Iran Beyond Headlines: Media, Press, and Everyday Life By mnaseri / September 23, 2026 How have Iranian authors envisioned the West, how has the West depicted Persians, and what insight does literature offer into Iran’s process of modernization? Spanning the nineteenth century to the present, this course examines Iranian modernity through a rich collection of novels, short stories, memoirs, and travelogues. The intricate, frequently paradoxical relationship between Iran and “the West” forms the core of our study. Through close textual analysis, we will address key themes including identity, politics, religion, gender, and war, examining how Iranian writers have conceptualized both their own culture and the global landscape. All course materials are provided in English translation, making prior background in the Persian language, literature, or history unnecessary. Students will also examine how literary forms evolve during periods of major historical change, exploring genres such as social realism, surrealism, naturalism, magical realism, and noir. Our discussions will focus on how modern Iranian life developed through crucial thematic lenses: intellectual responses to colonialism and modernity, women’s challenges to traditional social and gender expectations, and the profound impact of revolution, conflict, authoritarian rule, and exile on literary expression.