SANSKRIT LANGUAGE PROGRAM

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
  Address:  401 Knox Hall, MC9628
606 West 122nd St,
New York, NY 10027
  Tel: (212) 854-2556
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