Expert in Cultural Keys of Iran. Course scheme

The course consists of 3 modules with the following subjects:

The three subjects seek to provide information on the history and artistic and cultural manifestations of Iran from the founding of the Achaemenid Empire to the present day. For this, the module has been designed in three subjects, which cover the most important periods in the history of Iran, taught by experts in each of them: the first, “The Iran of the Empires: pre-Islamic period” covers the history of the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid Empires and accounts for a very important part of the history of Iran without which nothing of today can be understood, as well as the most important monuments and archaeological ruins that any traveler visits in Iran. The second “Safavid Iran” covers the most remarkable and glorious part of Iran in the post-Islamization period, as well as Iran’s openness to diplomatic relations with the West. On the other hand, a good part of the great monuments that are visited in Iran correspond to this period. Finally, “Contemporary Iran” seeks for students to understand the historical evolution of Iran from the Qajar dynasty to the present day, with the tension between nationalism, colonialism, Westernism and traditionalism that has characterized the social, political and cultural life of Iran since the XIX century to the present day.

Students will hand in a piece of work at the end of the module subjects, which will be evaluated jointly by the module teachers.

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In this module, students will receive comprehensive training on the national religion of Iran before Islamization: Zoroastrianism is a religion that continues to exist in contemporary Iran, which has a very long history dating back to 1,500 years before the birth of Christ. , with some very important features in the world religions as a whole, such as the fact of being most likely the first religion of salvation and the first revealed religion and with an enormous influence on the literature and thought of Islamic Iran to this day; Suffice it to say that the most characteristic national celebration of Iran, Nowruz, comes from the pre-Islamic period and currently has identity elements that extend throughout Iran and the countries that were once under Achaemenid control. The second subject of the This module seeks for students to understand the process of formation of the different Shiites throughout the history of the Islamic religion and its theoretical, social and political foundations, learn about the process of appearance of the first Shiite rulers and their relations with Sunni governments and Western nation-states.

Students will hand in a piece of work at the end of the module subjects, which will be evaluated jointly by the module teachers.

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