The University of British Columbia (UBC) Asian Studies department has embarked on a vigorous initiative to establish a Persian Language and Iranian Studies program at the university. For details kindly consult:
UBC Initiative in Persian Language and Iranian Studies (pdf)
Below is an excerpt from the initiative cited in the above file:
Long recognized as a leader in teaching and research on Asia, UBC has recently reaffirmed its commitment to Asia in its new strategic plan, Place and Promise. To date, UBC’s commitment to engagement with Asia has focused primarily on East and South Asia, and indeed, the Chinese and Indic cultural spheres are well represented in the Faculty of Arts—especially so in the department of Asian Studies.
But if Chinese language and civilization have been paramount in East Asia for the past two millennia, and Sanskrit language and literary culture similarly important in South Asia, Persian language and civilization have been equally central to the history of Western, Central and South Asia for roughly the same period of time.
Recognizing the key role of Persianate civilization in the history of Asia, UBC now wishes to take the first steps toward developing academic resources around the language, culture, history and civilization of the Persianate world.
Interested parties are encouraged to contact: Professor Ross King (Chair of the UBC Asian Studies Department) at [email protected] or Emily Williams (Development Officer, Faculty of Arts, UBC) at [email protected].
A video tribute to the UBC Iranian Studies initiative where experts speak to this project in Persian and English.
The 2011-2012 Report to Donors and Friends regarding the Persian Language Program at the University has had an excellent reception – kindly consult the pdf file below for details:
UBC-Report for 2011-2012 (pdf)
The University of British Columbia’s Asian Studies program gave a strong tribute to Kaveh Farrokh acknowledging his long association with the University of British Columbia (UBC) – kindly see video showing the distinguished Professor Harjot S. Oberoi of the UBC Asian Studies program who is a world-class historian at the University of British Columbia’s Asian Studies program.
Professor Harjot S. Oberoi of the UBC Asian Studies program introduces “An Evening with Dr. Kaveh Farrokh – Sassanian Architecture” (Monday March 12, 2011). This talk was given as part of the overall drive to promote support for the University of British Columbia’s Iranian Studies and Persian language initiative.
