BA Persian and ...

Learn a language as part of this programme

Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language which sets SOAS apart from other universities.

BA Persian and Another Subject is a 4-year degree that gives students the opportunity to study the language of Iran and a wider Persian speaking world from ab initio to advanced levels in four years and to learn about the literary traditions of the Persianate sphere of influence, in parallel with learning either another language, such as Arabic or Turkish, or a discipline that will give them a broader context of, for example, the History of Art and Archaeology, Religions and Philosophies, History, Politics, Music, Law, Economics and Anthropology of the region.

The programme structure varies depending on whether Persian is combined with another language or a discipline.

When combined with a discipline, students take an equal number of modules in both named subjects, i.e. Year 1 students begin with the module for the intensive study of modern Persian language (known to native, Iranian speakers as Farsi), while taking two other modules in their second subject.

Year 2 will be spent in Iran under the Compulsory Year Abroad Programme, currently in partnership with Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, where students will continue to study Persian intensively, as well as taking advantage of the many comparative literature and art history modules available to them.

In Year 3, back at SOAS, students will continue with the study of advanced Persian language and will take a literature module in addition to two modules in their other subject.

In Year 4 students will consolidate their Persian proficiency by taking the Translation into and From Persian module and a further three modules from a list of options related to Persian or Iranian studies, or to their second subject.

This module must be passed in order to proceed to the following year of study.

• Intensive Persian Language

60 credits are taken in the second subject.

Students will spend their Year Abroad at Ferdowsi University in Mashhad.

This module must be passed in order to proceed to the following year of study.

• Advanced Persian Language

• Classical Persian Poetry

• Classical Persian Prose Texts

60 credits are taken in the second subject.

This module must be passed in order to proceed to the following year of study.

Choose one of the following modules:

• Independent Study Project in Persian Studies
• Modern Persian Prose Literature
• Modern Persian Poetry

Module(s) to the value of 30 credits at an approved level from List B or C, or an approved open option.

30 credits are taken in the second subject

A further module from the second subject or an approved open option.

• Intensive Persian Language
• Intermediate Persian Language
• Advanced Persian Language
• Classical Persian Poetry
• Modern Persian Poetry
• Independent Study Project in Persian Studies
• Elementary Written Persian
• Elementary Persian Texts

Please note that some of these modules will be subject to prerequisites and availability. Always check with the programme convenor.

• Introduction to Arabic Culture
• The Muslim World: Unity in Diversity
• Introduction to Sufism
• Nation and Nationalism in Middle Eastern fiction (in Translation)
• Introduction to Israeli Culture
• Islamic Intellectual History
• Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa 1
• Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa 2
• Middle Persian
• Elementary Written Turkish
• Arabic 100
• Arabic 200
• Arabic 300

These are taught by the Departments of History, Study of Religions, Art and Archaeology, Music, Law, Politics and International Studies, and Economics. Before selecting a module, student's must first check that the module is at the correct level. They must also ensure that they meet any pre-requisites.

• H130 Introduction to the History of the Near and Middle East
• H248 The Making of the Modern Middle East
• H246 Cities of Paradise and Empire
• Zoroastrianism in the Ancient and Modern Worlds
• H247 Medieval Iran: Nomads, Settlers and Dynasts
• H434 The Mongols and the Islamic World (II)
• R130 Introduction to Islam
• R190 Introduction to Zoroastrianism
• Mysticism in the Great Traditions
• Developments in Muslim Religious Thought
• Messianic Movements in Muslim History
• Zoroastrianism in the Ancient and Modern Worlds
• Shi'a Islam: Religious Authority and Community Identity
• Themes in the Art and Archaeology of the Near and Middle East
• Art and Material Culture of the Islamic World: 7th to 14th Centuries
• Mosaics, Manuscripts, and Wall Painting in Islamic Art
• House and Tomb in the Muslim World
• Mosque and Palace in the Muslim World
• Government and politics of the Middle East
• Islamic Law
• International Relations of the Middle East
• Economic development of the modern Middle East

• BA Persian and ... Programme Specifications 2012/13 (pdf; 52kb)

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules