External summary

Persian is the main language of over 120 million people and is among the world’s most widely spoken languages. Apart from opening the door to a fascinating and varied region, knowledge of Persian and the Middle East provides access to the rich intellectual heritage of Islam. To study Persian is to enter into a rich and diverse culture.

The Department of Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies in Edinburgh’s School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures is recognised in the UK and internationally as a leading institution for research and study of Arabic, Persian, Islam, the Middle East, and other related subjects.

The MA Honours Persian and Middle Eastern Studies degree programme at Edinburgh is designed to give students a thorough grounding in both classical and modern Persian, enabling them to access a wide range of original material. Persian and Middle Eastern Studies offers students proficiency in Persian language as well as the study of historical, literary, cultural and political aspects of Iran.

Educational aims of programme

The programme aims to provide students with an understanding of the Middle Eastern world particularly that of Iran through the study of language, literature, history and culture of the region. Language acquisition, including oral and aural instruction, plays an important role in allowing students to have a deeper understanding of Persian literature and culture through their direct engagement with primary sources as well as of contemporary Iran. The programme will enable students to have a subject expertise on the classical and modern periods of Iran as well as that of the wider region of the Middle East with the option courses allowing those interested to expand their knowledge further. Time spent studying Persian abroad provides immersion in Persian language and culture, and the exchange programme with Istanbul provides further options to experience the culture of a Middle Eastern country.

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

Graduates from the Persian Studies degree will acquire knowledge and understanding of:

1. Persian (written and spoken);
2. the linguistic structures of Persian;
3. Persian literature, past and present;
4. the history and culture of the Middle East;
5. the position of Persian literature and its history and culture in the world context;
6. key methods and concepts of linguistic, literary and historical analysis.

Acquisition of 1 and 2 is through classes, tutorials and regular coursework. Additional support is provided through access to the facilities for language learning in the Language and Humanities Centre and to recommended materials on the Web.
Acquisition of 3-6 is through a combination of lectures/classes and tutorials in Years 1 and 2, and subsequently developed through small-group teaching in Years 3 and 4.
Throughout, students are encouraged to undertake independent readings to supplement and consolidate what is being taught/learnt and to broaden their individual knowledge and understanding of the subject.
Assessment
Testing of the knowledge base is through a combination of unseen written examinations (1-6), assessed coursework in the form of exercises (1-2) or essays (3-6), oral and aural examinations (1-2), and a dissertation (1-6).

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

Persian and Middle Eastern Studies graduates will be able to:

1. retrieve, sift, select and analyse and interpret information from texts and other media in Persian and English;
2. reason critically and cogently, assessing and applying critical methods, including those for historical, literary, cultural, political and religious analysis;
3. identify and solve problems, especially in the field of Persian, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies;
4. work independently to plan, undertake and (in a scholarly and literate fashion) compose an extended piece of bibliographically-based research on aspects of Persian, Islam and the Middle East.

These intellectual skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme.  Each course, whatever the format of the teaching, involves discussion of key issues, practice in applying concepts both orally and in writing, analysis and interpretation of material, and feedback sessions on work produced.

Great emphasis is placed, in the various methods of assessment used, on the student’s ability to demonstrate the above skills (1-4) through the production of cogent and coherent written and oral responses to problems and tasks set. Students also submit a dissertation in their final year which is an ideal vehicle for demonstrating these skills (and especially 4), although they are constantly demonstrated also throughout their other work.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

Graduates in Persian and Middle Eastern Studies will be:

1. able to work independently and be self-reliant;
2. open to new ideas, methods and ways of thinking;
3. intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest
4. able to demonstrate and exercise independence of mind and creativity in thought, especially in the field of Persian, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (including history, literature, culture, politics and religion);
5. able to assess and respond to the ideas of others, constructing cogent arguments through critical reasoning and the application of linguistic, literary, historical and social concepts.

