MA Iranian Studies and Intensive Persian drafted draft

Program Overview

---

The MA in Iranian Studies enables students to critically assess the historical development of Iranian society, economics and culture within the context of the wider west Asian area and to appreciate the complexity of the history and cultural make up of Iran.

The flexible study programme and interdisciplinary curriculum will enrich students knowledge about the religious and politico-cultural influences affecting contemporary Iran and the region it is embedded in. Students will develop a critical understanding of the literature and/or of Iran and the diaspora and gain an understanding of Iran in the context of the Middle East with respect to gender, politics, Islam, music, and migration (minor module options). Persian language and literature will also be studied.

This is an intensive language programme and, as a result, a large bulk of the module credits are assigned to the language component of the degree. The programme also involves a compulsory opportunity to study abroad and a dissertation on a chosen area of specialism.

Why study Iran and Intensive Persian at SOAS?

SOAS is ranked 1st in London in the Complete University Guide 2021 for Middle Eastern and African Studies, and 6th in UK

Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

we've also been ranked 4th for research environment - with 100% of our research ranked as 'internationally excellent' and 85% as 'world-leading' - and 8th for research outputs in the REF 2021

we are world-renowned for our language courses and specialist in the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East

Among all universities in Europe and North America SOAS host the biggest concentration of research and teaching staff working on Iranian history, politics, economics, religions, art and archeology, linguistics, Persian language and literature, media, film, anthropology and music.

SOAS has the resources to offer a comprehensive, critical perspective on a variety of aspects of Iranian society and culture and go beyond the contemporary public debates around this country.

Program Outline

Students must take

315 credits in total

, comprised of 255 taught credits (45 of which are taught abroad as part of a Summer School) and a 60-credit dissertation as outlined below.

In their first year, students on the two-year Intensive Language programmes take 60 credits of intensive language instruction and 60 credits in the discipline. During the summer, they participate in a Summer School abroad. In the second year, they take another 30 language credits as well as 60 credits in the discipline; they also complete their dissertation in the discipline.

This degree programme can also be taken part-time over 4 years

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Dissertation

Module	Credits
Dissertation in Iranian Studies	60

---

Year 1

Two years full-time

---

Core module

Students select 30 credits of Persian Language modules at an appropriate level plus the core module.

Module	Credits
Iran: History, Culture, Politics	30

---

Year 2

Two years full-time

Choose one of the compulsory 15 credits below, plus 30 credits from list A or list B and an additional 15 credits from the open options list

Module	Credits
Intercultural Communication and Interaction	15
Language, Society and Communication (Masters)	15

In year 2 students also select 30 credits of Perisian language modules at an appropriate level, plus 60 credits from list A or list B and submit the Dissertation.

This degree programme can also be taken part-time over 4 years

---

Year 1 (four years part-time)

Students choose 30 credits of Persian language modules at an appropriate level, plus one of the following compulsory modules below, plus an additional 15 credits from the open option list.

Module	Credits
Intercultural Communication and Interaction	15
Language, Society and Communication (Masters)	15

Students participate in an Intensive Persian Upper Intermediate Summer Abroad (15PNMC431) at the end of year 1.

---

Year 2 (four years part-time)

---

Core module

Students select 30 credits of Persian Language modules at an appropriate level plus the core module.

Module	Credits
Iran: History, Culture, Politics	30

---

Year 3 (four years part-time)

Select modules to the value of 60 credits from the guided options in list A or list B

---

Year 4 (four years part-time)

Select modules to the value of 30 credits from the guided list A or list B and submit the Dissertation.

Module	Credits
Dissertation in Iranian Studies	60

---

List A

Module	Credits
Persian 1 A (PG)	15
Persian 1 B (PG)	15
Persian 2 A (PG)	15
Persian 2 B (PG)	15
Persian 3 (PG)	30
Classical Persian Poetry: Texts and Traditions (PG)	15
Practical Translation: English into Other Languages	15
Practical Translation: Other Languages into English	15
Zoroastrianism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives	30

---

List B

Art and Archaeology

Module	Credits
Arab Painting	15
Art and Architecture of the Seljuks and Ottomans (12th -15th centuries)	15
Islam and the West: Artistic and Cultural Contacts	15
The Silk Road and its Origins: Art and Archaeology	15

