Professor
Latifeh Hagigi
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Most Helpful Review
If you have no background in Middle Eastern languages I do not recommend taking Hagigi as your professor. Though the prereq is no prior knowledge of Persian, the majority of the students speak Persian fluently or have prior knowledge of it. Thusly, the class is taught to their level. Do not be fooled, this is not a class for beginners. Also, the structure of the class inhibits learning. A class meets three times a week (not five), little interaction/speaking, and exams are ambiguous. If you are a beginner and are taking this professor, get a tutor, it is the only way you can pass this class.
If you have no background in Middle Eastern languages I do not recommend taking Hagigi as your professor. Though the prereq is no prior knowledge of Persian, the majority of the students speak Persian fluently or have prior knowledge of it. Thusly, the class is taught to their level. Do not be fooled, this is not a class for beginners. Also, the structure of the class inhibits learning. A class meets three times a week (not five), little interaction/speaking, and exams are ambiguous. If you are a beginner and are taking this professor, get a tutor, it is the only way you can pass this class.
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Most Helpful Review
I took Farsi20A and I'm currently in her 20B class and I'm going to finish the series in Spring with 20C. She is a great professor. Come to class!! Attendance + Participation are very important...probably 75% of your grade. HW is really easy...and exams are easy as well...I suggest you review your notes everyday for like 15 mins...it'll keep everything fresh in your head...You're not going to get less than an A in this class if you do what she asks you too. good luck!
I took Farsi20A and I'm currently in her 20B class and I'm going to finish the series in Spring with 20C. She is a great professor. Come to class!! Attendance + Participation are very important...probably 75% of your grade. HW is really easy...and exams are easy as well...I suggest you review your notes everyday for like 15 mins...it'll keep everything fresh in your head...You're not going to get less than an A in this class if you do what she asks you too. good luck!
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Most Helpful Review
I took both the 20 and 102 series with Khanoom Hagigi. Simply put, this woman is amazing. She cares immensely about her students and we cared equally about her. By the end, we were all one big family. She will go out of her way to help you learn the material but she won't spoonfeed it to you either. Yes, the classes are easy but if you don't put in the amount of work required, more than anything you'll just disappoint her and trust me, you'll love this woman so much that that's the last thing you'll want to do. Native speakers, don't take the 1 series; it's a waste of your time. You'll get an A in the 20 series anyway. If you do take the 20 series, don't bother pretending like you don't know as much of the language as you do. Hagigi might as well be a linguist; she can tell if you're faking it and she WILL call your bluff eventually. Of course she would never do it in front of your peers because she has too much dignity and preserves yours as well. However, I heard several instances of her questioning individual's speaking backgrounds during their oral exams at the end of the year. Just be honest about how much you know and she will grade you fairly as long as you do the work. You'll never feel like she's slighted you when it comes to grades. If you don't do well on an exam it's because you didn't put any effort in and she'll definitely try to give you as many points as she can. The 102 series is a bit harder and you will have to put in more work but it's worth every minute and you will not regret it once it's over. There's far more translation and synonym work but knowing that you're learning about and reading the works of famous poets and authors that your parents read and can relate to is an amazing experience. Just take her class, it's well-worth it and Khanoom Hagigi is the epitome of fabulous.
I took both the 20 and 102 series with Khanoom Hagigi. Simply put, this woman is amazing. She cares immensely about her students and we cared equally about her. By the end, we were all one big family. She will go out of her way to help you learn the material but she won't spoonfeed it to you either. Yes, the classes are easy but if you don't put in the amount of work required, more than anything you'll just disappoint her and trust me, you'll love this woman so much that that's the last thing you'll want to do. Native speakers, don't take the 1 series; it's a waste of your time. You'll get an A in the 20 series anyway. If you do take the 20 series, don't bother pretending like you don't know as much of the language as you do. Hagigi might as well be a linguist; she can tell if you're faking it and she WILL call your bluff eventually. Of course she would never do it in front of your peers because she has too much dignity and preserves yours as well. However, I heard several instances of her questioning individual's speaking backgrounds during their oral exams at the end of the year. Just be honest about how much you know and she will grade you fairly as long as you do the work. You'll never feel like she's slighted you when it comes to grades. If you don't do well on an exam it's because you didn't put any effort in and she'll definitely try to give you as many points as she can. The 102 series is a bit harder and you will have to put in more work but it's worth every minute and you will not regret it once it's over. There's far more translation and synonym work but knowing that you're learning about and reading the works of famous poets and authors that your parents read and can relate to is an amazing experience. Just take her class, it's well-worth it and Khanoom Hagigi is the epitome of fabulous.
Most Helpful Review
*Iranian 20A* The class was fun, but at times it was a bit boring. She's pretty funny when she responds to some questions. Loved her, seriously. Take the class. It involved some work, like for a part of the final we had to memorize a dialog. I thought it was useless. But she's like a mom, she will take care of you, bring you food, and make you feel secure. Trust me, you will not regret it. But after looking at the grade distribution, doesn't it just look like a good class?
*Iranian 20A* The class was fun, but at times it was a bit boring. She's pretty funny when she responds to some questions. Loved her, seriously. Take the class. It involved some work, like for a part of the final we had to memorize a dialog. I thought it was useless. But she's like a mom, she will take care of you, bring you food, and make you feel secure. Trust me, you will not regret it. But after looking at the grade distribution, doesn't it just look like a good class?
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