For more than a thousand years, Persian has been one of the most important languages of Asia, and it is a major language in the Middle East today. It is the official language of Iran and Tajikistan, and one of two official languages in Afghanistan. With nearly 100 million native speakers around the world, Persian is the language of poetry, literature, the sciences, philosophy and mysticism. The
Persian language is of an Indo-European origin and has one of the simplest sound systems with just six vowels. Its grammar is very similar to that of English, with no grammatical gender. Persian is written from right to left using a variant of the Arabic script with some pronunciation differences and four additional symbols.

The main goal of the Persian language program at USC Dornsife is to develop communicative proficiency and cultural awareness in Persian. Our language learners are immersed from the very beginning and do real-life language tasks while developing basic literacy skills. In Advanced Persian, students develop critical thinking skills by doing dynamic activities and are introduced to Persian literature, history and arts, and explore the social, economic and political life of Persian speakers.

The Major

Minors

Courses

For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.

  • IRAN 120: Persian I (4.0 units)

    Introduction to contemporary Persian (Farsi). Oral practice, listening and reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary necessary for simple spoken and written expression. (Duplicates credit in former MDES-120)

    Note: Students with previous exposure to Persian must take a placement exam. D-clearance available at language.usc.edu.

     

    IRAN 150: Persian II (4.0 units)

    Continuation of Persian I. Prerequisite: IRAN 120. (Duplicates credit in former MDES 150)

    Prerequisite: 1 from (IRAN 120 or MDES 120)

     

    IRAN 220: Persian III (4.0 units)

    Intermediate Persian (Farsi). Building conversational skills, listening and reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary necessary for intermediate level spoken and written expression. Prerequisite: IRAN 150. (Duplicates credit in former MDES 220)

    Prerequisite: 1 from (IRAN 150 or MDES 150)

     

    IRAN 250: Persian IV (4.0 units)

    Continuing Intermediate Persian (Farsi). Building conversational skills, listening and reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary necessary for intermediate level spoken and written expression. Prerequisite: IRAN 220. (Duplicates credit in former MDES 250)

    Prerequisite: IRAN 220

     

     

  • IRAN 320: Advanced Persian I (4.0 units)

    Advanced verbal and written expression in Persian, including deeper understanding of Persian culture. Prerequisite: IRAN 250. (Duplicates credit in former MDES 320)

    Prerequisite: 1 from (IRAN 250 or MDES 250)

     

    IRAN 350: Advanced Persian II (4.0 units)

    Continuation of Advanced Persian I. Prerequisite: IRAN 320. (Duplicates credit in former MDES 350)

    Prerequisite: IRAN 320

     

  • IRAN 325: Business Persian (4.0 units)

    Business Persian is an intermediate level course designed to develop communicative skills, written expression and reading comprehension on intermediate business contents.

    Prerequisite: IRAN 220

Contact Information

Office Location

3501 Trousdale Parkway, Taper Hall 256

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 90089

213-740-2795

Basic Language Program Director

Peyman Nojoumian

Undergraduate Advisor

Isaura Pena