Day 4 - The Islamic Revolution

The Islamic Revolution, which took place in 1978-79, and resulted in the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is the most significant event of recent Iranian history. It is not clear how a civil movement against the Shah’s regime in which most colorful political currents were involved, turned to become an “Islamic” revolution which later came to devour many of its children. However, as a consequence of these political upheavals and the weakening of the Iranian state, about two years later Iraq, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, declared a war on Iran which cost hundreds of thousands of lives from both countries. These dramatic events influenced Iranian society enormously. We are going to have a look at this period of modern Iran history and read articles which present the events from the viewpoint of the Iranian government (Supreme Leadership).

  1. Curriculum
  2. Intermediate Persian Syllabus
  3. Week 8 - Historical Persian (Modern History)
  4. Day 4 - The Islamic Revolution  

Reading: Today, we are going to read two excerpts from “The Narrative of Awakening” authored  by Hamid Ansari which provides “a glance at Imam Khomeini's ideological, intellectual and political biography” serves as an official account of the events before, during, and after the Islamic Revolution. The first part for today is titled “The Formation of the Islamic Government and the Position of Colonial States” (تشکیل حکومت اسلامی و جبهه گیری دُوَل استعماری), and the second is “The Second Revolution: Capture of the American Spy Nest in Iran” (انقلاب دوم، تسخیر لانه جاسوسی آمریکا در ایران).

Listening: The main listening material for today is a BBC Persian documentary that provides an overview of the events and consequences of the Islamic Revolution. 

Additionally, students can also watch a second BBC Persian video focused on the slogans of the revolution. Two more short documentaries from Iran International are also included: one covering the 1979 referendum and the establishment of the new form of government, and another on the Islamic Revolutionary Committee formed shortly after the revolution.

Students are required to pay close attention to the differences in stance and language between official and oppositional accounts of the Islamic Revolution, as reflected in the materials.

Subject of Conversation: 1. What were the causes and the importance of the Islamic Revolution? 2. How did the hostage crisis affect the Iran-American diplomatic relations?

Students will discuss one or both of the assigned topics, with input and guidance from the instructor. This activity will help them actively use newly acquired vocabulary and develop their ability to express complex opinions in Persian.

Homework:
- Please read the texts of both Persian-language excerpts and study the vocabulary.
- a. Compose 15 sentences from the words you’ve learned today. b. Choose a 2-minute segment from the additional listening materials. Transcribe the excerpt and translate any unfamiliar words or expressions into English.
- Make sure to prepare for tomorrow’s discussion.