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Persian will be offered through the Five College Mentored Language Program during the 2008-2009 academic year. Two visiting Fulbright scholars will be in residence for the year making it possible to offer Persian in the expanded format. Persian is normally offered through the Supervised Independent Language Program. 
These courses cover Persian as spoken in Iran (Iranian Farsi). Students interested in Persian as spoken in Afghanistan, should see the Dari courses offered in the Five College Supervised Independent Language Program. Students interested in starting Persian need to have a basic reading and writing knowledge of the script as a prerequisite for starting the course. We recommend the website Easy Persian as a helpful resource.
Students who already have some experience with Persian will need to have a placement interview. Students who speak Persian/Farsi, but do not read and write may need the special course "Written Persian." See the description below.
Mentored Persian courses require seven to ten hours per week of independent study, a weekly one-hour conversation session, and a weekly thirty-minute individual tutorial with the Persian mentor. Course plan study guides and syllabi are on on the Five College Center for the Study of World Language's LangMedia website.
These courses are each worth either 2.0 or 1.5 credits at UMass. Transfer credit at the colleges varies, but is generally: Amherst College – ½ course; Hampshire – credit; Mount Holyoke – 2 credits and at the elementary level two courses or the equivalent are required to receive credit; Smith – 2 credits and at the elementary level two courses or the equivalent are required to receive credit.
Registration in these courses requires a special application process. See How to Register for details. The pre-registration deadline for Fall 2008 is Friday, April 18th, 2008. Applications will continue to be reviewed, as long as space is available, until September 5, 2008. Placement request deadline for students with prior experience with the language is April 18th, 2008. To contact the Center, e-mail fcsilp@hfa.umass.edu or call 413-545-3453.
The conversation session times for the half-course Persian I and the full-course Persian I-II are given below. Times for other courses will be determined based on enrollment. Tutorials will be scheduled at the end of the first week of the semester. Students will be given preference in tutorial times and locations based on order of application and registration. Enrolled students must provide the mentored program staff with up-to-date schedule information by the course registration deadline. Students who make changes in their schedules after that date will have to take whatever time slots and locations are still available.
Beginning course, no prerequisites. Independent study combined with weekly small group conversation sessions and individual tutorials with the Five College Persian mentor. Emphasis on developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Final grade based on weekly homework and conversation session preparation, an end of semester writing skills assessment, and a final oral exam.
Conversation sessions: Fridays 3:45-4:45 pm at Hampshire College
Tutorial times: Wednesdays 2:40-4:40 pm at Mt. Holyoke College or Thursdays 3:30-7:30 pm at UMass
Beginning course, no prerequisites. Independent study combined with weekly small group conversation sessions and individual tutorials with the Five College Persian mentor. Emphasis on developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Final grade based on weekly homework and conversation session preparation, an end of semester writing skills assessment, and a final oral exam.
Conversation sessions and tutorials to be arranged
A first course in written Persian for students who speak Persian/Iranian Farsi, but do not read and write. Emphasis on developing reading and writing skills including the study of grammar and proper usage. One-hour per week of individual tutorial, no group conversation sessions. Final grade based on weekly homework and an end of semester reading and writing skills assessment.
Tutorials:Wednesdays 2:40-4:40 pm at Mt. Holyoke College or Thursdays 3:30-7:30 pm at UMass
Prerequisite is Mentored Persian I or the equivalent.
Conversation sessions: Fridays 2:45-3:45 PM
Tutorials: Wednesdays 2:40-4:40 pm at Mt. Holyoke College or Thursdays 3:30-7:30 pm at UMass
Prerequisite is Mentored Persian I or the equivalent.
Conversation sessions and tutorials to be arranged
A continuation of Written Persian I. Prerequisite: Written Persian I or the equivlanet. Emphasis on developing reading and writing skills including the study of grammar and proper usage. One-hour per week of individual tutorial, no group conversation sessions. Final grade based on weekly homework and an end of semester reading and writing skills assessment.
Tutorials: Wednesdays 2:40-4:40 pm at Mt. Holyoke College or Thursdays 3:30-7:30 pm at UMass
Prerequisite is Mentored Persian II or the equivalent.
Conversation sessions and tutorials to be arranged
Prerequisite is Mentored Persian III or the equivalent.
Conversation sessions and tutorials to be arranged
Five College Supervised Independent Language Program
Five College Mentored Language Courses
Language and International Opportunities Web
LangMedia: The Five College Foreign Language Media Archive
Five College International and Regional Studies
Five College Language Departments
Language Resources on the Web
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Five Colleges, Incorporated is the consortium of Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.