and Sport.” The students asked several questions of interest to them. 

“It was a pleasure and honor to be able to visit the National Assembly of Armenia, where my classmates and I not only had a tour of the building but also experienced a live political session that evoked a whirlwind of emotions,” stated student Arpi Sharoyan (BAB ‘23). “We also had an opportunity to talk with the delegates in the Defense and Security as well as Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport committees and ask questions. I would like to thank Dr. Movsisyan and AUA for providing us with such an invaluable learning experience.”

“Indeed, the students had many questions, and the tour quickly extended to a 40-minute Q&A session, which the NA kindly accommodated,” details Dr. Movsisyan. “This general education course in political science brings together students from a variety of disciplines at AUA. The questions our students posed to the parliamentarians varied from educational policies pertaining to IT, to the system of governance and decentralization of power and, of course, national defense and security policies that are at the center of public discourse. This was definitely an interesting learning experience for the students. They left the parliament with a lot of impressions and surely more questions to analyze in class”, concluded Dr. Movsisyan. 

The final scheduled stop was at the Library of the National Assembly, which is normally closed to the general public. The students learned about the catalog of documents deposited there and the process of retrieval by written request.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.