BA Persian

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.

In Year 1, students begin the intensive study of modern Persian language (known to native Iranian speakers as Farsi) as well as a module that surveys the literature of the Near & Middle East. Depending on their interest the students choose one further module related to the study of Iran or the Middle East offered by other departments. (Lists B & C programme website).

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

In Year 3, back at SOAS, students will take a compulsory advanced Persian language module and a literature module and either a module related to Iranian or Persian studies, or an open option.

In Year 4 students continue to consolidate their Persian proficiency by taking higher level Persian language modules, a literature module, and an Independent Study Project in Persian. They may select another Persian language use option or a further module from the range of options that would complement their academic profile or an open option in another department.

• Intensive Persian Language

• Literatures of the Near and Middle East

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

Students will spend their Year Abroad at Ferdowsi University in Mashhad

• Advanced Persian Language

• Nation and Nationalism in Middle Eastern fiction (in Translation)

• Classical Persian Poetry

• Classical Persian Prose Texts

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

• Independent Study Project in Persian Studies

• Modern Persian Poetry
• Modern Persian Prose Literature

Module(s) to the value of 30 credits at an approved level from list B or C, 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

Please note that some of these modules will be subject to pre-requisites.

• 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
• Modern Hebrew Language: Elementary

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, students 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
• 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
• Islamic Art and Architecture of Medieval Iran and Central Asia (10th-13th centuries)
• Mosque and Palace in the Muslim World
• Islamic Law
• Government and politics of the Middle East
• International Relations of the Middle East
• Economic development of the modern Middle East

• BA Persian - Programme Specifications 2012/13 (pdf; 43kb)

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules