English Honors Theses

Date of Creation

5-2025

Document Type

Departmental Honors Thesis

Department

English

First Advisor

Jorge Santos

Second Advisor

Dominic Machado

Abstract

Systems of Survivance: Exploring Armenia’s Ancient Past Through Dungeons and Dragons is an English Honors and Classics undergraduate thesis that brings the hidden voices of Armenia’s past into dialogue with the present. Opening with an exploration of D&D and a reflection on the field of Ancient Studies from an Armenian-American perspective, Janigian questions the priorities of “Classics” and its amplification of Eurowestern voices. This thesis draws inspiration from the fantasy anthology Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, where a team of writers tell folkloric stories of their cultures through a D&D setting and adventure. Likewise, Janigian provides scholars and tabletop players alike with an imagined fantasy world adapted directly from Armenian folklore, personal family stories of immigration, and historical research. Systems of Survivance provides a geographical index and ethnography of the fictional nation of Mayrenik and her people, their beliefs, and their history. This gazetteer is preceded by an adventure titled Wings of Memory that uses the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition system to bring residents and refugees of Mayrenik together to locate one of its sacred artefacts.

This thesis aims to assert the academic credibility of tabletop roleplaying games as active forms of what literature has always promised: seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. By adapting Armenian history and mythology into a game-setting, Janigian invites a contemporary audience to contribute to an ancient world, to resist the notion that Armenia’s past revolves around tragedy, and to perpetuate Armenian stories of beauty and triumph in today’s world.

Comments

Reader: Professor Sarah Klotz

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