---

Development Studies

Module	Credits
Problems of Development in the Middle East and North Africa	15
Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation (Development Studies)	15
Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements (Development Studies)	15

---

Economics

Module	Credits
Political Economy of Development and Change in the Middle East	15

---

Gender Studies

Module	Credits
Gender, Protest, and Revolution in the Middle East	15
Queering Migrations and Diasporas	15
Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East	15

---

History

Module	Credits
Colonial curricula: empire and education at SOAS and beyond	15
The Afghanistan Wars, 1979 to the Present	15

---

Law

Module	Credits
Human Rights and Islamic Law	30

---

School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics

Module	Credits
Introduction to the Study of Language	30
Intercultural communication and interaction	15
Comparative Literature: A New Era	15
Comparative Literature: Methodology and Critique	15
Cinemas of of the Middle East and North Africa 1	15
Cinemas of of the Middle East and North Africa 2	15
Arabic 1 A (PG)	15
Arabic 1 B (PG)	15
Arabic 2 A (PG)	15
Arabic 2 B (PG)	15
Hebrew 1 A (PG)	15
Hebrew 1 B (PG)	15
Turkish 1 A (PG)	15
Turkish 1B (PG)	15
Turkish 2 A (PG)	15
Turkish 2 B (PG)	15
Ottoman Turkish Language (PG)	30
The Middle East in Ten Weeks	15
Modern Trends in Islam	30
Modern Trends in Islam	30
Reading Classical Arabic Historians: Themes and Trends in Islamic Historiography	15

---

Politics

Module	Credits
Geopolitics and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus	15
International Politics of the Middle East	15
Islamic/Democratic Political Thought	15
Political Society in the Middle East	15
State and Transformation in the Middle East	15
Artificial Intelligence and Human Security	15

---

Media Studies

Module	Credits
Mediated Culture in the Middle East: Politics and Communications	15

One-year Masters programmes consist of

180 credits

. 120 credits are taught in modules of 30 credits (taught over 20 weeks) or 15 credits (taught over 10 weeks); the dissertation makes up the remaining 60 units. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

---

Contact hours

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework and revising for examinations. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

---

Learning outcomes

---

Knowledge

Acquire specific factual knowledge about modern Iranian history and politics, religion and society, arts, literature, media, economics.

Appreciate the diversity and complexity of contemporary Iranian society and culture.

In the intensive language pathway, students will furthermore be able to study a language to a certain level of proficiency, thus immersing them in the language of the region.

---

Intellectual (thinking) skills

Critically assess the historical development of Iranian society, economics and culture within the context of the wider west Asian area.

Analyse Iran in accordance with an interdisciplinary curriculum and a flexible study programme encompassing the full range of historical, cultural and socio-economic aspects of the country in past and present.

Students will learn how to assess data and evidence critically from a variety of sources and how to resolve problems of conflicting sources and conflicting interpretations.

Students will learn the strengths and disciplines of particular disciplinary and theoretical approaches, cultivating their ability to draw on a variety of such approaches.

Students will learn how to design and manage an independent research project, formulating the problem to be addressed, identifying the data to be analysed, and synthesizing the findings to present well-supported conclusions.

---

Subject-based practical skills

Learn to use Iran-related reference materials and research tools, the most recent research in various areas of Iranian studies presented in the core module and in the optional units.

Students will learn how to read critically, to participate effectively in seminar discussions, and to present their work in both oral and written form.

More specific skills will depend on the particular modules taken.

---

Transferrable skills

The ability to organise research, formulate arguments, gather and evaluate data, formulate conclusions and present these in a coherent and clear manner.

Students will learn how to access and evaluate electronic and other data effectively and efficiently.

Students will learn how to solve complex problems, for example concerning economic development, historical causation, literary interpretation, or political decision-making.

Students will learn how to communicate effectively in a variety of settings and formats.

---

SOAS Library

SOAS Library

is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Graduates of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with skills in written and oral communication, analysis and problem solving.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

Africa Matters

Amnesty International

Arab British Chamber of Commerce

BBC World Service

British High Commission

Council for British Research in the Levant

Department for International Development

Edelman

Embassy of Jordan

Ernst & Young

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Google

Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies

Middle East Eye

Saïd Foundation

TalkAbout Speech Therapy

The Black Curriculum

The Telegraph

United Nations Development Programme

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

Wall Street Journal

Find out about our

Careers Service

.