Man reading in a Kabul bookstall
Syllabus here.
Modernism is a catch-all term that refers to vastly diverse experiences, ideas and forms of artistic and literary expression, created and canonized in the past hundred and fifty years in the context of Persian literature— a received wisdom subject to debate. In Persian 403, we will not seek to define what is a modern canon (and what is not). Instead, we will read and discuss a selection of highly-read and inspirational literary works that Persian-speakers have read as modern. Our focus this quarter will be on both prose and poetry. Where relevant, we will also engage cinematic and artistic works that complement our readings. Ultimately, Persian 403 is a content-based language course, meaning we utilize our knowledge of Persian to read literature. But students will not be primarily evaluated on the quality of their commentary on literature. Instead, they will be assessed only by their comprehension and production of language.
Course Materials: Will be provided in print or PDF format.
Prerequisite: Completion of two years of Persian or my consent.
Course Objectives:
- Type of language in focus
- Narration: using language to describe, compare, and contrast ideas and emotions.
- Interpretive listening
- Develop the skills to watch/listen to authentic interviews about future/past political, cultural, social events and identify speakers’ point of view, concerns, and feelings in general with a few supporting details.
- Interpretive reading & writing
- Cultivate the ability to contribute to discussions about key cultural and historical turning points embedded in modern Persian prose they read during the course.
- Interpersonal listening & speaking
- Gain the skills to initiate and maintain a conversation with peers and instructors about social, cultural, and political issues represented in modern literature you’ve read or interviews/films you’ve watched.
- Presentation speaking
- Present on a topics of student’ choice based on different types of prose: novels, short stories, memoirs, legal writings, and travelogues they have read during the course and discuss/state a viewpoint with supporting evidence social, cultural, and political issues represented therein.
- Diversity
- Expand your notions of diversity and inclusivity on the basis of the diverse representations of cultural identities that emerge from some of the key texts of the modern Persian literature.
Why is this course good for your life?
We live within a socio-political system that produces difference along racial, linguistic, and religious lines. Manufactured difference serves as a mechanism to otherize those who do not possess a certain level of material possession, lack a certain legal status, speak a marginalized language, and have a dark skin tone. The racialization of the other has been baked into our social system; therefore tweaking or reforming it will not do. To make sense of how this system operates, we must deepen our range of understanding and empathy toward cultures that have been flagged as fundamentally different from our own. Language learning has the potential to serve as a form of collective detox; it can replenish our social and emotional imagination and fill us with joy.