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MA Persian Language and Literature

Home MA Persian Language and Literature

About the course

The MA in Persian Language and Literature is a graduate programme designed to provide an in-depth understanding of Persian literary traditions, language, and culture. This course covers classical and modern Persian literature, poetry, prose, and critical theory. Students will engage with the works of renowned Persian poets and authors such as Rumi, Hafez, and Ferdowsi. The programme emphasises linguistic proficiency, literary analysis, and cultural context, preparing students for careers in academia, translation, and cultural organisations.

Through rigorous coursework, research projects, and language practice, graduates will gain comprehensive knowledge and appreciation of Persian literary heritage and its impact on the broader literary and cultural landscape. The programme aims to equip students with the skills to critically analyse texts and understand the rich cultural history underpinning Persian literature. By the end of the course, students will be well-prepared to contribute to the field of Persian studies and to promote the understanding and appreciation of Persian literary achievements.

Duration
Course Mode
Delivery
Degree award body
Course faculties
Duration

Two years

Course Mode

Blended, online (80%) and on-campus at Azad University (IR) in Oxford (20%)

Delivery

Part-time

Degree award body
Science and Research Branch, IAU, Tehran, Iran

Why Azad University (IR) in Oxford

This is the first Azad University overseas campus in Europe. It is supported by more than 320 IAU campuses in Iran, the country with the most Persian-speaking people.

Course Description and Syllabi

Remedial

Remedial

• Research Method and Thesis Writing
• History of Cultural Relations between Iran and the World
• Specialised Language
Foundational Courses

Foundational Courses

• Persian Language Syntax
• Literary Theory and Criticism
• Applied Rhetoric
• Arabic Poetic and Prose Texts
• Survey of Islamic Thoughts and Their Impact on Persian Literature
• Lingual Studies in Literary Texts
Principal Courses

Principal Courses

• Prose Text I: Kash al-Mahjub
• Prose Text II:Risāla al-Qushayriyya
• Prose Text III: Tarikh-e Jahāngoshā and Marzbānnāma
• Poetry Text I: Shāhnāma
• Poetry Text II: Rumi’s Mathnavi
• Poetry Text III: Khāqāni and Nizāmi
Elective Courses

Elective Courses

• Research in Contemporary Persian Prose
• Research in Contemporary Persian Poetry
• Arabic Poetic and Prose Texts (II)
• Principles and Methods of Textual Editing
• Persian Language and Literature in Other Countries
• Poetic Texts III - Nasir Khusraw and Sanā’i
• Applied Linguistics and Translation

Remedials

Research Method and Thesis Writing
History of Cultural Relations between Iran and the World
Specialised Language (French or others)
Research Method and Thesis Writing
Objective:
Familiarising with research methods in the humanities, especially Persian language, and gaining skills in writing articles and theses
History of Cultural Relations between Iran and the World
Objective:
Familiarising with the historical course of cultural ties and exchanges between Iran and various countries from ancient times to the contemporary period
Course Outline:
* Introduction to the causes and factors shaping Iran’s cultural, artistic, and mythological relations with various countries (social, political, commercial, literary, military, and other factors)
* Understanding Iran’s cultural, historical, and mythological connections with different nations (India, China, Middle Eastern countries, Western countries, etc.)
Specialised Language (French or others)
Objective:
Acquiring skills in using specialised linguistic and literary texts in French (or other languages) and understanding literary terms in that language
Course Outline:
* Selection and reading of texts related to the history of Persian literature in French
* Familiarity with Persian literary texts translated into French
* Specialised texts on theories and literary criticism in French and understanding genres and literary schools

