Persian
Coordinator and Instructor: Dr. Judith M. Wilks
Office address: Kresge Hall, 4-366
Office phone: 847-491-2767
E-mail: j-wilks@northwestern.edu
Office hours: By Appointment
AAL 131-1/2/3 - 20
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This introductory Persian course is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and to students with some background in Persian as well as to those entirely new to the language. The course runs for 3 consecutive quarters, Fall to Spring. The basics of Persian grammar are presented, and these are reinforced by in-class dialogs and readings. By the end of the first year, students should be able to read and write Persian script with ease and make themselves understood in most practical situations.
PREREQUISITES: None
TEACHING METHOD: The Persian alphabet is presented and is used throughout the course for both reading and writing. Persian is also introduced gradually as the language of instruction. Abdi Rafiee’s Colloquial Persian will form the basis for the lectures on grammar and most of the exercises. L.P.Elwell-Sutton’s Elementary Persian Grammar will also be used for presenting the alphabet and some further grammar points. Reading selections, workbook pages, and films on various topics are also drawn from other sources. Samples of classical Persian literature are brought in for cultural enrichment, but contemporary Persian writing (newspapers, literature) is also included. Classes will meet for 3 hours weekly.
EVALUATION METHOD: Assessment of progress will be done by means of unit quizzes, homework assignments, a mid-term and a final exam. Class participation is also a factor in the grade.
TEXTBOOKS: Colloquial Persian, by Abdi Rafiee. Routledge (Francis and Taylor Group), London and New York, 2001. Elementary Persian Grammar, by L.P.Elwell-Sutton, Cambridge University Press, 1992.
REFERENCES: S. Haim, The Larger Persian-English Dictionary. Farhang-e Moaser Publishing, Tehran, 1991. Fârsi be-Âmuzim, by Yadollâh Samareh et al., 2002.
AAL 132 – 1/2/3 – 20: Intermediate Persian
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This year-long intermediate Persian course is open to both graduate and undergraduate students who have completed first-year Persian or the equivalent. Students with some background in Persian may also qualify with permission of the instructor. This will be a 3-course sequence running from fall to spring quarters. A variety of texts will be used, some for grammar refinement, some for exposure to different sorts of Persian literature (classical or contemporary prose and poetry, journalistic or scholarly styles), some to develop familiarity with the oral colloquial language.
PREREQUISITES: Successful completion of the first-year Persian sequence, or permission of the instructor.
TEACHING METHOD: The Persian alphabet is used throughout the course for both reading and writing. L.P. Elwell-Sutton’s Elementary Persian Grammar, which was one of the basic texts for first year, will still be used as a reference, but refinements of the grammar will also be drawn from A.K.S. Lambton’s Elementary Persian and Gilbert Lazard’s A Grammar of Contemporary Persian. Reading selections will be drawn from the collections listed below as well as other sources. Classes will meet for 3 hours weekly.
EVALUATION METHOD: Assessment of progress will be done by means of unit quizzes, homework assignments, a mid-term and a final exam. Class participation and attendance will also be factors in the grade.
TEXTBOOK: All students should have a copy of Elwell-Sutton’s Elementary Persian Grammar, Cambridge University Press, 1992. A copy of Lambton’s Elementary Persian Grammar, Cambridge University Press, 1967, is also highly recommended. Most other materials will be supplied.
REFERENCES: Students should seriously consider obtaining a good Persian dictionary. Especially recommended is S. Haim’s The Larger Persian-
English Dictionary, Farhang-e Moaser Publishing, Tehran, 1991.
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