Samad Josef Alavi

Samad Josef Alavi is a Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oslo, specializing in Persian language, literature, and Iranian Studies. He holds a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from UC Berkeley and previously served as Assistant Professor at the University of Washington and Visiting Lecturer at San Francisco State University. His teaching philosophy emphasizes diverse approaches to develop linguistic and cultural competency through authentic communication and critical thinking in Persian language courses.

• Research Focus: Modern Persian literary cultures, political/aesthetic debates in post-1979 Iran, modernist poetry, prison memoirs, and translation studies.
• Education: PhD (2013, UC Berkeley), MA (2006, University of Chicago), BA (2001, University of Georgia).

His courses cover Persian language (PER 1010-1030, 1110-1120) and advanced Iranian Studies (MES 4110/4230). He has published on pedagogical strategies in Persian literature, fictional truth in historical narratives, and challenges in translating modernist ghazals.