Aghop Der-Karabetian “I must say I cheat,” said Aghop Der-Karabetian, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Psychology, who teaches graduate courses. “Students write the papers, and I learn from their work. If I’m not a student, I’m not a teacher.” For this Armenian who grew up in Lebanon, learning is not just a way of life. It is life. Aghop first went to school when he was 2 years old with his mother, an elementary school teacher in Lebanon. Before that, his grandmother taught in Turkey prior to the Armenian genocide; his grandfather was also a teacher and a preacher. Now, his wife is a school administrator and his son, originally a computer science major, is a credentialed teacher. “It runs in the family,” he said. “I know it’s not genetic. There’s something else going on, like good modeling.” Regardless of its origin, the quest for learning ushers Aghop through life, whether it be learning through his students or picking up and driving throughout the United States – destination unknown. “I just find an excuse to drive,” he said. “I like to drive long distances just for the sake of driving. Traveling is a learning experience you can’t replace.” Although this love may have started earlier, Aghop still recalls taking the bus from the University of Kansas, where he earned his Ph.D. in Social Psychology, to California with his wife. “For Christmas, we wanted to see friends and relatives,” he said, but they didn’t have enough money to fly, so they bought bus tickets. “It was a great way to see the country and meet interesting people.” Now, he takes any chance he can to head up the Pacific Coast Highway, to the desert or up the mountains. And, for this teacher-at-heart, he always passes this down, encouraging his students to travel, whether it is locally or internationally, as Aghop has also been to Europe, North Africa and Japan. “Some of the learning that goes on is not something you can recognize at the time,” he said. Recently, though, his vagabond hat has been slightly less prevalent, as much of his time has been spent translating his grandfather’s and his wife’s grandfather’s memoirs of survival from the Armenian genocide around the turn of the last century. “This was a digression, but a personally significant one,” he said. “It was a labor of love.” His wife’s grandfather’s book, titled “Vahan’s Triumph,” speaks about the harrowing experiences of an adolescent. His grandfather’s book, “Jail to Jail,” speaks about the experiences of a 35-year-old man who was drafted into the Ottoman army during the First World War but was given only a shovel rather than a rifle; he was expected to die in labor battalions rather than defend his people against the genocide by the Ottoman government. Aghop remains active in the Armenian community, doing public speaking, supporting community and cultural organizations, and worrying about mental health and human rights issues. While in college, Aghop developed an interest in learning about the brain, cognition and what makes people tick. He said, “If we want to understand human beings, we have to understand how the brain functions and interacts with the environment. There are many fascinating questions, such as, 'what is consciousness and how does the brain study itself?' ” He stumbled into the field of psychology after reading Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" in tenth grade. But don’t call Aghop an egghead – a nerd – just yet. He does have hobbies outside the world of direct, concentrated learning, but not very far outside. Since he was a teenager, Aghop admits to owning a fascination for science fiction, both movies and books, as he highlights authors such as Asimov and Clark. “I considered myself a trekkie at some point,” he admits. OK, so maybe inside this exterior – carefully groomed graying hair and full beard, chic long-sleeved black shirt and gray slacks, the look of an Armenian statesman or successful businessman – there is a bit of nerd. He actually got into science fiction accidentally, reading “I, Robot” on a whim. “I just picked a book and started reading it,” said Aghop, who has now seen “2001: A Space Odyssey” numerous times. “I just got hooked, but I don’t believe in UFOs or abductions - not just yet. Unfortunately, there is a boundary that sometimes people cross - the boundary between reality and fantasy. ” In fact, as is the central tendency in Aghop’s life, the interest in science fiction goes back to learning. “Science fiction creates a different context for reality,” he said. “I find it fascinating because it contextualizes current realities in the future, making them more salient and generating greater awareness." THE PROFESSOR From his students, Aghop asks for one thing, and it should come as no surprise as to what that one thing is: “It’s learning how to learn. Learning comes down to learning how to think critically, living with uncertainty and tolerating ambiguity," he said. "These are the marks of an educated person. All of schooling is a means to this end; Majors provide a context for these skills to develop. The essence of teaching and learning is the cultivation of those skills. Students who realize this are the ones who do really well." He said. “If I had my way, I would eliminate all undergraduate majors; everyone would be a G.E. major.” RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:DERKARAB@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_2_link_1
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