The Persian minor enriches students' education by providing advanced proficiency in language skills and by enhancing understanding of Iranian and Islamic cultures. This minor serves as an excellent complement for those studying in various fields, including business, political science, and international studies.
Students who minor in Persian can find an advantage after graduation as they apply their skills and knowledge to work in business and nonprofits, public service, graduate programs, and more.
For questions, please contact Professor Aria Fani (ariafani@uw.edu) and/or UW Humanities Academic Services.
Declaring a Minor in Persian
Students in good academic standing may declare the minor at any time by contacting their major adviser. Please see the Undergraduate Advising minors page for additional considerations about earning a minor.
Minor Requirements
30 credits
- PRSAN 201, PRSAN 202, PRSAN 203 (15 credits)
- Upper-division courses with the PRSAN prefix (10 credits)
- Elective coursework (5 credits): see the list below for approved courses
- Minimum of 15 credits at the 300 or 400 level
- Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA for courses applied to the minor
- Minimum 15 credits taken in residence through UW
The requirement to complete one or more of the language courses PRSAN 201, PRSAN 202, PRSAN 203 may be satisfied by taking a placement exam and testing out. A successful placement exam does not count towards the 30-credit requirement. Students entering the UW with proficiency in Persian beyond the second year of language training must take 20 credits of upper-division courses with the PRSAN prefix. In addition, they must earn 10 credits of electives; refer to the list below for approved courses.
*Please note: If a student pursues both a major and a minor in the MELC Department, 60% of the coursework applied to the minor is taken outside of the student's major requirements. This means these classes may not
apply both to satisfying major requirements and to satisfying the requirements for the minor.
Upper-division Courses with the PRSAN Prefix:
- PRSAN 401 Introduction to Persian Literature (5)
- PRSAN 402 Classical Persian Literature: A Survey (5)
- PRSAN 403 Modern Persian Literature: A Survey (5)
- PRSAN 404 Critical Readings in Modern Persian (5)
- PRSAN 405 Media Persian (5)
- PRSAN 454 The Epic Tradition in Iran (3)
- PRSAN 455 The Persian Ghazal (3)
- PRSAN 456 Sufism: Thought and Expression (3)
- PRSAN 490 Supervised Study (1-6, max. 18)
- PRSAN 496 Special Studies in Persian (3-5, max. 15)
- PRSAN 499 Undergraduate Research (1-6, max. 18)
Electives:
- Any upper-division course with the PRSAN prefix
- MELC 101 Gateway to the Middle East (5)
- MELC 234 Introduction to Shi'ism (5)
- MELC 243 Iranian Culture and Civilization (5)
- MELC 244 Voices of the Iranian Revolution (5)
- MELC 286 Themes in Middle Eastern Literature (5)
- MELC 343 Classical Persian Literature in Translation (5)
- MELC 344 Modern Persian Literature in Translation (5)
- MELC 345 Persian Literature in Translation (5)
- MELC 392 Politics and Poetics of Translation (5)
- MELC 429 Islamic Mystical Literature in English (5)