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Persian, Faculty of Arts

PERS: Persian

For each academic session (W and S), prior to registration in any PERS course, students should review the Persian Registration Guidelines available at https://asia.ubc.ca/undergraduate/asian-language-options/persian/ to determine which course is appropriate for their level.


  1. PERS 100 (3) Basic Persian I

    Basic vocabulary and the fundamentals of modern Persian grammar, structure, and pronunciation, as well as reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

  2. PERS 101 (3) Basic Persian II

    Continuation of PERS 100. Recommended pre-requisite: PERS 100.

  3. PERS 104 (3) Persian Reading and Writing for Persian-Speaking Students

    Reading and writing of standard Persian; lexical and syntactic differences between written and spoken Persian. Restricted to Persian heritage speakers with aural/oral knowledge but no reading/writing skills.

  4. PERS 200 (3) Intermediate-Low Persian I

    Reading of simple texts with emphasis on reading and writing, conversation skills, grammar, and syntax. Recommended pre-requisite: one of PERS 101, PERS 104.

  5. PERS 201 (3) Intermediate-Low Persian II

    Continuation of PERS 200. Recommended pre-requisite: PERS 200.

  6. PERS 300 (3) Intermediate-High Persian I

    Graded reading, writing, exposure to textual history, newspaper reading, and translation. Cultural materials presented as appropriate. Recommended pre-requisites: PERS 201 or Persian heritage speakers with basic reading/writing skills (no more than Grade 6 formal education in Iran).

  7. PERS 301 (3) Intermediate-High Persian II

    Continuation of PERS 300. Recommended pre-requisite: PERS 300.

  8. PERS 310 (3) Persian Media

    Reading, understanding and participating in contemporary registers of Persian Language as used in newspapers, radio/TV, as well as in online news and social media. Recommended pre-requisites: PERS 104, 201, or 3 credits of PERS at the 300 level, or permission of instructor.

  9. PERS 400 (3) Persian Short Story for Native and Heritage Speakers

    Modern short stories from mid-19th century to present. Recommended pre-requisites: one of PERS 104, PERS 300, or Persian heritage speakers with strong reading/writing skills (High School). NOT eligible to students who have studied at the post-secondary level in Iran.

  10. PERS 401 (3) Contemporary Iranian Cinema for Advanced Speakers of Persian

    Iranian cultural norms, and sociopolitical information about Iranian society and history, as conveyed through Iranian cinema. Emphasis on speaking, writing, and vocabulary development of Persian language. Recommended pre-requisites: PERS 300, or native or proficient heritage speaker of Persian with permission of the instructor.

  11. PERS 451 (3) Persian through Shahnameh for Advanced Speakers of Persian

    Persian through Shahnameh, with a focus on speaking, reading, writing and vocabulary development. Emphasis on Iranian cultural norms, mentalities and values. Recommended pre-requisite: PERS 300 or native or proficient heritage speaker of Persian, with permission of the instructor.


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