Requiring no previous knowledge of the language, Introductory Persian A instructs students in the fundamentals of the Persian Language which is the mother tongue of more than 150 million people in the Middle East and is spoken today primarily in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Students will quickly master the Persian script and on completion of the course be able to speak, listen, read, write, and comprehend Modern Standard Persian at a basic level across various everyday communicative subjects in both semi-formal and formal social and literary contexts. Students will acquire a basic vocabulary of the 300-400 most commonly used words as well as understand and reproduce the most important grammatical structures in Persian. In addition, postgraduate students will develop the ability to compose extended written texts on academic topics. Historically, Persian was widely understood from the Mediterranean to India, and Introductory Persian A students will acquire a familiarity with the rich Persian historical, literary, and cultural legacy across the great Middle East and Central Asia with a particular focus on Iran.
Course Instruction Method and Enrolment (Mode of Delivery)
Introductory Persian A may be taken either on-campus or online. Both Modes of Delivery provide an equivalent introductory foundation in the Persian language for all four fundamental language skills (Learning Outcomes below) and have an equivalent workload. ANU students will normally enrol in the on-campus mode of delivery but may also enrol online (subject to visa requirements); students from other universities around Australia or internationally may elect to enrol cross-institutionally in the online course.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Read all characters of the Persian alphabet and simple cursive writing equivalent to usual printing or typescript containing high frequency structural patterns and vocabulary;
- Speak with understandable pronunciation and maintain simple, predictable face-to-face conversations, and responding to simple questions on familiar topics;
- Write independently with sufficient control of the Persian script and basic vocabulary with some grammatical and syntactical error (including in the present and past tense) in handwriting and/or typing;
- Comprehend short conversations and questions beyond basic survival needs and limited social demands in areas of immediate need or on familiar topics in both the present and past tenses; and,
- Compose extended text on a sophisticated topic of personal or academic interest with a more advanced writing style than normally expected at introductory level correctly employing formal Persian style with minimal error.
Indicative Assessment
On-campus Mode of Delivery:Weekly Short-Response Homework Assignments of less than 200-words (10%), [LO 1, 3, 4]
30-minute In-Class Review Quizzes (20%: 4 / 5% each) [LO 1, 2, 3, 4]
Class Participation (10%), [LO 1, 2, 3, 4]
1-hour In-Class Mid-semester Test (written - 10%), [LO 1, 3]
2-hour Final Exam in Exam Period (30%: oral 10% and written 20%) [LO 1, 2, 3, 4]
500-word extended written text in Persian on topic agreed (by Week 3 of Semester) with lecturer; submit in last week of Semester (20%) [LO 1, 3, 5]
Online Mode of Delivery:
Completion of exercises, online lessons and virtual classroom exercises (10%), [LO 1, 2, 3, 4]
Fortnightly Online Quizzes via Wattle (30%: 6 / 5% each), [LO 1, 3, 4]
2-hour Final Test via Wattle (10%), [LO 1, 3, 4]
Written Compositions submitted via Wattle every three weeks (10%: 4 / 2.5% at less than 200-words each), [LO 1, 3, 5]
15-minute Online Oral Class Presentations via Adobe Connect (20%: 2 / 10% each; one individual, one collaborative), [LO 2, 3, 4]
500-word extended written text in Persian on topic agreed (by Week 3 of Semester) with lecturer; submit in last week of Semester via Wattle (20%) [LO 1, 3, 5]The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
In Person: 130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 60 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 48 hours of lectures and language classes; and b) 82 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.Online: 130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 48 hours of contact over 12 weeks: made up of online seminars, language classes and structured activities; and b) 82 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
On-Campus Mode of Delivery:A textbook and supplementary course materials will be available from the lecturer.
Online Mode of Delivery:
All learning materials will be supplied through the course website and Wattle system.
Areas of Interest
- Geography
- Arab and Islamic Studies
- Archaeology
- Asian Languages
- Classics and Ancient History
- Cultural Studies
- Development Studies
- History
- International Relations
- Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
- Political Sciences
- Asian Studies
- Security Studies
- Asia Pacific Studies
- Strategic Studies
- Diplomacy
- International Affairs
- Middle East Studies
- Central Asia Studies
- Literature
- Language Studies
- Asia-Pacific Studies
- Politics
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $3360 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $5160 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
