Rutgers student scholars will be honored Nov. 12th for papers on Persian Culture and Literature
WHO: Rutgers University in Newark and the Persian Cultural Foundation in Clifton; Dr. Akbar Ghahary, president of the Persian Cultural Foundation and sponsor of the awards presentation and the literature competition; Dr. Minoo Varzegar, director, Rutgers Program in American Language Studies; Steven Diner, chancellor of Rutgers in Newark; three speakers: Professor Olga Davidson (Women’s Lamentations and the Ethics of War in Ancient Greece and Medieval Persia); Dr. Maboud Ansari (Iranian-American Identity and Persian Literature); and Ghazal Behreini (An Overview of the Persian Cultural Foundation).
WHAT: Rutgers students Kevin Shim of Ridgefield, N.J., and Tiffany Frez of Union, N.J., will each receive a $500 Rutgers-Persian Cultural Foundation Award for the best papers on Persian culture and literature in a competition organized by Rutgers and sponsored by the Persian Cultural Foundation in Clifton. Three other students also will be honored (see attached list). The awards ceremony will include Persian dancing by Rutgers students Natasha Carles-Novikov and Atra Rouzbehnia; and songs by vocalist Haale and her ensemble; a reception will follow, featuring Persian dishes.
WHEN: November 12, 2008, 2: 30 – 4 p.m.
WHERE: Paul Robeson Campus Center, Multipurpose Room, second floor, 350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark N.J.
BACKGROUND: This is the third annual Persian cultural awards presentation at Rutgers in Newark. To promote Persian culture and literature among young people of multinational backgrounds, the Persian Cultural Foundation in Clifton, in collaboration with Rutgers University, again sponsored a contest to select the two best papers on Persian culture and literature. A committee of reviewers, comprised of a research specialist and a faculty member and director of PALS from Rutgers and a professor of Sociology from William Paterson University, selected the winning papers from more than 80 entries submitted by college students from Rutgers. Information: http://persiancultural.org
CONTACT: Dr. Minoo Varzegar, Director, Program in American Language Studies,
973-535-5013
Winners of the 2008 Persian Culture Awards
A committee of reviewers, comprised of a research specialist, a faculty member and the director of PALS from Rutgers, and a professor of Sociology from William Paterson University, selected the winning papers from more than 80 entries submitted by college students from Rutgers.
• Kevin Shim, The Mistranslation of Persian Poetry. Major in Psychology and Philosophy. He lives in Ridgefield, N.J.
• Tiffany Frez, Reza Deghati and Literature. Major in Clinical Lab Sciences. She lives in Union, N.J.
The three runners-up, who also will be recognized, are:
• Farnaz Farhang, Forough Farrakhzad: The Leading Feminist. She lives in Millburn, N.J.
• Joel Paulino, Persian Literature in relation to the Other Aspects of Culture. He lives in Elizabeth, N.J.
Omar Sadek, Elements of Persian Poetry. He lives in Port Monmouth, N.J.
