[ubccourses department=ASIA course=360A stickywinter=W stickyyear=true instructor=true]
More than ever before, Iran is in the media these days mostly for political reasons. If you are eager to learn more about Iran and Iranians, beyond one-dimensional political perspectives and through a variety of outlooks, including Iranian culture, literature, film, and the arts, then this is the course. The course has no prerequisites; the students will have the opportunity to read specimens of important literary works from modern Iranian authors (in English translation); watch and discuss some award-winning Iranian films from the pre- and post-revolutionary eras (with English subtitles); read a world-renowned Iranian graphic novel in English; get to know the works of an iconic Iranian cartoonist; meet a critically acclaimed Iranian postmodernist~ nist fiction writer as well as a world-renowned Iranian musician on Skype; listen to and understand the grammar of classical Persian music as an ever-present cultural icon in modern Iran; and learn to collectively sing a famous tasnif (Iranian song) by the end of the semester all framed within a working knowledge of modern Iranian history. By the end of this course, you can expect to gain an unprecedented intimate knowledge of Iran and Iranians, through their literature, culture, and the arts.
