This course extends on the skillset developed in Intermediate Persian A, itself a foundation on Introductory Persian A and B. It involves a more detailed presentation of functions of the language, oral and aural practice, and reading of texts and the writing of compositions that incorporate features of the language already presented through some important cultural issues. On completion of this subject students will have acquired upper-intermediate proficiency in Persian conversational forms, a versatile proficiency in understanding written structures and an ability to formulate such structures, an understanding of some of the commonly used grammatical structures of Persian and the ability to apply them in speech and writing, the ability to interpret messages of an average complexity occurring in audio-visual media and in individual and group spoken forms, and familiarity with some of the dominant cultural ideas and forms of Persian culture and history.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. demonstrate sufficient reading comprehension to understand factual material in nontechnical prose as well as most discussion on concrete and abstract topics using relevant knowledge of linguistic and cultural context, including with unfamiliar material;
2. speak with understandable pronunciation and initiate and maintain predictable face-to-face conversations to satisfy both regular and uncommon social demands with fundamentally correct grammar, accurate and suitable use of verbs and tenses, and suitable vocabulary, including both in formal, standard, and colloquial Persian;
3. write correspondence and compositions on academic topics as well as about daily situations, current events and describe surroundings and causation with good control of morphology, punctuation and grammatical conventions at an upper-intermediate level; and
4. comprehend and engage in medium-length conversations and trade questions about personal, social, cultural, and historical issues with flexibility in understanding a range of circumstances beyond basic survival needs in all tenses.

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	The History of Iran before the Advent of Islam: Simple and Compound Sentences, Causatives, Relatives – Review History of Iran from the Advent of Islam to the Mongol Invasion: Stem and Infinitive, Passive, and Affixes
2	Iran’s History from the Mongol Invasion to the Contemporary Period; Stem and infinitive, Compound Infinitive, Indefinite, Object The Culture and Civilisation of Iran: Compound Infinitive, Compound Passives
3	The Culture and Civilisation of Iran (2): Compound Infinitives, Affixes Pre-Islamic Religions in Iran; Auxiliary Verbs, Formality and Embellishment, Active as Passive	Quiz 1 August 14
4	The Spread of Islam in Iran: Vague Qualifiers, Arabic Broken Plural, Affixes, Tanvin	Written Assignment 1 August 20
5	Iranian Polymaths in Islamic Civilisation; Compound Nouns, Affixes, Manners and Respect.
6	Persian Language (1): Compound Adjectives, Affixes, Compound Relatives	Oral Presentation 1 September 4
7	Persian Language (2): Counting
8	Pre-Islamic Persian Literature: Adverbs, Repetition of Adjectives/ Adverbs	Quiz 2 September 27
9	Persian Literature from Islam to the Mongols: Poetry Examples	Written Assignment 2 October 9
10	Persian Literature from the Mongols to the Modern Period: Affixes
11	Contemporary Persian Literature: Literary and Standard Language Differences	Oral Presentation 2 October 23
12	Art and Architecture in Ancient and Contemporary Iran: Structure of Persian Imperative, Affixes, Arabic and Persian Composites, Official and literary Vocabulary	Final exam November 4-6 Final exam Postgraduates November 13

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value
Participation/ Conversation10%	10 %
Online Quizzes via Wattle (2) - 20% (10% each)	20 %
Written Compositions (500 words) submitted via Wattle (2) - 25% (12.5% each)	25 %
6-10 minute Online Oral Tutorial Presentations (2) - 25% (12.5% each)	25 %
3-hour Final Test via Wattle - 20%	20 %

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Participation/ Conversation10%

Students must study the content provided on the course website for each lesson each week. At a comfortable pace this is expected to require 2-3 hours of study. This study should be completed, where possible, by the time of the Weekly Online Tutorial. The topic of each week conversation is provided by the lecturer and students will be assessed based on their preparation, participation in the discussion and asking and answering questions.

 

Assessment Task 2

Online Quizzes via Wattle (2) - 20% (10% each)

The quizzes will assess student learning progress and provide ongoing practice and consolidation of learning. They consist of a series of 10-20 questions (in multiple choice, short answer, or other format). The assessable content will be of what students have studied/learned in the relevant weeks’ lessons via the course website. These quizzes are open-book and students can refer to the course website or other materials.

Assessment Task 3

Written Compositions (500 words) submitted via Wattle (2) - 25% (12.5% each)

These written compositions will be entirely in Persian. Students are expected to utilise vocabulary and constructions learned in class to assess student learning progress. These assignments will be announced and administered via Wattle and must be submitted through the submission field in Wattle for the relevant lesson/week. There is some flexibility in the topic students write on, though in Intermediate Persian B, one will focus on formal writing while another will focus on learning in the colloquial/spoken Persian language.

Assessment Task 4

6-10 minute Online Oral Tutorial Presentations (2) - 25% (12.5% each)

These presentations will be conducted in the Weekly Online Tutorials via Adobe Connect or by prior recording (by agreement between lecturer and students). The first will comprise a spoken presentation in standard Persian but in a conversational style, the second will also be in a conversation style but must be in colloquial (as opposed to formal) Persian. Students will receive guidance and ongoing support in preparing presentations on topics of interest. One will be an individual presentation on a topic decided on by the student based on course learning while another will focus on spoken/colloquial Persian and may be completed either individually, in pairs, or in a group.

Assessment Task 5

3-hour Final Test via Wattle - 20%

This will be conducted in the same way as the fortnightly quizzes on Wattle but will be comprehensive and longer – it will cover all the content learned in Intermediate Persian B. It will take place either at the end of semester or during the ANU Exam Period.

 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students