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. As an experienced language teacher and researcher in Iranian
studies, his teaching style is an amalgam of historical linguistics and detailed philological analysis.
Thanks to his helpfulness, modesty, flexibility and characteristic humor, his lessons are always
engaging and entertaining.
Kristof Szitar
PhD candidate, Université de Lausanne
What I enjoy most from Ruben’s teaching style is ability to
always answer questions in depth and provide students with up-to-date literature. No question
is too small or too large!
The Middle Persian course that I studied with Ruben provided me with a working grasp of
Middle Persian, especially the ability to translate key texts of the Sasanian period and
understand them in context. Ruben is extremely knowledgeable in both Middle and Classical
Persian and positioned each text in its appropriate linguistic and cultural context, making it
both more enjoyable and easier to comprehend. I personally found the linguistic links to
Modern Persian, Parthian and Armenian very enjoyable.
Natasha Parnian
PhD Candidate, Macquarie University
I highly recommend the courses with Ruben. He is a truly passionate teacher and scholar with a deeply knowledge and understanding of Middle and Classical Persian texts. His lessons are very well organized and structured. What I like most about his courses is the introduction with the historical, linguistic and geographical context. He is always willing to help you with questions that may arise and he provide articles for personal studying. Through his classes you can understand his love for Iranian studies and he transmits that to you.
Christina Kouna
MA Orthodox Christian theology and Religious Pluralism, Hellenic Open University, Greece
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.
I took the Classical Persian course and Shahnameh course, which allowed me to understand the necessary grammar and sentence structures to read classical Persian literature. Most of all, Ruben did his best to enhance my reading ability by letting me read and translate each line of Persian text by myself. I first thought my Persian skills were not good enough to read those texts and stumbled a lot when I read them, but Ruben always waited until I made enough effort to think about the text and then gave a practical guideline based on my level.
So Jeong Lee
MA Student in Art History, Seoul National University, South Korea