UCLA on track to introduce new Iranian studies minor

BY JOSEPH VESCERA

Bruin contributor

[email protected]

Students interested in the history and culture of Iran will soon be able to declare a minor in Iranian studies.

The minor is expected to officially open to undergraduate students later this quarter, after faculty in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures unanimously voted in November to create it.

William Schniedewind, chair of the department, said the minor was created because of the continuing growth of enrollment and interest in Iranian studies courses offered by his department.

The minor’s creation is part of an ongoing “grand plan” for the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures to update its curriculum.

The new minor encompasses existing courses in Iranian history, literature and language. Specific courses range from Iranian archaelogy to ancient Persian religion, and the minor requires students to complete five upper division courses.

Schniedewind said he thinks the more general Middle Eastern studies major combined with a country or culture-specific minor will give students a more comprehensive understanding of their area of study.

The department’s plan is meant to emphasize the major, created in fall 2013, by offering minors in specific cultures and languages, such as Hebrew and Jewish studies and Iranian, that complement the major through a specific area of study.

In addition to Middle Eastern studies students, Schniedewind said the new minor is also aimed at students with an interest in Iranian studies, but do not want to take on the full Iranian studies major. These students can now take multiple Iranian studies courses for the minor while retaining their primary focus on their unrelated major, Schniedewind added.

Hirboud Meshkin, a board member of the Iranian Student Group, said he thinks it is appropriate for the university to have an Iranian studies minor, since many other minors at UCLA focus on specific ethnic groups.

Meshkin, a fourth-year neuroscience and biology student, took and enjoyed a course in Iranian archaeology during his first year. He said he would have considered taking the Iranian studies minor if it had been available three years ago.

“For students, especially Persian students, it’s a very convenient way to learn about their culture while earning credits they need,” he said.

Latifeh Hagigi, a Persian language lecturer, said she hopes the creation of the minor will lead to higher enrollment in the various Iranian studies courses.

“The minor gives students an incentive to take the courses because they will be rewarded with official recognition for their interest in Iran and its culture,” Hagigi said.

She added that she thinks the minor is important because it helps further recognize the large and growing Iranian community in Southern California.

Outside of Iran, the “Tehrangeles” area of Los Angeles has the largest population of Iranians, according to a 2012 BBC report.

Hagigi said she has seen a large growth in student enrollment in her Persian language courses during her more than 20-year tenure at UCLA, which partially prompted the creation of the new minor.

Dan Beckman, a graduate student in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, said he is glad the department will finally offer the minor.

“It’s great to offer very in-depth courses that teach (undergraduate students) of other majors more than just basic Persian and Middle Eastern history,” Beckman said. “It would be great to TA these courses.”

No significant costs will be associated with the minor’s creation because all of the courses for the Iranian studies minor are already offered and professors are already present, Schniedewind said.

Schniedewind said the minor needs to be passed by one more committee before being officially created and open for student enrollment, which should happen later this spring.

As part of the department’s plan, a new minor in ancient Near East and Egyptology, will be open for enrollment beginning fall 2014.