Sanskrit

Sanskrit is the language of the sacred texts of Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and others. It is also one of the many official languages of India. Various expert traditions of knowledge -- medicine, art, drama, aesthetics, poetry, architecture, law, music, mathematics, grammar, poetics, etc. -- for over 2,000 years were composed and written in Sanskrit. It is a gateway to the traditional knowledge of India.

In first year Sanskrit, students will learn to read and write Sanskrit using Devanagari script. At the end of the course, students will have a basic working vocabulary and a knowledge of Sanskrit sentence structure. These will give students direct access to many of the fundamental texts of the classical Indian tradition. First Year Sanskrit is offered in Fall (SAN 506) and Spring (SAN 507) semesters. Each class is worth five credit hours. The course is taught by Edeltraud Harzer.

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Bhagavadgita. 19th century Manuscripts.

For examples of texts that the First Year students will be able to read at different stages of the introductory training, see the Sanskrit Gallery page.

Top 10 reasons why UT students study Sanskrit

1. To be able to read and translate the Sanskrit scriptures like Gita and Ramayana directly instead of reading the translations.
2. To further research and gain knowledge of ancient Indian history, religion, mythology, temple architecture, aesthetics, original culture, while learning a new language.
3. To understand better yoga asana and yogic philosophy. 
4. To study it as a gateway to learning Vedic Sanskrit, Buddhist- Hybrid Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit.
5. To help with linguistic studies.
6. To satisfy undergraduate foreign language requirements of 10 credit hours.
7. To satisfy graduate program admission requirements for anthropology and religious studies.
8. You do not need to learn to speak it!
9. To study a language that is very scientific and organized.
10. First year class offers a great opportunity to learn Sanskrit.

Language placement

Please contact the department for more information on Sanskrit language placement.