Too many Americans stereotype all Iranians as terrorists, said Robert Stewart, a senior at University of Maryland, College Park.

“Americans have a lot of misconceptions about Persians, and that stems from media exposure, which only show them as Muslim extremists, but I have learned that there is also a Christian and Jewish heritage in Iran,” said Stewart, a Laurel resident who has taken six classes on Persian studies.

More students of all ethnicities and nationalities are enrolling in language, literature and history classes at the university’s Center for Persian Studies, which plans to expand to accommodate the growing interest.

U.Md. has received a $3 million gift from the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, a Washington charitable foundation, to add faculty, scholarships and programs at the center, which focuses on Iran and other Farsi-speaking countries, including Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

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“This awakening reflects more than the coming of age of second-generation Persian-Americans seeking to explore their family’s cultural heritage,” said Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, the center’s founding director.

“About half of our students have had little or no previous connection with the subject. Some are lured by the headlines and want to develop skills in a critical language. But others feel the timeless resonance of Persian culture, and that’s our focus.”

AT A GLANCE

The Center for Persian Studies will add:

» A Persian language chairperson

» Graduate and undergraduate fellowships

» Outreach and educational initiatives

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com