1-5 are all fostered throughout the curriculum. 1 is learned through the extensive independent study and self-discipline required in both language learning and the Humanities and Social Sciences. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are also developed throughout the programme. Formative and summative assessment is used to develop, consolidate and evaluate these skills. All five are particularly developed by the final-year Dissertation.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

Graduates in Persian and Middle Eastern Studies will be able to:

1. process, structure and communicate ideas effectively and at an advanced level of proficiency, both orally and in written form in both Persian and English;
2. communicate clearly and accurately, constructing cogent arguments;
3. participate constructively in group discussions, assessing and responding effectively to the ideas of others; and
4. communicate effectively in English to inform others about aspects of Arabic language, culture, history, politics and literature

All courses require regular written work, on which feedback is provided, so that students develop not only their understanding but also their powers of written expression, while tutorials and tutorial presentations allow development of oral expression, participation in groups and communication with others.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

Graduates in Persian and Middle Eastern Studies will be able to:

1. work autonomously, setting their own goals, self-motivating and organising their own learning;
2. manage their time and priorities and work to self-imposed and external deadlines;
3. collaborate effectively and productively with others in the process of learning and presenting conclusions;
4. confidently rely on their own intellectual capacities;
5. exercise sensitivity to ambiguity and multiplicity of meanings; and
6. confidently interact with, and think about, cultural difference.

All skills (1-6) are acquired throughout the degree programme. Skills 3-6 are particularly acquired through interactions with fellow students, tutors and lecturers. The time spent studying abroad also contributes very significantly to 1, 2 and 6.

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

Expertise in the Persian language is by far the most important technical skill acquired in the course of the Persian and Middle Eastern Studies degree. Students will be able to:

1. read, write and speak Persian at a high level of proficiency;
2. translate from and into Persian.

In addition, graduates will also develop:

1 IT skills—the ability to use computers for word-processing, information storage and for retrieving information from the worldwide web; and

2 library skills—the ability to use libraries for the recovery of information, and related research skills, including the ability to discriminate between different types of information.

Throughout their studies, students take classes and receive instruction in Persian.  Language skills are assessed by class and home exercises, tests and degree examinations (including oral and aural examination). Likewise IT and library skills are fostered throughout the degree programme and are tested in coursework and examinations, especially the final year dissertation.

Programme structure and features

Full details of the degree programme and structure can be found at:
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/16-17/dpt/drps_llc.htm

Courses are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials.

Details of courses can be found at:
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/16-17/dpt/cx_colhss.htm

Entrance Requirements: http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/degrees

Progression Requirements: Students are normally expected to have gained 120 credits from each year of study.

Students who do not progress into Honours may graduate after three years of full-time study, or a longer prescribed period of part-time study, with a B.A. in Arts, Humanities and Social Science.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Teaching and Learning strategies employed at the University of Edinburgh consist of a variety of different methods appropriate to the programme aims.  The graduate attributes listed above are met through a teaching and learning framework (detailed below) which is appropriate to the level and content of the course.

Teaching and Learning Activities

In Year 1

Lectures

Tutorials

In Year 2

Lectures

Tutorials

In Year 3

Year abroad Work

Dissertation

In Year 4

Seminars

Lectures

Presentations

Group Work

Dissertation

Festival of Creative Learning
The University of Edinburgh Festival of Creative Learning is scheduled in Week 6 of Semester 2. During this week ‘normal’ teaching is suspended which provides space outwith the curriculum for staff and students to explore new learning activities.

Assessment methods and strategies

. Assessment

Courses can be assessed by a diverse range of methods and often takes the form of formative work which provided the student with on-going feedback as well as summative assessment which is submitted for assessment.

In Year 1

Written Examinations

Coursework Essays

Coursework Exercises

Oral Examinations

In Year 2

Written Examinations

Coursework Essays

Coursework Exercises

Oral Examinations

In Year 3

Year Abroad Work

Dissertation

Independent Study

In Year 4

Written Examinations

Coursework Essays

Oral Examinations

Aural Examinations

Career opportunities

The Middle East is one of the UK’s major trading partners so there is a high demand for graduates who speak Persian. The degree programme will also prepare you for careers in the Diplomatic Service, the Civil Service or non-government organisations. Graduates also enter teaching, the media or continue with postgraduate study.

Other items

1. All students are assigned a Personal Tutor on admission to the degree programme, who oversees the course of the student’s degree programme, offers advice on academic matters and should be the student’s first point of contact for course-related worries or concerns.

2. The School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures has a student support office, where students can go for advice on degree transfers, course changes, authorised interruption of studies, confirmation letters and general support. Information can be found at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/literatures-languages-cultures/current-students/undergraduate-support

3. Student opinion is actively sought through participation in Staff-Student Liaison Committees, through the election of class- and tutorial-representatives, and by the wide circulation and review of detailed student questionnaires each semester.

4. In addition to having Persian as a single honours degree, Persian may be combined with other subjects in a Joint Honours degree.  These joint degrees currently include:

• Arabic and Persian
• Persian and Anthropology
• Persian and Politics
• Persian Studies and English Literature