Foundational

Persian Language Syntax Structure
Literary Theory and Criticism
Applied Rhetoric
Arabic Poetic and Prose Texts
Survey of Islamic Thoughts and Their Impact on Persian Literature
Lingual Studies in Literary Texts
Persian Language Syntax Structure
Objective:
A comparative study of Persian grammatical terms and understanding the structure of the Persian language.
Course Outline:
* Basic and linguistic topics in grammar
* History of Persian grammar writing
* Phonetics of the Persian language
* Morphology (inflection)
* Persian Language Syntax structure of (phrase, clause, and sentence)
Literary Theory and Criticism
Objective:
Familiarisation with literary theories and approaches, and their application in the critique and analysis of literary works.
Course Outline:
* History of literary theory and criticism in the West, from Plato to present
* Literary Theory and criticism in the history of Persian literature
* Introduction to 20th-century critical and theoretical approaches: semiotics, formalism and New Criticism, structuralism, reader-response, psychoanalysis, post-structuralism and deconstruction new historicism, feminism, ecocriticism
* Introduction to Modernism and Postmodernism
* Analysis and critique of selected Persian literary texts based on critical and theoretical approaches
* Problems of literary criticism in Iran
ysis of literary works.
Applied Rhetoric
Objective:
Understanding the methods of applying rhetorical theories in the critique and aesthetic analysis of literary texts.
Course Outline:
* Recognition of rhetorical theories
* Methods of applying theories of meanings, rhetoric, and expression in the critique and analysis of literary texts
* Rhetoric and literary criticism
* The relationship between rhetoric, stylistics, literary history, and literary criticism
Arabic Poetic and Prose Texts
Objective:
Enhancing the student’s ability to comprehend Arabic texts and research sources related to the Persian language and literature.
Course Outline:
* The Quran, Nahj al-Balāqa, and mystical and interpretive Arabic texts
* Examples of the most famous Arabic poems by Persian-speaking and Arabic-speaking poets
* Common proverbs, phrases, and verses in Arabic found in Persian texts
Survey of Islamic Thoughts and Their Impact on Persian Literature
Objective:
Understanding the most important theological sects and their influence on Persian literary texts.
Course Outline:
* Generalities and definitions of theological terms
* Introduction and critique of theological sources
* Backgrounds and motivations for the emergence of theological sects and their consequences
* The main doctrinal principles of the most important theological sects and their reflection in key Persian literary texts
Lingual Studies in Literary Texts
Objective:
Familiarity with the methods of linguistic analysis of literary texts
General Contents:
* Generalities and definitions (language, text, relationship between language and meaning, meaning and examples, literary language, etc.)  * An overview of important theories and methods of linguistic and stylistic studies of Persian literary texts by examining and analyzing examples of outstanding literary texts from the perspective of linguistic studies
* The role and varieties of language and its developments in the description of literary texts by examining examples
* Evaluation of proofreading and description of literary texts from the perspective of linguistic studies
Sources:
1- Fowler, Roger. (1395). Style and Language in Literary Criticism, translated by Maryam Mosharraf, Tehran: Sokhan.
2- Khatibi, Hossein. (1390). Technique of Prose, Vol. 4, Tehran: Zavvar Publications.
3- Safavi, Koorosh. (1391). An Introduction to Linguistics in Literary Studies, Tehran: Elmi Publications.
Thesis

Principal

Prose Text I: Kash Al-Mahjub and Risāla al-Qushayriyya
Prose Text III: Tarikh-e Jahāngoshā and Marzbānnāma
Poetry Text I: Shāhnāma
Poetry Text II: Rumi’s Mathnav
Poetry Text III: Khāqāni and Nizāmi
Prose Text I: Kash Al-Mahjub and Risāla al-Qushayriyya
Objective:
Understanding and analysis of Hojviri’s and Qushayri’s mysticism through the reading of Kashf al-Mahjub and Al-Risala al-Qushayriyya
General Contents:
* A brief history of Islamic mysticism from the beginning to the fifth Hijri century
* Introducing and criticizing mystical sources and works in the Persian language
* Description and analysis of chapters from Kashf al-Mahjub and Al-Risala al-Qushayriyya, and examination of terms, allusions, literary and rhetorical points.
Sources:
1- Hojviri, Ali ibn Othman. (1386). Kashf al-Mahjub, introduction, correction and notes by Mahmood Abedi, Tehran: Soroosh Publications.
2- Qushayri, Abulqasem Abdul Karim ibn Hawazen. (1387). Al-Risala al-Qushayriyya, translated by Abu Ali Hasan ibn Ahmad Othmani, corrected by Badi al-Zaman Foroozanfar, Tehran: Zavvar Publications.
3- Zarrinkoob, Abdul Hossein. (1385). Searching in Sufism, Tehran: Amirkabir Publications.
4- Sajjadi, Seyyed Ziauddin. (1372). An introduction to the basics of mysticism and Sufism, Tehran: Samt.
Prose Text III: Tarikh-e Jahāngoshā and Marzbānnāma
Objectives:
Acquiring knowledge of the characteristics of artificial and technical prose until the end of the Mongol period, emphasizing the reading and analysis of these two works
General Headings:
* Familiarisation with types of Persian prose with emphasis on historical and didactic prose texts
* The evolution of Persian technical prose and the place of Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy and Marzbān-nāma in Persian literature
* Examining the occasions of historical and literary texts
* Familiarity with the methods of Persian historiography in the Islamic period
* Reading, comprehension, and analysis of the problems of Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy and Marzbān-nāma
Sources:
1- Joveyni, Atamalek. (1388). Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy Joveyni, by Ahmad Khatami, Tehran: Elm.
2- Varavini, Saad al-Din. (1388). Marzbān-nāma, with explanations by Khalil Khatib Rahbar, Tehran: Safi Alishah.
3- Safa, Zabihullah. (1370). History of Literature in Iran, Tehran: Ferdos.
4- Khatami, Ahmad. (1373). Description of the problems of Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy Joveyni, Tehran: Paya.
Poetry Text I: Shāhnāma
Objective:
Comprehending the national epic of Iran and acquiring the skills of analyzing Shahnameh
General Contents:
* Familiarity with the social, cultural and literary situation of the Samani and Ghaznavi schools, the place of epic poetry in Persian literature and world literature, analysis of Ferdowsi’s influence in compiling Shahnameh
* Introduction and criticism of sources
The formation and transformation of Iranian epics from the pre-Islamic period to the time of Ferdowsi
* Reading and comprehension of Shahnameh and thematic analysis of the stories
* Mythological and content analysis of the most important stories of Shahnameh
Sources:
1- Ferdowsi, Abulqasem. (1402). Shahnameh, edited by Jalal Khaleghi Mutlaq, Tehran: Sokhan.
2- Khaleghi Motlagh, Jalal. (1372). Ancient Sufferings, Tehran: Markaz.
3- Bahar, Mehrdad. (1377). From myth to history, compiled and edited by Abolqasem Esmailpour, Tehran: Cheshme.
4- Safa, Zabihullah. (1393). Epic writing in Iran, Tehran: Amirkabir.
Poetry Text II: Rumi’s Mathnav
Objective:
Comprehension and analysis of Masnavi
General contents:
* The status of Islamic mysticism and mystical methods in the seventh century of Hijri
* Introduction and criticism of sources
* Molana’s Sufism and his place in Persian literature
* Description and analysis of the third book of Masnavi
Sources:
1- Molavi, Jalaluddin. (1378). Masnavi Manavi, edited by Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, Tehran: Elmi Farhangi Publications.
2- Foroozanfar, Badi al-Zaman. (1367). Commentary on Masnavi Sharif, Tehran: Zavvar Publications.
3- Molavi, Jalaluddin. (1377). Masnavi Manavi. Comprehensive description of Karim Zamani, Tehran: Etelaat Publications.
4- Zarrinkoob, Abdul Hossein. (1380). Step by Step to Meet God, Tehran: Elmi Publications.
5- Zarrinkoob, Abdul Hossein (1386). Serre Nei, Tehran: Elmi Publications.
6- Tavakkoli, Hamidreza. (1389). The Poetics of Narrative in Masnavi, Tehran: Morvarid.
Poetry Text III: Khāqāni and Nizāmi
Objective:
Understanding 12th-century poetry based on the works of Khāqāni and Nizāmi, and developing the ability to critique and analyse it.
Course Outline:
* Cultural and literary context of the 12th century and examining the position of Khāqāni and Nizāmi and their works in Persian literature
* Introduction and critique of sources
* Linguistic and rhetorical features in the poetry of Khāqāni and Nizāmi
* Explanation and analysis of Khāqāni’s odes and Nizāmi’s Haft Peykar

