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Remember, it's never too late to register for a class, even after it's begun. You can always catch up with any sessions you may have missed by watching the video recordings of previous sessions. The time remaining to register before the first class session is below, so stop hesitating and get to it!

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Offered:

In-person, Zoom, or video recordings

  • Introductory Farsi 101 is offered in Term 1 (Feb -Apr) and Term 3 (Jul-Sep) each year pending sufficient student enrolment.

  • This course is offered as an in-person course at the EarthDiverse Centre in Hamilton, New Zealand, live-streamed via Zoom if you live elsewhere, and as video recordings of the live sessions if you cannot attend the regularly scheduled class.

Date & Time:

Begins Friday 2 August 2024

  • Our 2024 Term 3 course is offered on Fridays 4:30-6:00pm (NZ time) beginning Friday 2 August 2024 and meets for 8 consecutive weekly sessions. The last class of the Term is on Friday 20 September 2024.

  • If you live outside of New Zealand and wish to Zoom in to our live class sessions, check the nearest local Time Zone equivalent below.

Time Zone equivalents:

for live-streaming Zoom Sessions from New Zealand. If your Time Zone doesn't suit our live-streamed class, you can also access our courses by watching the live-recorded sessions that are posted to the course webpage each week, usually the next day.

  • Honolulu, Hawai’i: begins Thu 1 Aug 2024, 6:30-8:00pm

  • US Pacific: begins Thu 1 Aug 2024, 9:30pm-11:00pm

  • US Eastern: begins Fri 2 Aug 2024, 12:30 -2:00am

  • London, UK: begins Fri 2 Aug 2024, 5:30-7:00am

  • Paris, France: begins Fri 2 Aug 2024, 6:30-8:00am

  • New Delhi, India: begins Fri 2 Aug 2024, 10:00-11:30am

  • Bangkok: begins Fri 2 Aug 2024, 11:30am-1:00pm

  • Singapore/Shanghai: begins Fri 2 Aug 2024, 12:30-2:00pm

  • Tokyo, Japan: begins Fri 2 Aug 2024, 1:30-3:00pm

  • Sydney, Australia: begins Fri 2 Aug 2024, 2:30-4:00pm

Description:

Our Farsi (Persian) 101 course focus on literacy for new learners and teaches basic introductions, introductory grammar and vocabulary.

  • • This is Part 1 of a four-part Introductory course taught over 4 successive school terms specifically designed for beginning Farsi learners. All of our language courses focus on acquiring reading and conversational skills, and learning about local culture. Our courses are designed for busy people: we do not expect you to study outside of class, nor do we assign homework (unless you’d like some!). Come and spend 12 class hours per Term (eight 1.5 hour weekly classes) learning Farsi and about Persian culture, and have some fun too!

  • • Our Introductory Farsi 101 course focuses on learning the Nastaʿlīq script and basic reading and writing capabilities. As such, it is perfect for beginners. It also introduces some basic introductory grammar & vocabulary and gets students speaking with some basic conversational ability.

  • • Subsequent Term courses of Introductory Farsi (i.e. our Farsi 102-104 courses) continue with reading practice, introductory grammar, vocabulary, and conversation and will continue in the same time slot for the duration of the full course.

Course curriculum:

Week by week new material will be posted throughout the duration of the course. Video recordings of each weekly session will be posted here after 1-2 days after each class.

    1. EarthDiverse Course Information

    2. EarthDiverse Zoom instructions

    1. Farsi for Beginners PDF

    2. Modern Persian by John Mace

    3. Farsi Greetings

    1. Farsi letters practice

    2. 20240801 T3.1 Farsi 101 video

    1. 20240808 T3.2 Farsi 101 PDF

    2. 20240808 T3.2 Farsi 101 video

    1. 20240823 T2.3 Farsi 101 video

    1. 20240830 T3.4 Farsi 101 video

Additional course info:

  • Videos and PDF content of class presentations or whiteboard notes are uploaded weekly after each live session
  • Begins on Fri 2 Aug 2024
  • NZ time: Fridays 4:30-6:00pm

Meet our Instructor:

Farsi Instructor Ahmad Sayadi

Ahmad Sayadi, originally from Iran, is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Waikato University. Alongside his academic pursuits, Ahmad possesses a deep passion for teaching Farsi/Persian to those who have a genuine love for the language. Additionally, he harbors a keen interest in exploring and understanding the rich diversities that exist among various cultures and nations. Ahmad is deeply committed to teaching Persian, recognizing the power of language as a bridge that connects individuals and cultures. He is driven by the belief that language education is not just about communication, but also about fostering understanding, empathy, and appreciation for different cultures. Through his teaching, Ahmad aims to help his students develop a profound appreciation for the beauty and richness of Persian language and culture. Ahmad's love for studying the diversities between cultures and nations extends beyond the realm of language teaching. He actively engages in activities and research that allow him to explore the unique aspects that shape different societies. His interactions with people from diverse backgrounds inspire him to appreciate the richness and beauty found within the tapestry of global cultures.

Location:

This class is a hybrid class with both in-person sessions in our classrooms and streamed live via Zoom.

All in-person classes are held at the EarthDiverse offices and classrooms located at 401 Anglesea Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton (located just north of the Hamilton Central Bus Station) (entrance is located on the side of the building, see map below). Those looking for parking for our evening classes can park just in front of the building in any of the available car parks. Daytime parking can be found in our dedicated car parks, or free 2-hour on-street daytime parking can be found just in front on Anglesea Street.
Location

Distance Learning:

This course has distance-learning options for those unable to attend the live class sessions in Hamilton, New Zealand. Students have three options for attending our courses once they have registered:

  • Attend in-person classes in our Hamilton classrooms at the regularly scheduled day and time.

  • Attend our live on-line classroom sessions via Zoom at the regular scheduled day and time.

  • Watch the live-recorded class sessions at your leisure, at a time, day and place more suited to your schedule.

Distance-Learning options:

Live Zoom sessions or Video-Recordings

  • • In addition to our in-person classes in Hamilton, our courses offer distance learning options for those unable to attend classes in-person. Live-streamed Hamilton classes are available via free Zoom software for those living outside the Waikato. Live-streaming allows you to participate fully in your own learning, ask questions of the instructor and participate fully in the same way as if you were in the physical classroom.

  • • Those unable to attend the scheduled date and time of the actual class sessions, or those who need to miss a class or two due to previous engagements or unexpected illness, can watch any or all of the live-recorded video sessions on their computers, laptops, tablets or mobile devices and study at their own pace and in their own time.

  • • Detailed instructions on how to access our distance learning components will be sent after completing your registration. There are no additional fees for this service. However, distance learners will need access to a desktop or laptop computer with a good quality web-camera (tablet devices and mobile phones can also access our live-streamed classes), a built-in microphone (most modern laptops have built-in microphones) or a headset with a microphone. You will also need to download and install the free Zoom software on your computer or device. Those accessing the video recordings will be able to do so with a simple web browser on any device.

Pricing options:

All prices in New Zealand dollars and includes GST. Unwaged includes students, seniors, retirees and unemployed.

Notes:

Those who cannot make the class meeting day and time via live Zoom sessions may consider accessing this course through the weekly recorded video sessions. Class videos are usually posted within 1-2 days of each live class session and are available for your own personal learning on a day and time of your choosing.

  • • This class has no assignments, quizzes, tests or exams.

  • • You will not need to purchase any learning materials.

  • • All classes encourage questions and group discussion.

  • • PDFs of class presentations and video recordings of each session will be posted 1-2 days after each session for the duration of the course. You are most welcome to come, sit back, relax, take part in and enjoy your learning sessions!

  • • There are no refunds for missed class.

  • • If, however, this course is cancelled due to insufficient enrolments please note that your registration fee will either be refunded in full or you may select to receive a course credit. Your choice!

Materials:

All materials are included in the course fees. These are developed by our instructors and distributed as PDF files as the course progresses.

  • • You will only require a pen or pencil, a notebook for taking your own class notes, and a loose-leaf binder.

    • Any notes that our instructor writes on the class whiteboard will be emailed to you as a digital PDF file so that you can print these out at home and add them to your own notebook.

Prerequisites:

A keen desire to learn Farsi!

  • • There are no prerequisites for this course.

    • It is open to both adults and kids 10 years and older.