| Part IB | Option | Convenor: Professor Saloumeh Gholami |
Course Description 2025-26
This course is an introduction to literary Persian, with an emphasis on the links between the narratives, literary and visual imagery as well as their representation in film. It also offers an exploration of the manuscript culture that carries the classical texts.
Students will read and analyse literary texts (the MES students will be expected to translate the passages from the Persian original). They will build an acquaintance with grammatical structures, vocabulary, imagery and literary techniques. Students will be expected to read the background to the passages read in class, as well as acquaint themselves with secondary materials relating to the texts and the historical and literary background of the narratives and the themes specifically analysed in class.
Classes and Supervisions
This course consists in one seminar-style session per week during MT and LT. Students will also prepare presentations for the class. Students will write two essays, one in MT and one in LT. Each of these essays will be discussed in a one-hour supervision.
| Michaelmas | Lent | Easter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of classes | 8 | 8 | / |
| No. of supervisions | 1 | 1 | / |
Form and Conduct
This paper is assessed in two parts – each part carries equal marks:
(1) a research essay of between 4,500 and 5,000 words, including footnotes and attachment and excluding bibliography. Each student will develop the topic of the essay in consultation with the instructor. A one-page topic and paper outline will be due during the first week of Lent Term. One electronic copy (pdf) of the project shall be submitted to the Programmes Administrator in the Faculty office so as to arrive not later than the fourth Friday of Full Easter Term;
(2) a viva voce examination which will contain the reading and translation of a seen passage, a commentary on given aspects of the piece, and a discussion of the research essay. The date for the viva is to be discussed and determined later.
This description is subject to change, for the latest information, students should consult the Undergraduate Handbook available on the Faculty Intranet.