Testimonial by Modje Taavon

Ph.D. Student, Comparative and World Literature, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA

2 weeks 2023 Learn Persian Through the Shahname

The Aspirantum Shāhnāmeh class has been one of the saving graces of my graduate career. 

Ruben is an incredible instructor with a wide breadth of knowledge of both classical Persian and Middle Persian language and literature, which enriches the study of Ferdowsi’s epic. Ruben is also very generous with his time, knowledge, and resources. The course is also very well-structured; the homework translations and in-class reviews are incredibly useful when attempting to study a medieval text, and I have noticed a marked difference in my speed and ability to read/understand classical Persian.

I would recommend this course to any student of Persian poetry or lover of Persian literature, and I look forward to future courses.

Interested? Check Upcoming Persian Language Courses!


Our Persian language courses are open to anyone with upper elementary or intermediate knowledge of the Persian language. The lectures are organized with the academic interests of our participants in mind. Students as well as researchers working in Iranian Studies and relevant fields will benefit the most from our courses.

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Other Testimonials.

Hinesh Shah

M.Phil. student, University of Oxford

“The Aspirantum Shahname course was an excellent course with only 1 drawback- I wish it could have been longer!”

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Piotr Szustakiewicz

MA student, University of Warsaw, Poland

“The course ”Learn Persian Through the Shahname” in which I took part in September 2020 was a wonderful experience.”

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Sandra Williams

PhD student, History of Art Department, University of Michigan, USA

“I would consider taking this course again to practice reading more of the manuscript. I highly recommend the “Learn Persian Through the Shahnameh” course to anyone interested in medieval Persian literature or learning about the evolution of the language.”

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