Elective

Research in Contemporary Persian Prose
Research in Contemporary Persian Poetry
Arabic Poetic and Prose Texts (II)
Principles and Methods of Textual Editing
Persian Language and Literature in Other Countries
Poetic Texts III - Nasir Khusraw and Sanā’i
Applied Linguistics and Translation
Research in Contemporary Persian Prose
Objective:
Understanding various types of Persian prose in the contemporary period (from the Qajar era to today)
Course Outline:
* Introduction and critique of sources
* Historical, political, and social contexts of contemporary prose
* Types of contemporary Persian prose
* The digital space and contemporary Persian prose
* Contemporary Iranian storytellers
Research in Contemporary Persian Poetry
Objective:
Understanding the genres and developments in contemporary Iranian poetry
Course Outline:
* Periods of literary history in contemporary Iran
* Modernity and its impact on the tradition of Persian poetry
* Trends in contemporary poetry and the influence of global literary developments on Iranian poetry
* Introduction to contemporary poets and analysis of sample poems
Arabic Poetic and Prose Texts (II)
Objective:
Reading and understanding prominent Arabic texts and their literary and rhetorical subtleties
Course Outline:
* Examples of Mu’allaqāt, Saālik poetry, epic poetry, boast poetry, elegy, courtly eulogy, religious poetry, love poetry, Udhri love, Muwashshahāt, contemporary Arabic poetry
* Examples of Quranic interpretation, history, anecdotes, literary criticism, Maqāmat, and fraternal correspondence
Principles and Methods of Textual Editing
Objective:
Understanding manuscripts and methods of textual editing, and gaining skills for their application
Course Outline:
* Theoretical foundations of textual editing: definition, necessity, history, and application
* Stages of editing: manuscript identification, transcription, genealogy, validation, reading, comparison, emendation, and research
* Understanding and reporting language varieties and scripts in textual editing
* Methods for recording variant readings
* Researching the edited text, including writing introductions, annotations, and extracting indices
* Familiarity with the use of hardware and software tools in the process of textual editing
* Editing a short text as a practical exercise
Persian Language and Literature in Other Countries
Objective:
Examining and analysing literary movements and works of Persian writers and poets outside the geographical boundaries of Iran
Course Outline:
* Geography of the cultural domain of Persian language and literature from the past to the present
* Persian language and literature in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, the Indian subcontinent, and Pakistan
* Persian language and literature in Central Asia and the Caucasus
* Persian language and literature in Arab countries
* Persian language and literature in other countries around the world
* Student trips to one of the historical regions of the Persian language outside the borders to survey the status of Persian language and literature in those areas
Poetic Texts III - Nasir Khusraw and Sanā’i
Objective:
Understanding the intellectual foundations and poetic styles of Nasir Khusraw and Sanā’i, and analysing their poetry
Course Outline:
* Works and thoughts of Nasir Khusraw and Sanā’i
* Social and political perspectives of Nasir Khusraw and Sanā’i
* Linguistic, stylistic, and rhetorical features of the works of Nasir Khusraw and Sanā’i
* Reading and analysing the odes of Nasir Khusraw and the poetry of Sanā’i
Critique and review of sources
Applied Linguistics and Translation
Objective:
Understanding types of basic applications of linguistics in translation techniques and standard patterns in the improvement of translation skills
General Contents:
* The influence of linguistic rules and patterns on the way of translation
* Criticism of sources and texts
* Introducing various levels of applied linguistics (language teaching, translation, literature, linguistic criticism, etc.)
* Ways of using the basics of phonetics, syntax, semantics, etc. in the translation and analysis of texts of Persian language and literature
Sources:
Safavi, Koorosh. (1391). Introduction to Linguistics in Literary Studies, Tehran: Elmi Publications

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