The Roshan Graduate Interdisciplinary Program

The Roshan Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) in Persian and Iranian Studies offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees focusing on modern or classical Persian literature and culture or Iranian (or other Persian speaking societies') history, religion, social organization, and politics.

The program benefits from the long tradition of Persian and Iranian studies at the University of Arizona's School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies (formerly the Department of Near Eastern Studies) which offers an undergraduate minor in Persian.

The program intends to prepare graduates to work in academic, private, and public positions where extensive and expert knowledge of Iran and other Persian speaking societies such as Afghanistan and Tajikistan is required.

The Roshan GIDP also creates a broad forum for scholarly activities around Persian and Iranian studies on campus and in the wider community.

The Roshan GIDP benefits from the support of University of Arizona's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate College, GIDPs Administrative Office, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies (MENAS), and other affiliated disciplinary departments.

A Brief History

Persian and Iranian Studies at the University of Arizona has been housed in the Department of Oriental Studies, the Department of Near Eastern Studies, and most recently in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies (MENAS).

The Persian and Iranian Studies program at the University of Arizona has long benefited from a variety of relevant thematic courses taught by faculty with Persian and Iranian research interests. Indo-European Historical Linguistics was first offered in 1967-68, as was Islamic Literature in Translation. The inaugural year of Persian language courses was 1969.

In subsequent years, and particularly after the hiring of Dr. Ludwig Adamec, a specialist in the history of Afghanistan, “History of Modern Iran and Afghanistan” was added to the curriculum. In 1972, Dr. Richard Eaton, a historian, was hired to teach Persian language and the history of Sufism, among other courses.

Over time more courses related to Persian culture, history, and Iran were added to the Middle East studies curriculum with the hiring of the late geographer Dr. Michael Bonine, anthropologist Dr. Anne Betteridge, linguist Dr. Simin Karimi, Persian language and literature and Iranian culture scholar Dr. Kamran Talattof, and comparative literature scholar Dr. Yaseen Noorani.

In 2000, Dr. Talattof established a more independent program in Persian Studies within the Department of Near Eastern Studies. He received a grant for the support of Persian instruction. The library holdings in Persian also increased fourfold. The number of students increased in the following years.

In 2003, Dr. Talattof received a grant from the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, which established and promoted graduate studies in Persian and Iranian Studies. It became one of the largest graduate programs in the nation with 18 graduate students affiliated.

In 2016, Dr. Kamran Talattof, with the support of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, received a multimillion-dollar grant from the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute to establish the Roshan Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Persian and Iranian Studies. He founded the program in 2016-2017.

The Roshan GIDP is located in the Graduate College, and it closely collaborates with the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and with many faculty in various departments.

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, a U.S.-based nonprofit foundation, sponsors educational and cultural activities that promote understanding, transmission, and instruction of Persian language and culture. The expression Roshan in Persian literally means “clear” or “bright” and its true meaning is associated with “light” connected to the concepts of clarity and enlightenment. This word embodies the guiding principle behind the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute’s mission of addressing the importance of Persian culture and achieving understanding through education and community involvement.