Students launch undergraduate Persian studies journal
“For the campus, it will be the student voice to talk about Iran and what’s happening in Roshan.”
by MARIA VOLKOVA on Dec. 6, 2015
With exams wrapping up in late December, students will be packing their bags and returning home to begin their winter breaks. Some will traverse around different continents; others will enjoy the comfort of relaxing and being with family. However, a group of students will not have time to rest their weary heads.
Nine University of Maryland students will put together Roshangar, a new undergraduate Persian studies journal that will be published online in January.
According to founder and co-editor-in-chief Mitra Namiranian, she got the idea of putting together an academic journal last semester after toiling away on a research project for one of her Persian classes.
“At one point in time I started thinking what a shame it is to have all of these papers and research projects that students work on and no one sees them, so I started thinking what can we do to change this,” said Namiranian, who majors in Persian studies and minors in Middle Eastern studies and international development and conflict management. “The projects are going to be saved on our computers and no one’s looking at it, so why not have something that we can show off?”
Roshangar, which is student-created and student-run, will feature undergraduate research done on topics pertaining to Persian studies and culture. The journal will be bi-annual; one journal will be published early in the spring semester and the other closer to summertime.
Roshangar will not be limited solely to the members of Roshangar or undergraduates at the University of Maryland — any student from any university can submit their work and be published.
“We want it to be open to anyone,” said co-editor-in-chief Jay Ritch. “If they are interested in having their work published then we are open to giving them that opportunity.”
“The projects are going to be saved on our computers and no one’s looking at it, so why not have something that we can show off?” Roshangar founder Mitra Namiranian says.
According to Namiranian, Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz, the head of the Persian department, helped with getting the word out both internationally and nationally. By doing this, the journal will have a more diverse audience and participants. Social media was also a huge factor in getting people interested and involved with the project.
Alongside of the journal, the Roshangar website will feature an online blog. Students will be able to contribute book and film reviews, interviews with scholars, and write about local events having to do with Persian culture.
“This is a way to get the word out and get people to know what the Roshan Institute does,” said Namiranian. “The blog is more cultural- and artist-focused.”
Already, the blog has covered a lecture from theatre artist Mohammad Aghebati and a porthole to Tehran hosted by the Clarice Performing Arts Center, and has reviewed a travelogue of Iran and Afghanistan and Saman Moghadam’s new film “Sperm Whale,” among others.
For the journal, however, Roshan’s editors aim to publish rigorous research papers.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to have publications at an undergraduate level,” said Sussan Moinfar, a lecturer in Persian at the University of Maryland.
The deadline for submitting academic papers is Dec. 22.
“I feel incredibly positive about this project and due to the massive resonance and interest, we may just need additional help at the end to put everything together,” said Namiranian. “I’m excited, I think we are going to get a ton of papers.”
Maria Volkova reports on arts and entertainment for Plex.
