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The Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies (The Middle East & Central Asia) offers an innovative way to study Persian online. Students at ANU, as well as from universities around Australia and internationally, can apply directly to study Persian online and seek credit for their existing program at their home university. Persian online courses can be enrolled in as electives or part of a major or minor and may be taken by non-students seeking to learn Persian for professional or personal development and requiring study flexibility. Online students achieve the same learning outcomes and obtain the same qualifications as their on-campus counterparts. Persian Online is taught through the innovative language-learning platform, over consecutive semesters of 12 weeks. Students learn in their own time, on a full range of devices, and attend weekly online grammar and conversation tutorials to refine their skills and engage with their peers and lecturers.

• Learn to read, write, listen and converse with confidence in Persian
• Enjoy regular face-to-face online tutorials and personal learning support
• No prior experience needed for Introductory courses
• Interactive and multimedia-enriched learning materials all provided online

Persian Language

Persian, also called Farsi, is spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan and by other communities around the Middle East and Central Asia. Persian was historically understood from the Mediterranean to India where it continues to enjoy a rich literary, cultural, and political legacy. Studying Persian Online is your chance to learn modern Persian – a key language of global politics and world literature – from anywhere around Australia or the world, and to immerse yourself in this highly relevant, yet deeply historical, language and culture. Persian Online students at all levels are given the opportunity and support to develop their skills and knowledge in the directions of personal interest, whether professional, academic, historical, or cultural.

Introductory Persian students quickly master the Persian script and learn to read, write, and converse at a basic level while gaining familiarity with Persian culture, history and modern Iran.
Intermediate Persian students build on the versatile Introductory Persian foundation and delve deeper into the language and culture to learn colloquial forms and develop broader competency and fluency in core language skills across both everyday and advanced topics.

Entry requirements

• Introductory Persian 1 requires no prior knowledge or experience of the language (February start).
• Introductory Persian 2 is open to students who have completed Introductory Persian (July start).
• Intermediate Persian 1 is open to students who have completed at least one year of Persian (equivalent to Introductory Persian A and B) (February start).
• Intermediate Persian 2 is open to students who have completed Intermediate Persian A or equivalent (July start).
• Advanced Persian 1 is open to students who have completed Intermdiate Persian B or equivalent (February start).
• Advanced Persian 2 is offered for students who have completed Advance Persian A or equivalent (July start).

Visit the Persian Online website

You can sample the first Persian Online lesson here. (Some of the interactive exercises are best viewed using the latest version of the Firefox or Chrome browsers.)

How to enrol in online Persian

Apply as a new ANU student - enrolment options for 2021 include Bachelor of Middle East & Central Asian Studies, Bachelor of Languages, Diploma of Languages (re-established for 2021), Non-award study or cross-institutional study.

Enrol in a course

You may need a class number to complete your enrolment in Persian.

Persian - Open Universities Australia

CAIS Persian Online is now available through Open Universities Australia (OUA). This means more people have access to the same CAIS courses through the OUA portal.

Enrol through the Open Universities Australia website.

For further information, contact:

Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies
E cais@anu.edu.au