Rate My Professor Mitra Ara

A prolific scholar and cultural historian, Dr. Ara's research centers on Indo-Iranian peoples, religions, mythology, cosmology, and eschatology. Her key publications include Eschatology in the Indo-Iranian Traditions: The Genesis and Transformation of a Doctrine (Peter Lang, 2008); Ancient Roots of Creation and Afterlife Beliefs (Peter Lang, 2020); Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, Astronomer-Poet of Persia: Metamorphosis of Nothingness (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2021); A Lexicon of the Persian Language of Shiraz (Ibex Publishers); and Systematic Guide to Reading and Writing Persian Language (Ibex Publishers, first and second editions, second in 2022). She has authored numerous articles, such as "Genesis According to the Zoroastrian Book of Primal Creation Bundahishn" (American Journal of Religious Studies, 2022) and "A Comparison of the Ancient Zoroastrian Flood Saga and the Story of Noah" (International Journal of Current Research, 2017). As principal investigator, she secured grants from the U.S. Department of Education, Parsa Community Foundation, Startalk, and Strategic Language Initiative to develop Persian studies. Her contributions have been honored with the 2020 College of Liberal & Creative Arts Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Service, 2011 awards from the Office of International Programs and Strategic Language Initiative Consortium, and a 2012 Certificate of Appreciation from the Institute of International Education. Dr. Ara serves on SF State's Academic Senate, Curriculum Review & Appeal, and Fellowships Office committees, as well as the Society for Asian Art's Advisory Committee.