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Persian Language Classes

Persian, a language steeped in history and culture, and of ever-growing importance in international affairs, is currently spoken by more than 70 million people throughout Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. It is the first language of approximately 50% of the population in Iran and is the country’s official language—the language of government, media and educational instruction. Modern Persian is closely related to Dari (a dialect spoken in Afghanistan) and Tajik (spoken in Tajikistan). It is written in a variant of the Arabic script called Perso-Arabic, which has some changes to take into account Persian phonology. At WAL, students can expect to focus on using the language for practical everyday use. In addition, cultural information will be offered as part of the instruction.

Eram Garden in Shiraz, Iran. Photo courtesy of Sima Janka, ISO Advisor

Schedule

Online registration for Spring 2023 closes on March 26, 2023.

Class
Instructor
Days
Time
Start date
End date
Scheduling Notes
Persian 1 Maryam Badiee Sat 1:00 – 2:50PM 4/8/23 6/17/23 No class 5/27
Persian 2 Maryam Badiee Thur 6:30 – 8:20PM 4/6/23 6/8/23 In person

Unless otherwise specified, all classes meet online via Zoom. To sign up for classes other than LVL 1, please first complete our online placement test and let the office know upon completion. Placement tests are reviewed during registration period. If you don’t see a test for the language you are interested in studying, please reach out to wal at cityu.edu We will try to arrange a phone placement with our faculty.

All classes are 18.5 hours. Tuition is $400. Without payment of tuition, your registration is received but remains incomplete. Level 1 classes must have 4 complete registrations to run; level 2+ will run on a minimum of 3 complete registrations.

If you would like a notification when a new schedule becomes available, please enter your email here.

 

Click here for textbook information.

If you have any questions, please contact wal at cityu.edu

Levels

Persian 1

The primary goal of this course is to build familiarity and confidence with the basics of everyday Persian through listening comprehension, conversation exercises and lessons to help with forming and using simple sentences. It is intended for the beginning student of the language. Coursework focuses on practical, everyday use of the language although some basic grammatical forms are introduced to build a foundation for future learning. By the end of this course, students can expect to read and write the alphabet with ease, to participate in common introductions and greetings and to hold simple conversations on select topics such as the family and travel.

Required Materials (Level 1-6):

Shasavari, A. (2013) Persian of Iran Today: An Introductory Course, Volume 1. UT Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ISBN: 9780578130026)

Mace, J. (2003) Persian Grammar: For Reference and Revision. New York: Routledge (ISBN: 9780700716951)

Persian 2

This course focuses on building familiarity and confidence with the use of everyday Persian basic language through listening comprehension, conversation exercises and lessons to help with forming and using simple sentences. Coursework will focus primarily on practical, everyday use of the language though some basic grammatical forms are introduced to build a foundation for future learning. By the end of Persian 2, students can expect to express themselves with simple sentences, use comparatives and talk about the past They can engage in conversations on a number of select topics (weather, asking about the family & friends, talking about activities) and in social situations.

Required Materials (Level 1-6):

Shasavari, A. (2013) Persian of Iran Today: An Introductory Course, Volume 1. UT Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ISBN: 9780578130026)

Mace, J. (2003) Persian Grammar: For Reference and Revision. New York: Routledge (ISBN: 9780700716951)

Persian 3

Persian 3 is designed for students who have completed Persian 2 at the Washington Academy of Languages, or its equivalent.  The primary goal of the course is to continue to build familiarity and confidence with the basics of everyday Persian through listening comprehension, conversation exercises, and lessons to help with forming and using simple sentences.  Coursework will focus primarily on practical, everyday use of the language, though some basic grammatical forms are introduced to build a foundation for future learning.  By the end of Persian 3, students can expect to express themselves with simple sentences engage in conversations on a number of select topics and social situations.

Required Materials (Level 1-6):

Shasavari, A. (2013) Persian of Iran Today: An Introductory Course, Volume 1. UT Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ISBN: 9780578130026)

Mace, J. (2003) Persian Grammar: For Reference and Revision. New York: Routledge (ISBN: 9780700716951)

Persian 4

Persian 4 is designed for students who have completed Persian 3 at the Washington Academy of Languages, or its equivalent. The primary goal of the course is building familiarity and confidence with the basics of everyday Persian through listening comprehension, conversation exercises, and lessons to help with forming and using simple sentences.  Coursework will focus primarily on practical, everyday use of the language. Basic grammatical forms are also introduced to build a foundation for future learning.  By the end of Persian 4, students can expect to engage in simple conversations on select topics in a variety of social situations, use complex grammatical structures, verbal tenses and idiomatic phrases while making mistakes, and be able to read and paraphrase simple texts like short stories, notes, and advertisements.

Required Materials (Level 1-6):

Shasavari, A. (2013) Persian of Iran Today: An Introductory Course, Volume 1. UT Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ISBN: 9780578130026)

Mace, J. (2003) Persian Grammar: For Reference and Revision. New York: Routledge (ISBN: 9780700716951)

Persian 5

Persian 5 is designed for students who have completed Persian 4 at the Washington Academy of Languages, or its equivalent. The primary course goal is building familiarity and confidence with the basics of everyday Persian through listening comprehension, conversation exercises, and lessons to help with forming and using simple sentences.  Coursework will focus primarily on practical, everyday use of the language, while basic grammatical forms are also introduced to build a foundation for future learning.  By the end of Persian 5, students can expect to read, write and engage in simple conversations on a number of relevant topics, building on the base of vocabulary and grammar acquired in Persian 1-4.

Required Materials (Level 1-6):

Shasavari, A. (2013) Persian of Iran Today: An Introductory Course, Volume 1. UT Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ISBN: 9780578130026)

Mace, J. (2003) Persian Grammar: For Reference and Revision. New York: Routledge (ISBN: 9780700716951)

Persian 6

Persian 6 is designed for students who have completed Persian 5 at the Washington Academy of Languages, or its equivalent. The primary course goal is building familiarity and confidence with the basics of everyday Persian through listening comprehension, conversation exercises, and lessons to help with forming and using simple sentences.  Coursework will focus primarily on practical, everyday use of the language, while basic grammatical forms are also introduced to build a foundation for future learning.  By the end of Persian 6, students can expect to read, write and engage in simple conversations on a number of relevant topics, building on the base of vocabulary and grammar acquired in Persian 1-5.

Required Materials (Level 1-6):

Shasavari, A. (2013) Persian of Iran Today: An Introductory Course, Volume 1. UT Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ISBN: 9780578130026)

Mace, J. (2003) Persian Grammar: For Reference and Revision. New York: Routledge (ISBN: 9780700716951)

 

Custom Program

WAL can design a special language program for you or your group.  Custom classes are planned with your needs and objectives in mind. WAL has the materials and instructional staff to provide you with an outstanding experience! Choose the number of hours you want to study and the dates of your study and we will design a program just for you.

Custom Programs may be contracted in 10-hour blocks that must be used within 5 weeks. Request a Custom Program here.

Corporate Programs

Communication is always key, especially in the world of business. Our experienced instructors are ready to come to your office with a tailored, industry-specific approach to language instruction. Program content is customized to meet the needs of individual companies.

Instruction requires a minimum of 10 hours total and a minimum of 1.5 hours per lesson.  Programs are generally scheduled on weekdays. Meeting dates and times are flexible. Instruction can be delivered at corporate sites or at our downtown office.

Please contact us at 206-239-4789 or wal@cityu.edu for more information or to receive quote.

Tuition

Class Type Cost
Evening & Day Classes $400 (effective 7/1/2019)
Custom Programs $700/10 hours (effective 7/1/2017)
Shared Custom Programs $450/10 hours per person (2-3 students)
Specialized Programs $750/10 hours
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