This course introduces students to the grammar and syntax of Old Persian, the language of the main epigraphical texts dating from the period of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE); the simplified …
Modern Persian Prose
This course examines contemporary Persian prose, focusing on fiction, especially the novel and short story. After an overview of different genres of prose writing, the main elements of a story, such …
Modern Persian Poetry
This course examines Persian literature, mainly modern Persian poetry from the 19th to the 21st centuries, focusing on linguistics and literary approaches in contemporary poetry. The course includes a …
Middle Persian (Pahlavi)
An introduction to the grammar and syntax of Middle Persian, or Pahlavi, language; the special script it was written in; and the connections of Pahlavi to Old Persian and New Persian languages. …
Persianate Art and Architecture
Covering art and material culture in the eastern Islamic lands from the late 13th century to the modern period. Objects from the collections of Islamic art in the Royal Ontario Museum will also be …
Modern Iran
This course covers the history of Iran from the early modern period to the present. Following an overview of the Safavid revolution and the empire it created (1501–1722), we examine the political …