PERS

The Shahnameh, the Persian "Book of Kings," is generally classed as an epic or national epic. While it does not lack for battling champions and heroic saga, it also includes episodes in a variety of disparate genres and themes: creation narrative, mythology, folk tale, romance, royal chronicle, and political history.
In this course we gain familiarity with the style and language of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh by slow reading and discussion of select episodes in Persian, in tandem with a reading of the whole text in English translation. We approach the work as a foundational text of Iranian identity,; compendium of pre-Islamic mythology and lore; a centrifugal axis of Persianate civilization and Iranian monarchical tradition throughout Anatolia, Central Asia and South Asia; and as an instance of "world literature." We will read with an eye toward literary structure; genre; Indo-Iranian mythology; political theory and commentary; character psychology; ideals of masculinity, femininity and heroism; the interaction of text, oral tradition, illustration, scholarship, and translation in the shaping of the literary reception of the Shahnameh; and, of course, the meaning(s) of the work. We also address wider issues of textual scholarship: the sources of the Shahnameh, the scribal transmission of Ferdowsi’s text, and the production of modern critical editions and theories of textual editing.
Class discussions will be in English, though we will read together in class a limited selection of episodes in the Persian. The aim is to gain deep understanding of the language, the characters and the themes of the Shahnameh, as well as the philological skills necessary to read medieval Persian poetry.

The goal of this sequence is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. The student learns more complex grammatical structures, and gradually other levels of language (colloquial, literary) are introduced. Texts include selected articles, stories, and poetry (classical and modern).

The goal of this sequence is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. The student learns more complex grammatical structures, and gradually other levels of language (colloquial, literary) are introduced. Texts include selected articles, stories, and poetry (classical and modern).

The goal of this sequence is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. The student learns more complex grammatical structures, and gradually other levels of language (colloquial, literary) are introduced. Texts include selected articles, stories, and poetry (classical and modern).

This sequence emphasizes all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, speaking). The goal is to enable the student towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday dialogs. All the basic grammatical structures are covered.

This sequence emphasizes all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, speaking). The goal is to enable the student towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday dialogs. All the basic grammatical structures are covered.

This sequence emphasizes all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, speaking). The goal is to enable the student towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday dialogs. All the basic grammatical structures are covered.

This is not just a literature course: it is at the same time an exploration of Iran’s recent history as mirrored in satirical works. Against the background of Iran’s recent history, from late Qajar period to present, this course will focus on a selection of satirical works (mainly in verse, but also some prose) in Persian language. Apart from a thorough review of the recent history, and apart from providing a lot of fun through satirical works, the students will be introduced to more advanced Persian. The secondary sources recommended will include articles, interviews and reviews in both Persian and English. 

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation