A lecture in Persian by Kamran Talattof (University of Arizona). October 8, 2017. The history of Iranian cinema adequately reflects the construction of gender in Iran. But the expression of sexuality is a problematic notion on a number of levels. In western societies, the preoccupation with human sexuality prompted reflection about human physiology, gender identity,...

A lecture in English by Kamran Talattof (University of Arizona). October 09, 2017. One of the earliest Persian poets, Rudaki (859–941), employed the word wine within a wide semantic register in his poems. However, his unicity is most manifest when the process of wine making is depicted within a highly allegorical poem entitled “Mother of Wine."...

A lecture in Persian by Behrooz Parhami (UCSB). November 19, 2017. The Persian script has presented some difficulties, ever since printing presses were introduced in Iran in the 1600s. The appearance of typewriters created additional problems and the introduction of digital computers added to the design challenges. These difficulties persisted, until high-resolution dot-matrix printing offered greater...

A lecture in English by Behrooz Parhami (UCSB). November 20, 2017.  The Persian script has presented some difficulties, ever since printing presses were introduced in Iran in the 1600s. The appearance of typewriters created additional problems and the introduction of digital computers added to the design challenges. These difficulties persisted, until high-resolution dot-matrix printing offered greater...

Abbas Amanat (Yale) In this book talk given in Persian, Abbas Amanat discusses the challenges and rewards of writing about a half millennium of history in his recently published book: Iran: A Modern History  (Yale University Press, 2017). Event Flyer

Mehrzad Boroujerdi (Syracuse) In this presentation, Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University and Visiting Scholar at UCLA’s Center for Near Eastern Studies, will address such issues as the central tenants of Iranian identity, attempts to refine it, and the current challenges and controversies regarding this contested notion. Event Flyer

Following the lectures of the speakers, there will be a period for Q & A. Amir AghaKouchak (UC Irvine) Anthropogenic Drought and the Notion of Water-Bankruptcy خشکسالی انسانی و مقوله ورشکستگی آبی The presentation focuses on Iran currently experiencing serious water and environmental problems. Droughts coupled with increasing water demands and over-abstraction of surface and...