Objectives of the Program
Elementary Sanskrit I (fall), MDES UN1401, and II (spring) MDES UN1402
- learn to read and write the Devangar script
- develop basic listening comprehension, via in-class story-telling
- develop basic reading comprehension, via exercise and story translation
- obtain a working vocabulary of the most essential words and roots
- formulate and respond to basic class-related questions, with proper pronunciation
- master the fundamentals of Sanskrit grammar and syntax through focused usage
- recognize and perform the various types of euphonic combination
- become proficient in analyzing basic compounds and derivations
- become proficient in navigating a Sanskrit dictionary organized by root
- learn the elements of Sanskrit prosody, the loka and its recitation
- translate extended passages of Epic with the aid of a dictionary
Intermediate Sanskrit I (fall), MDES UN1404, and II (spring), MDES UN1405
- consolidate and elaborate the grammar introduced in Elementary Sanskrit
- learn and perform a range of compound and derivational analyses
- become fluent in the basic genre-conventions of Epic, drama (etc.) and commentary
- build a working vocabulary for the texts read
- identify vigrahas and anvayas in commentary and explain their purport
- learn the elements of prosody and master several of the most common meters
Advanced Sanskrit I (fall), MDES GU4810, and II (spring), MDES GU4812
- become fluent in the basic genre-conventions of systematic thought, poetry and poetics
- engage texts in their own terms, in those of their tradition and of contemporary scholarship
- build a working vocabulary for the texts read
- become proficient in interpreting commentary, beyond vigrahas and anvayas
- deepen knowledge of a Sanskrit domain pertinent to a students research interests