Dr. Kamran Talattof Receives 2024 SBS Outstanding Service Award

SBS Outstanding Service Award

This award acknowledges outstanding and distinguished contributions by a faculty member to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the home unit. 
 

Kamran Talattof, Professor, Middle Eastern and North African Studies

Kamran Talattof is a professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, or MENAS, and founding chair of the Roshan Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Persian and Iranian Studies. Since joining the University of Arizona in 1999, he has taught courses on classical and modern Persian literature and language, Iranian history and cinema, and Middle Eastern women’s writing. 

Talattof has worked to establish a thriving Persian program and develop a more robust graduate studies program in MENAS. During his time in the department, he has secured grants to expand Persian course offerings and increase graduate enrollment. Talattof’s innovative courses include Gender Issues and Women’s Literature in the Middle East, and Iranian Cinema, Gender Issues and Social Change. 

Talattof received major grants from the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, which helped establish and fund three endowed faculty. He regularly organizes academic and cultural activities including films, lectures, visiting scholars, student support, and more. Through program development, distinction in his field, and global engagement through invitations to speak and participate at institutions such as the University of Bonn, Talattof has gained international recognition. 

“In the midst of a demanding research agenda and teaching load, I have consistently dedicated significant efforts to service and leadership roles,” wrote Talattof. “I am deeply honored by the recognition of my home university, an institution I hold in the highest regard.”