Persian Minor
Persian, the official language of Iran, is an important language of the Middle East and Central Asia, spoken by approximately 70 million native speakers and roughly 110 million people worldwide. The Persian studies minor offers a diverse array of courses on language, literature, culture, history, and religions of the geographical area where Persian has historically been the dominant language or a major cultural force. This region encompasses Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and parts of the former Ottoman Empire.
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:
- take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
The undergraduate minor in Persian consists of four courses. Students may complete either two language courses and two culture courses, or three language courses and one culture course.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Two language courses beyond PRSN 203 (the first semester of intermediate Persian), chosen from: | 6 | |
| Intermediate Persian II | ||
| Persian Short Stories | ||
| Persian Language through Literature, Film, and Media | ||
| One course chosen from among the following: | 3 | |
 First-Year Seminar: Wars and Veterans: Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Emperors, Courts, and Consumption: The Mughals of India | ||
| Iranian Post-1979 Cinema | ||
| Introduction to Persian Literature | ||
| Iranian Women Writers | ||
| History of the Indian Subcontinent to 1750 | ||
| History of Muslim Societies to 1500 | ||
| HIstory of Muslim Societies since 1500 | ||
| Modern Central Asia | ||
| Introduction to Islamic Civilization | ||
| Modern Muslim Societies | ||
| Love in Classical Persian Poetry | ||
| Iranian Prison Literature | ||
| The Modern Middle East | ||
| Middle East Women Writers | ||
| Literary Diasporas of the Middle East | ||
| Sociology of the Islamic World | ||
| Persian Sufi Literature | ||
| The Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa | ||
| Postcolonial Literature of the Middle East | ||
| Gender, Space, and Place in the Middle East | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Middle Eastern Literature | ||
| Modern Muslim Literatures | ||
| Revolution in the Modern Middle East | ||
| Women in the Middle East | ||
| The Middle East and the West | ||
| Sufism | ||
| Islam and Islamic Art in South Asia | ||
| Religion and Culture in Iran, 1500-Present | ||
| A fourth course chosen from either the language or culture list above. | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Placement credit (PL) may not be used to meet minor requirements.
See the program page here for special opportunities.
Department Programs
Majors
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Interdisciplinary Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Arab Cultures Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Chinese Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Japanese Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Korean Studies Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–South Asian Studies Concentration
Minors
- Arabic Minor
- Asian Studies Minor
- Chinese Minor
- Modern Hebrew Minor
- Hindi-Urdu Minor
- Japanese Minor
- Korean Minor
- Middle Eastern Languages Minor
- Persian Minor
Graduate Programs
Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
New West 113, CB# 3267
(919) 962-4294
