Persian in Translation

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic int he subject area of Persian Translation.

This course examines the role of media in the formation, development, and outcomes of revolutions. Cases of the Iran Revolution of 2022, the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and the Constitutional Revolution of early 20th century will be discussed in depth and the part media played in the dissemination of ideas, news, propaganda, etc. in these socio-political movements will be explored.

This course aims to introduce students to Persian literature's contribution to global humanism through poetry and poetics. We'll explore how Persian romance novels in verse (masnavi) engage with themes like love, desire, beauty, and the Divine, and how these themes intersect with gender, religion, society, ethics, womanhood, and leadership. The main focus will be the narrative content, the poets' arguments, and the issues they raise.

Introduces modern Persian literature in the context of Iranian society and civilization. Lectures and discussions follow the development of modern Persian poetry and prose, and trace the influence of Western and other literature, as well as Iranian literary and cultural heritage, on the works of contemporary Iranian writers. Facilitates understanding of contemporary Iran, especially its people, both individually and collectively, with their particular problems and aspirations in the twentieth-century world. Taught in English.

This course is an introduction to major poets of Classical and Medieval Persian literature through learning about different poetic forms and genres, themes and topics, and motifs and images within the Persian literary canon by reading the works of poets from different centuries. We will also learn about these poets, their social lives, cultural changes, court affiliations, thoughts, and philosophies.

This seminar examines life narratives and other forms of literary output by Iranian women writers. We will examine the ways these writers have desegregated a predominantly all-male literary tradition, as well as their arrival at the forefront of a bloodless social movement. Some of the genres to be investigated include novels, short stories, poetry, autobiographies, memoirs, and films.

In this course, we study the experimental cinema of post-revolutionary Iran. We will examine issues related to gender, culture and religion, and study film as a gateway into understanding the cultural, historical and political issues in contemporary Iran.

Using a mix of cinema and literature, this course seeks to highlight how personal narratives of love and desire are often more than just individual stories. These stories don't exist in a vacuum; they are underwritten by the influence of politics on personal freedoms, the evolution and impact of gender roles, the tension between tradition and societal change, and the weight of cultural norms and expectations on individual choices.

The course focuses on two key twelfth-century texts: Nasrullah Munshi's Kalila and Dimna (translated by Wheeler Thackston), a collection of animal fables--featuring lions, jackals, elephants, hares, tortoises, snakes, ducks, and even ants--rooted in Indian and Persian moral traditions; and Farid ud-Din Attar's The Conference of the Birds (translated by Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis), a Sufi allegory exploring the soul's journey. 

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic int he subject area of Persian Translation

This course examines the role of media in the formation, development, and outcomes of revolutions. Cases of the Iran Revolution of 2022, the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and the Constitutional Revolution of early 20th century will be discussed in depth and the part media played in the dissemination of ideas, news, propaganda, etc. in these socio-political movements will be explored.

Reading from the works of major figures in classical Persian literature, especially Rudaki, Ferdowsi, Khayyam, Attar, Mowlavi, Sa'adi, and Hafez, as well as the most important minor writers of each period. Emphasizes the role of the Ma'shuq (the beloved), Mamduh (the praised one), and Ma'bud (the worshiped one) in classical verse, as well as the use of allegory and similar devices in both prose and verse. Taught in English.

Introduces modern Persian literature in the context of Iranian society and civilization. Lectures and discussions follow the development of modern Persian poetry and prose, and trace the influence of Western and other literature, as well as Iranian literary and cultural heritage, on the works of contemporary Iranian writers. Facilitates understanding of contemporary Iran, especially its people, both individually and collectively, with their particular problems and aspirations in the twentieth-century world. Taught in English.

This seminar examines life narratives and other forms of literary output by Iranian women writers. We will examine the ways these writers have desegregated a predominantly all-male literary tradition, as well as their arrival at the forefront of a bloodless social movement. Some of the genres to be investigated include novels, short stories, poetry, autobiographies, memoirs, and films.

In this course, we study the experimental cinema of post-revolutionary Iran. We will examine issues related to gender, culture and religion, and study film as a gateway into understanding the cultural, historical and political issues in contemporary Iran.

Using a mix of cinema and literature, this course seeks to highlight how personal narratives of love and desire are often more than just individual stories. These stories don't exist in a vacuum; they are underwritten by the influence of politics on personal freedoms, the evolution and impact of gender roles, the tension between tradition and societal change, and the weight of cultural norms and expectations on individual choices.

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of Persian Translation

This course aims to introduce you to Persian literature¿s contribution to global humanism through poetry and poetics. We'll explore how Persian romance novels in verse (masnavi) engage with themes like love, desire, beauty, and the Divine, and how these themes intersect with gender, religion, society, ethics, womanhood, and leadership.

This survey course introduces major poets of Classical and Medieval Persian literature. We will explore poetic forms, genres, themes, and imagery across eight centuries. We'll also examine these poets' social lives, cultural changes, court affiliations, thoughts, and philosophies. The class involves close reading and critical analysis to better understand Persian poetry and the poets who wrote it.

In this course, we¿ll explore how Persian literature---especially in allegorical and narrative forms like the masnavi---addresses themes such as virtue, justice, empathy, and self-knowledge. The focus will be on two key twelfth-century texts: Nasrullah Munshi¿s Kalila and Dimna (translated by Wheeler Thackston), a collection of animal fables---featuring lions, jackals, elephants, hares, tortoises, snakes, ducks, and even ants---rooted in Indian and Persian moral traditions.