# Persian Studies (Minor)

UC Irvine · 2026-2027 Catalog · Department: Special Programs

Source: https://catalogue.uci.edu/schoolofhumanities/specialprograms/persianstudies_minor/

**Touraj Daryaee,** **Director**  
400 Murray Krieger Hall  
www.humanities.uci.edu/persianstudiesminor

The interdisciplinary minor in Persian Studies offers undergraduate students an opportunity to study the Iranian and the Persianate world through the study of language, literature, history, and culture. Students who complete the minor will acquire command of the Persian language and have a grasp of the history, literature, art and architecture, cinema, and_/_or music of the Iranian and the Persianate world. With a minor in Persian Studies, students will learn how to study Persian literary and historical texts and selected cultural art forms as well as the history of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikestan, and beyond. The minor may be taken in tandem with any major.

### Requirements

##### Requirements

Requirements for the minor are met by taking seven courses (28 units) beyond PERSIAN 2C (of which no more than four may be lower-division, excluding first and second year Persian language courses) as specified below. No more than four courses may be taken in any one single discipline.

| Course | Title | Units |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **A. Complete the following:** | |  |
| PERSIAN 2C | Intermediate Persian (or equivalent proficiency) |  |
| **B. Complete the following:** | |  |
| HISTORY 131B | Ancient Persia |  |
| HISTORY 131C | Medieval Persia |  |
| HISTORY 131D | Modern Iran |  |
| **C. Select four courses from the following:** | |  |
| HISTORY 70E | Problems in History: Middle East and Africa |  |
| HISTORY 131B | Ancient Persia |  |
| HISTORY 131C | Medieval Persia |  |
| HISTORY 132B | The Emergence of the Modern Middle East |  |
| MUSIC 82A | MAHUR-Pish Radif: Introduction to Classical Persian Music |  |

1. With the approval of the Director, other relevant courses also may satisfy the requirements for the minor.

**Residence requirement for the minor**: Four upper-division courses required for the minor must be completed successfully at UCI.