Professional Training in

Sanskrit Digital Humanities

Background

With the current transition of knowledge transmission from the printed to the digital medium, it is essential that students of Sanskrit, as students of every discipline, learn to use the technologies of this new medium. While the written manuscript and the printed book dominated as the principal media of knowledge transmission it was essential for students to learn how to read and write and to use pen and paper, and the facilities that help to navigate books such as tables of contents, alphabetical indices, and page numbers. In the digital age now there are new facilities to navigate knowledge in the digital medium: Web-pages, links, and search interfaces. Yet the digital medium offers many more complex methods of discovering knowledge relevant to one’s interests, such as automated information retrieval and information extraction. Conversely, the facilities available for interlinking resources and the expectations of users now in the digital age demand greater attention to various facets of the preparation of knowledge for distribution. Our programs in digital humanities prepare students to handle knowledge in Sanskrit and related languages in the digital age.

Programs

Advanced certificate

Students/professionals who are well-versed in Sanskrit but do not have technical efficiency can enroll in courses UT101–104 and UR101 (see syllabus section 2 yrs Specialized advanced training) along with an advanced Sanskrit reading class, and then conduct a substantial research project. Upon completion of these courses and the research project students will be given a certificate. A separate registration procedure is provided for such students.

Specialized advanced training

The Specialized advanced training program in Sanskrit digital humanities consists of two years divided into four semsters. Students submit a complete research project at the end of the program upon which they will be granted a certificate of completion.

The same program is offered for working professionals at a slow pace. Please see Syllabus (Part-time) for more information.

Scholarships may be available for under-resourced students.

Independent research scholar program

The independent research scholar program consists of at least five years. Students can complete this program after completion of the two years of specialized advanced training along with one additional year of advanced studies and two years of research using advanced digital methods culminating in a book which will be reviewed by scholars and published by The Sanskrit Library.

For more information please contact librarian@sanskritlibrary.org.

Syllabus (2 yrs Specialized advanced training) 

1. Reorienting orientalism and holistic understanding of life (UG102)

2. Sanskrit language course (Sanskrit 101) 

Śabdabrahman Exercise Platform

3. Philological and data-management computer skills (UT101)

4. History of Sanskrit literature I: वेद (veda) and वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) (UH101)


1. Sanskrit language course (Sanskrit 102)

Śabdabrahman Exercise Platform

2. History of Sanskrit literature II: Epics: रामायण (Rāmāyaṇa) and महाभारत (Mahābhārata) (UH102)

3. Research methodology: introduction to secondary literature and resources (UR101)

4. Digital philology (UT102)


1. सङ्क्षिप्त-महाभारत (Saṅkṣipta-mahābhārata) (US110)

2. History of Sanskrit literature III: धर्मशास्त्र and दर्शन (dharmaśāstra and darśana) (UH103)

3. Introduction to Pāṇinian grammar; लघुसिद्धान्तकौमुदी: सन्धि कारक समास (Laghusiddhāntakaumudī: sandhi, kāraka samāsa) (US202)

4. Web technologies for philology (UT 103)


1. पञ्चतन्त्र (pañcatantra): कथामुख (kathāmukha), Fourth and Fifth तन्त्र (tantra) (US111)

2. History of Sanskrit literature IV: buddhist and Jain literature, पुराण (purāṇa), काव्य (kāvya), and अलङ्कारशास्त्र (alaṅkāraśāstra) (UH104)

3. Advanced higher-level encoding (UT104)

4. Research project

Syllabus (Part-time Specialized advanced training)

1. Reorienting orientalism and holistic understanding of life (UG102)

2. Sanskrit language course (Sanskrit 101)

Śabdabrahman Exercise Platform


1. Sanskrit language course (Sanskrit 102)

Śabdabrahman Exercise Platform

2. History of Sanskrit literature I: वेद (veda) and वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) (UH101)


1. सङ्क्षिप्त-महाभारत (Saṅkṣipta-mahābhārata) (US110)

2. History of Sanskrit literature II: Epics: रामायण (Rāmāyaṇa) and महाभारत (Mahābhārata) (UH102)


1. Introduction to Pāṇinian grammar; लघुसिद्धान्तकौमुदी: सन्धि कारक समास (Laghusiddhāntakaumudī: sandhi, kāraka samāsa) (US202)

2. History of Sanskrit literature III: धर्मशास्त्र and दर्शन (dharmaśāstra and darśana) (UH103)


1. पञ्चतन्त्र (pañcatantra): कथामुख (kathāmukha), Fourth and Fifthe तन्त्र (tantra) (US111)

2. History of Sanskrit literature IV: buddhist and Jain literature, पुराण (purāṇa), काव्य (kāvya), and अलङ्कारशास्त्र (alaṅkāraśāstra) (UH104)


1. Research methodology: introduction to secondary literature and resources (UR101)

2. Philological and data-management computer skills (UT101)


1. Digital philology (UT102)

2. Web technologies for philology (UT 103)


3. Advanced higher-level encoding (UT104)

4. Research project

Eligibility

Purpose

The vast body of Sanskrit knowledge — the largest body of knowledge in the world prior to the invention of the printing press — will become unavailable to future generations if efforts are not undertaken now to bring that vast knowledge into the digital medium. It is therefore of the utmost urgency to train students of Sanskrit to make Sanskrit works available in the digital medium. While a number of informal platforms have sprung up on the Web to display Sanskrit texts and offer courses in Sanskrit, and digital humanities have become popular at universities in the U.S. and Europe, there is no program anywhere in the world in digital Sanskrit. Now is the prime time to initiate such a course which focuses on accessing and preparing access to the traditional Sanskrit knowledge according to the needs of scholars, students and lovers of Sanskrit.


OUTCOME

Students who complete this course will be empowered with highly marketable skills in computing and website development as well as valuable analytic skills, philological acumen, and training in contemporary modes of academic expression.



Schedule

Fees

Registration

Śabdabrahman Exercise Platform

We provide our students advanced technical tools to learn Sanskrit. The Śabdabrahman Exercise Platform is a uniquely designed pleasant interactive Web-based platform for homework exercises that provides vocabulary and reference material at one's fingertips and immediate feedback thereby enriching the students knowledge with each item and eliminating doubt and frustration. A similar platform is designed for reading the सङ्क्षिप्त-महाभारत (Saṅkṣipta-mahābhārata).

To support underresourced students


Collaboration