Description
Sanskrit, the classical language of India, has long been renowned for its beauty, subtlety and complexity. It is the key to the civilisational treasures of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and provides direct access to a vast repository of literary, scientific and philosophical wisdom. At the ANU we seek to balance the traditional practice of textual reception—reading and grammar—with language production—speaking, chanting and singing—to provide a truly balanced curriculum. By the completion of the minor, students will be able to independently read simple epic and prose narrative texts, they will have mastered some basic spoken Sanskrit, and will be able to chant and recite with a good degree of accuracy.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this minor, students will have the knowledge and skills at an Advanced Beginner level of Sanskrit to:
1. Read simple epic texts smoothly and accurately and chant texts in sloka meter.
2. Translate the vocabulary of the text in hand through the basic use of a Sanskrit-English dictionary.
3. Recognise the range of grammatical structures in standard epic Sanskrit texts, and demonstrate a working facility in using the reference grammatical text.
4. Appraise the linguistic registers of the root text, in contrast with other genres of Sanskrit literature, and reflect this in appropriate English translation.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of the social and historical contexts of epic Sanskrit texts.
Other Information
A student may not take a course that is a prerequisite or a lower level than a course which they have already passed.
Students that are commencing language studies who have prior knowledge of the language will be required to take a placement test before enrolling for the first time. Students will not be permitted to enrol in a course at a lower than the level they achieve in the placement test, and may be exempted from compulsory courses.
