Persian
The Persian and Iranian Studies Program at the University of Washington is dedicated to promoting teaching, scholarship, and thoughtful public discourse about all aspects of the history and culture of Iran and the Persian-speaking world.
Language Programs
Scholarships
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MELC Fellowships
- MELC Teaching Assistantships
- Michael A. Williams Award for Excellence
- Hooshang Afrassiabi Student Prize in Persian Studies
- Naficy Award in Persian Studies
Fellowships for Graduate and Doctoral Students
Fellowships for Doctoral Students
UW Scholarships
Study Abroad
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Course Information
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Language Courses:
PRSAN 101/102/103/511/512/513 Elementary Persian
PRSAN 105/106/107/515 Intensive Elementary Persian
PRSAN 201/202/203/521/522/523 Intermediate Persian
Content Courses:
PRSAN 199/399 Study Abroad
PRSAN 401/541 Introduction to Persian Literature
PRSAN 402/542 Classical Persian Literature: A Survey
PRSAN 403/543 Modern Persian Literature: A Survey
PRSAN 404/544 Critical Readings in Modern Persian
PRSAN 405/545 Media Persian
PRSAN 454 The Epic Tradition in Iran
PRSAN 455 The Persian Ghazal
PRSAN 456 Sufism: Thought and Expression
PRSAN 490 Supervised Study
PRSAN 496/596 Special Studies in Persian
PRSAN 499 Undergraduate Research
PRSAN 600 Independent Study or Research
Learn Persian!
Recent Faculty Research
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Awards & Honors
Presentations
Publications
- Shape of Extinction: Poems by Bijan Jalali. Translated by Adeeba Shahid Talukder and Aria Fani. Toronto: Asemana Books, 2025.
- Sex in Sixteenth-Century Istanbul. In: Wiesner-Hanks ME, Kuefler M, eds. The Cambridge World History of Sexualities. v. 3. Cambridge University Press; 2024:191-209.
- خواندن فراسوی مرزها: افغان ها، ایرانی ها و ملی گرایی ادبی
- Aria Fani, Kevin L. Schwartz, Samuel Hodgkin, “Pathways to Persotopias,” PMLA 139.9 (2024): 299-306.
- Aria Fani, Reading across Borders: Afghans, Iranians, and Literary Nationalism. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2024.
Student Success Stories
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🌍Global
- Persian is considered part of the Indo-Iranian language group.
📚Learning
- Spoken by more than 80 million people.
🎭 Culture
- Rumi, the 11th century poet, is one of the most significant figures in Persian Literature.
🌐 Dialects
- There are three main dialects of Persian: Iranian Persian, Afghan Persian (Dari) and Tajik Persian (Tajik).
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Photo of Persepolis ruins Shiraz, Iran
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Photo of Gissar fortress in Tajikistan
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Photo of Band-e Amir, Afghanistan overlooking water
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Photo of Azadi Tower Tehran, Iran