Two Sections:  We have two classrooms and three teachers this semester.  We will constantly be regrouping and dividing the students depending on the planned activities of the day.  For certain days, the class may be divided into Heritage and Non-Heritage groups. On other days, the class may be divided according to skill level or interest or according to any other criteria of the teacher's choice. Therefore, the groups will be in a constant state of flux and the students should not plan to belong to any one group.  On certain days, the entire class will be together. 

Requirements: Exams, daily quizzes, daily homework, class participation, online participation and language lab participation.  In order to not disrupt the class, students must arrive on time,  remain the entire class period and participate actively.  There will be a short vocabulary, dictation and grammar quiz during the first 5 minutes every day which will also serve as the record of attendance.  Students who arrive after the quiz will be marked absent.  For every four unexcused absences, the student's grade will be dropped one grade.  For example, a student who was to get an A will get a B with four absences and C with 8 absences, etc.  A doctor's note will be required for medical absences.  While most of the homework assignments will be up on the website by the end of the previous week, additional assignments will be given out during class.  The students must turn in their homework as they enter the classroom before they sit down.  No late assignments will be accepted for grading purposes.  Excuses involving computer problems are not acceptable since the students have ample access to computers on campus especially the Language Lab.  Daily written homework assignments are to be written in your own handwriting.  Only those assignments which are specifically designed to teach Persian word-processing may be typed.  As an aid to keeping everyone on track, all students will assess their own performance and give themselves  their own grade each day on their "My Grade" online assessment service. Students found guilty of cheating will be turned over to the proper UT authorities without exception. See UT Rules and Regulations. While consultation with Persian-speaking parents was tolerated to some extent in PRS 506, it will be considered cheating to turn in homework that was done by or with the help of someone other than the students or what is obviously an assignment that was done for another class or assignment.  Students may not use laptops or other electronic devices in the classroom.

Prerequisites: PRS 506 with a grade of C or above. Please see the instructor for a an oral and written interview if you did not take PRS 506.  For students with previous exposure to Persian not wishing to take the class, a placement for credit (but not grade) may be administered in lieu of PRS 506.

What this class is not: This class is not a Berlitz, crash-course  promising to make you "proficient" in three months or your money back.  Nor is this class a haven for native speakers looking for a way to fulfill language requirements and beef up their gpa.  This is not a hobby class serving as a relaxing entertainment break from your "real" classes.  Nor does this class present Persian as a dead language with only literary or classical component. 

Textbooks:

1.  Zarghāmiyān, Mehdi.  Dawre-ye amuzish-e zabān-e Fārsi. Volume 2. Available from Paradigm  after the first day of class.

2.  Windfuhr, Gernot and Tehranisa, H.  Modern Persian Elementary Level.  Available online from ibcbooks.

3. Nāzem, (The Vice-Principal), a web-based short story by Houshang Moradi-Kermani.

4.  Ferestāde. Feature film by Parviz Sayyad. Available at the Coop shortly.

5.  Shawkarān. Feature film by Behruz Afkhami.  Available at the Coop shortly.

Materials

5.  Blank Index Cards.  Students will be required to make vocabulary flashcards and bring them to class to show the teacher from time to time.  3 x 5 size are fine and may be further cut in half or in fourths so you can nicely keep them in your pocket and at the ready at all times!

6.  3-ring binder.  From time to time the instructor would like to take a look at your past assignments and tests and chat with you about them.  Please keep them in order in a binder from the start.

7.  3 pens or pencils or highlighters of different colors.

8.  Microphone available from  the Campus Computer Store in FAC with UT ID for about $5.

Computer:

If you do not own a computer, the computers in the Middle Eastern Languages Language Lab in the basement of the FLAWN Academic Center (which also houses the UGL Undergraduate Library)  have been equipped to handle your Persian typing and browsing needs.  The lab is open Mon-Fri 9-5. 

Computer hardware, software and peripherals is available at the Campus Computer Store in FAC with UT ID:

All students will also need to have a cheap computer microphone to record your own voice.  These start at around $10 and plug into the mic socket on the back of most computers. 

Browsers:

Windows users must download Internet Explorer 6 (IE 7 Beta now available but not recommended) and optionally may also like to have Mozilla Firefox.

Mac users should NOT use Internet Explorer for Persian, however Mozilla Firefox and Safari should both be installed.

Electronics:

Of great use in this class are mp3 players such as iPod which allow you to "study" on the go.

A pair of earphones is also helpful in listening to some of the trickier listening exercises.

Grading: Your final grade is based on the total combined points of:

1) One final exam

2) Test 1

3) Test 2

4) Test 3

5) daily vocabulary quizzes

6) daily homework (including redo)

7) participation in weblog

8) participation in online forum (Watering Hole)

9) language-lab participation

10) active, high quality class participation. You will receive extra credit bonus points for enhancing the classroom experience for others by having a positive attitude, helping someone you see having trouble, asking intelligent questions and generally bringing up the morale of the class.  

This page contains archived class pages for past courses in the Persian Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin. These are provided for historic interest and no longer reflect teaching methods in use at UT. If you are interested in current courses taught in the UT Persian program, please visit the department site.

These are weighted equally and each of these 10 categories will be worth 10% of your final class grade.

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This page contains archived class material for past courses in the Persian Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

These are provided for historic interest and no longer reflect current courses or teaching methods in use at UT.

If you are interested in current courses taught in the UT Persian program, please visit the department site.