Iranian Studies Core & Electives Courses
The Global Studies minor (Iranian Studies specialization) requires 18 units of Core courses. The remaining 10 units can be from the approved Elective courses.
Courses

Politics in Modern Iran
Modern Iran has been a smithy for political movements, ideologies, and types of states. Movements include nationalism, constitutionalism, Marxism, Islamic fundamentalism, social democracy, Islamic liberalism, and fascism. Forms of government include Oriental despotism, authoritarianism, Islamic theocracy, and liberal democracy. These varieties have appeared in Iran in an iteration shaped by history, geography, proximity to oil and the Soviet Union, and the hegemony of Islamic culture.
Dr. Abbas Milani
WINTER 2025
Spring
COMPLIT COMPLIT 171, Spring: Sights and Sounds of Modernity: Iran 1925-1979 (COMPLIT 271)
COLLEGE COLLEGE 119, Spring: Making of the Modern World
Parker, G. (PI)
COMPLIT COMPLIT 151, Spring: Systemic Beauty: Poetry, Film, and the Divine
Huber, M. (PI)
COMPLIT COMPLIT 179, Spring: Rumi: Rhythms of Creation (COMPLIT 249)
COMPLIT COMPLIT 249, Spring: Rumi: Rhythms of Creation (COMPLIT 179)
COMPLIT COMPLIT 254, Spring: The Middle East through Graphic Novel
FILMEDIA FILMEDIA 135, Spring: Around the World in Ten Films (FILMEDIA 335, GLOBAL 135)
GLOBAL GLOBAL 104, Spring: Iranian Cuisine
GLOBAL GLOBAL 135, Spring: Around the World in Ten Films (FILMEDIA 135, FILMEDIA 335)
HISTORY HISTORY 252B, Spring: Diplomacy on the Ground: Case Studies in the Challenges of Representing Your Country (INTNLREL 174)
INTNLREL INTNLREL 174, Spring: Diplomacy on the Ground: Case Studies in the Challenges of Representing Your Country (HISTORY 252B)
PERSLANG PERSLANG 3, Spring: First-Year Modern Persian, Third Quarter
PERSLANG PERSLANG 12A, Spring: Accelerated Second-Year Persian, Second Quarter
PERSLANG PERSLANG 103, Spring: Third-Year Persian, Third Quarter
POLISCI POLISCI 149S, Spring: Islam, Iran, and the West
POLISCI POLISCI 149T, Spring: Middle Eastern Politics
Winter
COMPLIT COMPLIT 249B, Winter: Iranian Cinema in Diaspora (GLOBAL 249B)
GLOBAL GLOBAL 249B, Winter: Iranian Cinema in Diaspora (COMPLIT 249B)
CLASSICS CLASSICS 361, Winter: Persia and the Greeks
GLOBAL GLOBAL 133, Winter: The Medieval Middle East: Crusaders, Turks, and Mongols (GLOBAL 233, HISTORY 283C, HISTORY 383C)
GLOBAL GLOBAL 233, Winter: The Medieval Middle East: Crusaders, Turks, and Mongols (GLOBAL 133, HISTORY 283C, HISTORY 383C)
HISTORY HISTORY 81B, Winter: Making the Modern Middle East
Zou, Y. (TA)
Barakat, N. (PI)
HISTORY HISTORY 181B, Winter: Making the Modern Middle East
Zou, Y. (TA)
Barakat, N. (PI)
HISTORY HISTORY 283C, Winter: The Medieval Middle East: Crusaders, Turks, and Mongols (GLOBAL 133, GLOBAL 233, HISTORY 383C)
HISTORY HISTORY 383C, Winter: The Medieval Middle East: Crusaders, Turks, and Mongols (GLOBAL 133, GLOBAL 233, HISTORY 283C)
PERSLANG PERSLANG 2, Winter: First-Year Modern Persian, Second Quarter
PERSLANG PERSLANG 11A, Winter: Accelerated Second-Year Persian, First Quarter
PERSLANG PERSLANG 102, Winter: Third-Year Persian, Second Quarter
POLISCI POLISCI 245R, Winter: Politics in Modern Iran
Parhad, R. (GP)
Autumn
PERSLANG PERSLANG 11A, Autumn: Accelerated Second-Year Persian, First Quarter
PERSLANG PERSLANG 21, Autumn: Second-Year Modern Persian, First Quarter
CLASSICS CLASSICS 81, Autumn: Ancient Empires: Near East (HISTORY 117)
Morris, I. (PI)
COMPLIT COMPLIT 43, Autumn: Modernity and Politics in Middle Eastern Literatures (HUMCORE 131)
COMPLIT COMPLIT 249A, Autumn: The Iranian Cinema: Image and Meaning (GLOBAL 249A)
GLOBAL GLOBAL 101, Autumn: Critical Issues in Global Affairs
GLOBAL GLOBAL 131L, Autumn: Early Modern Iran: Continuity and Change (HISTORY 281L)
GLOBAL GLOBAL 249A, Autumn: The Iranian Cinema: Image and Meaning (COMPLIT 249A)
HUMCORE HUMCORE 131, Autumn: Modernity and Politics in Middle Eastern Literatures (COMPLIT 43)
PERSLANG PERSLANG 1, Autumn: First-Year Modern Persian, First Quarter
PERSLANG PERSLANG 12A, Autumn: Accelerated Second-Year Persian, Second Quarter
PERSLANG PERSLANG 101, Autumn: Third-Year Persian, First Quarter
Course List
For a representative, rather than comprehensive, list of courses that count towards the minor, see the Related Courses tab of the Bulletin. Other courses may also fulfill the requirements; students should consult their Iranian Studies minor adviser concerning which courses might fulfill minor requirements.
Courses Not Currently Offered
ANTHRO
- ANTHRO 102 : Cults: Mystics and Messiahs in a Modern World
ARTHIST
COMPLIT
- COMPLIT 134A : Classics of Persian Literature (COMPLIT 234)
- COMPLIT 234 : Classics of Persian Literature (COMPLIT 134A)
GLOBAL
- GLOBAL 249C : Contemporary Iranian Theater (COMPLIT 249C)
HISTORY
- HISTORY 201A : The Global Drug Wars (HISTORY 301A)
- HISTORY 301A : The Global Drug Wars (HISTORY 201A)
JEWISHST
MUSIC
PERSLANG
- PERSLANG 1A : Accelerated First-Year Persian, First Quarter
- PERSLANG 22 : Second-Year Modern Persian, Second Quarter
- PERSLANG 23 : Second-Year Modern Persian ,Third Quarter
POLISCI
- POLISCI 118P : U.S. Relations with Iran
- POLISCI 211N : Nuclear Politics (POLISCI 311N)
- POLISCI 311N : Nuclear Politics (POLISCI 211N)
PUBLPOL
- PUBLPOL 217 : The Future of Global Cooperation (INTLPOL 217)