Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature

Classical Persian through Living Books: Unlocking the Persian Manuscripts

Online course (2 weeks)

November 11th - November 21st

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Instructor: Ruben S. Nikoghosyan
Languages: English, Persian
Duration: 2 weeks, 8 days (16 hours)
Frequency: 4 classes per week (Monday-Thursday)
Duration of each Class: 2 hours (6 pm Yerevan Time)
Participation Fee: 260 USD
Deadline for Applications: November 8th
Location: Online (Zoom)
Level of Persian: Intermediate, Advanced

Registration: To apply, please click the “Apply” button above. Complete all required fields and submit. Accepted applicants will receive further instructions on participation.

 

"Rustam Pleads for Tus Before Kai Khusrau," Folio from a Shahnama. 1341 AD (Metropolitan Museum)

Course Description

 

The online course “Classical Persian through Living Books: Unlocking the Persian Manuscripts” focuses on manuscript studies within Persianate societies, providing participants with essential skills to read and interpret handwritten materials in Classical Persian.

The course spans a broad chronological and geographical range, exposing students to various styles, scripts, and orthographic conventions used in manuscript production. From early Persian documents written in the 8th century to masterpieces like the Baysunghurī Gulistān (15th c.) and the Shāhnāma-yi Tahmāspī (16th c.), participants will gain a deeper understanding of how the Persian language and its manuscripts evolved across regions such as Iran, Anatolia, Central Asia, and India.

Through the selected manuscripts, students will explore the intersection of Persianate literary traditions and manuscript art, mastering orthographic and grammatical conventions as well as phonetical characteristics of Classical Persian.

Selected Manuscripts for Study

 

Why Participate in This Course?

  • Develop the skills to navigate handwritten Persian texts from different historical periods.
  • Learn about Persian manuscript traditions and orthographic variations across regions.
  • Read from renowned manuscripts such as Kalīlah va-Dimnah (1219), the Florence Shahnameh (1217), and more.
  • Delve into the broader cultural and linguistic history of Persianate societies, gaining insights into the development of Persian writing.
  • Benefit from the instructor’s knowledge of Classical Persian and manuscript studies.

Methodology

 

Using a philological, literary, and historical-linguistic approach, this course will clarify even the most complex passages of Classical Persian manuscripts. Participants will learn to independently read and interpret historical handwritten texts, empowered by a combination of linguistic and literary analysis.

Note: The instructor will be happy to answer questions about manuscripts participants may be working on, and assist them in reading passages of their interest during or after class.

Learning Persian literature with Ruben was a fantastic experience. I started learning Persian out of necessity, but thanks to Ruben, I began to understand the beauty of its language and literature, and now I am enjoying learning Persian.
So Jeong LeeMA Student in Art History, Seoul National University, South Korea
This was the second course that I have taken with Ruben and I cannot recommend studying with him highly enough! He is an incredibly engaging teacher who really makes the course material come to life. I have studied Persian for many years but my courses with Ruben have been on a whole other level.
Ali Hassan
Ali HassanDepartment of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA
I absolutely loved Ruben's course on Tarikh-i Baihaqi. Although designed as a brief course, Ruben's meticulous analysis of terms and concepts offers a comprehensive tour of the entire world of classical Persian literature. Ruben's in-depth knowledge of the Persian language and its literary traditions and his ability to connect words and phrases to their historical and cultural contexts is something that opens up the world of classical Persian.
Zubair Khalid
Zubair KhalidJawaharlal Nehru University, India
Besides the philological approach that drew me to the course in the first place, I enjoyed the wide ranging discussions on orthography, scribal cultures, and the editorial history of the text. Ruben deployed a method of close reading, which allowed us to work around meanings at different levels and appreciate the occasional ambiguities in a work. This is an invaluable training for anyone interested in texts, irrespective of the language and culture. I wholeheartedly recommend Ruben's courses to anyone interested in the literary cultures of the Persianate societies, not the least for the passion with which he takes you through a literary work.
Somok RoyDoctoral Student, University of Bonn, Germany
Thanks to his vast and deep familiarity with several religious, historical and literary texts written in Middle and Classical Persian, Ruben’s well-structured courses have always been intellectually stimulating and inspiring. In addition to his knowledge of secondary literature in Russian, French, German, Armenian, Persian and English, Ruben often draws on riches of the Persian literary canon to explain linguistic features.
Kristof Szitar
Kristof SzitarPhD candidate, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland

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CONTACT
Ruben S. Nikoghosyan (Yerevan, Armenia)
Number: +37498513969 (WhatsApp)

Email: nikoghosyanruben@gmail.com