Undergraduate Programs
Junior and senior-level undergraduate language-based units of study are offered in Sanskrit and Pali (which is offered up to second year). Senior level undergraduate units are also offered in Hindi and Urdu for currently enrolled students.
Senior level undergraduate non-language units of study are offered in Indian and Buddhist philosophy, religion, history, culture, politics and social structures through the Asian Studies Program (in the School of Languages and Cultures), the Department of Studies in Religion (in the School of Letters, Art and Media), and Anthropology (in the School of Social and Political Sciences). The Department of Indian Sub-continental Studies also contributes South Asia content to the International and Comparative Literary Studies program (in the School of Languages and Cultures). In the Asian Studies Program, the following non-language senior units are directly related to South Asia and are taught by the Department of Indian Sub-continental Studies:
- ASNS2620 Classical Indian Philosophy
- ASNS2621 Buddhist Philosophy
- ASNS2623 India: Tradition and Modernity
- ASNS2626 Religious Traditions of South Asia (from 2010)
- ASNS2625 Buddhism in Modern Asia
- ASNS2624 Understanding Buddhist Literature
The Department of Indian Sub-continental Studies also teaches South Asia content which forms a significant component of the following junior level non-language Asian Studies units of study:
- ASNS1601 Asian Traditions: Past in the Present
- ASNS1602 Modernity in Asia
Sanskrit
Sanskrit is the primary cultural language of India. It is the language of the Hindu scriptures, of many of the Buddhist scriptures and also of much writing of the Jains. It also is the language of a huge body of Indian poetry, drama, law books, as well as political and scientific literature. Sanskrit has had a major impact on the languages of Southeast Asia particularly Thai and Javanese, and on the emergence of Classical Tibetan. It is related to Classical Greek and Latin and virtually all European languages, and its discovery by Westerners in the eighteenth century led to the rise of modern philology. The Study of Sanskrit is highly recommended for students interested in:
- Indian religions and philosophy
- Buddhism in India and across Asia
- South Asian literature, visual arts, social structures, cultures and thought
- Comparative linguistics
- Social, cultural and political institutions across South and South-East Asia
- Comparative literature and philosophy across Asia
- The emergence of literary and artistic traditions and social, cultural, religious and political institutions in Indonesia and across Asia generally
The Sanskrit course is aimed at developing reading competency of classical Indian texts, with a view to providing a grounding for primary research in Indian and Buddhist thought, religion, philosophy and culture.
Sanskrit major
Sanskrit may be taken as an undergraduate major. Students who wish to do so will need to complete 36 senior credit points in Sanskrit units of study including both Sanskrit Research Preparation units (SANS2312 and SANS3612).
Pali
Pali is a major canonical language of Buddhism. The scriptures of the Theravada School of Buddhism, which represent the only complete Buddhist canon preserved in an Indic language, are in Pali, as are the commentaries and historical literature of the School. The Study of Pali is highly recommended for students interested in:
- Early Buddhism
- Buddhism in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia (Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia)
- The emergence of literary and artistic traditions and social, cultural and political institutions in Buddhist South-East Asia
Students who undertake Pali will gain enough of a grounding in Pali to read simple texts with a view to providing a grounding for primary research in Buddhist thought, philosophy and culture. A major is not offered in Pali.
Hindi and Urdu
Hindi, the most widely spoken language of India, is the mother tongue of some 300 million people. Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. The two languages, however, are grammatically the same, differing only in script and vocabulary: Urdu is written in a modified form of the Persian script and draws on Arabic and Persian for its learned and technical vocabulary, while Hindi is written in Devanagari script (as is Sanskrit) and draws on Sanskrit for its learned and technical vocabulary. Apart from their contemporary importance, the two languages have an unbroken literature of about 900 years.
The Hindi and Urdu course aims to develop skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. A major is not currently offered in Hindi and Urdu.