Persian through Ethnographies

Service Description

This course is designed for advanced students to explore the "living" Persian language in settings where the original author had to strive to make the unknown known to their reader. The course provides a window into the way Farsi is spoken and written when documenting the diverse people, cultures, and landscapes of the Persianate world reaching from Bosnia to the Bengal. The course encompasses medieval geography to modern sociology; focusing on how Persian handles the specific, the local, and the "unfiltered." Week 1: The Ismaili Traveler’s Diary Text: Safarnameh by Nasir Khusraw (11th Century). Week 2: The Sociology of Power Text: Siyasat-nama (Book of Government) by Nizam al-Mulk (11th Century). Week 3: Etiquette and Life-Cycles Text: Qabus-nama by Keikavus ibn Iskandar (11th Century). Week 4: The Micro-History of a Court Text: Tarikh-i Bayhaqi by Abu'l-Fazl Bayhaqi (11th Century). Week 5: Saints and the Social Fringe Text: Tazkirat al-Awliya (Biographies of the Saints) by Attar of Nishapur (12th-13th Century). Week 6: Mongol-Era Globalism Text: Jami' al-Tawarikh (Section on Mongols/Chinese) by Rashid al-Din Hamadani (14th Century). Week 7: The View from the Road Text: Travelogue of Haj Sayyah by Mirza Mohammad Ali "Haj Sayyah" (Late 19th Century). Week 8: The Princess’s Rebellion Text: Khaterat-e Taj al-Saltaneh (Memoirs of Taj al-Saltaneh) by Taj al-Saltaneh (Early 20th Century). Week 9: The Satirical Mirror Text: The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan (Persian Translation) by Mirza Habib Esfahani. Week 10: The Opium of the People Text: Dar Josteju-ye Hafte-ye bi-Shomare by Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi (1960s). * The course starts during the first week of October and concludes in the second week of December, spanning 10 weeks (10 sessions). The exact days and times will be scheduled based on the availability of both the instructor and the learners. * Once learners enroll, Silk Road Academy will coordinate the class schedule, process payments, and manage administrative details. * Silk Road Academy can issue invoices so learners can request reimbursement from their affiliated universities or institutions. * Class days and times may be adjusted in accordance with the request of enrollees. * Registered participants will receive full access to recorded session videos and all course materials.