See also the description of the South Asian program.
South Asian Languages
Degrees Offered: Undergraduate Major, Minor (Hindi,
Sanskrit) -- Graduate M.A., Ph.D.
Undergraduate
Major (Hindi, Sanskrit)
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This is a 69-credit major.
I. LANGUAGE :
39 credits, including 30 basic language credits and 9 advanced language credits:
A. Basic Language. 30 credits
For HINDI:
HINDI 321, 322, 323 Intermediate Hindi
HINDI 401, 402, 403 Advanced Hindi
For SANSKRIT:
SNKRT 401, 402, 403 Intermediate Sanskrit
SNKRT 411, 412, 413 Advanced Sanskrit
B. Advanced language, literature, and linguistics. 9 credits at 400 level or above, drawn from the following:
For Hindi:
HINDI 404 (3) Derivational Morphology of Hindi/Urdu
HINDI 421 (3) Survey of Modern Hindi Literature (Short Stories)
HINDI 422 (3) Survey of Modern Hindi Literature (Poetry)
HINDI 423 (3) Survey of Modern Hindi Literature (Novels)
HINDI 431 (3) Advanced Conversational Hindi
HINDI 451 (3) Advanced Hindi Readings
HINDI 501 (3) Studies in Medieval Braj Literature
HINDI 502 (3) Studies in Medieval Avadhi Literature
HINDI 503 (3) Studies in Medieval Sant Literature
HINDI 504 (3) Studies in Medieval Rajasthani Literature
For Sanskrit:
SNKRT 491 (3) Vedic Studies
SNKRT 492 (3) Vedic Studies
SNKRT 550 (3) Seminar on Sanskrit Literature
SNKRT 555 (3) Seminar on Sanskrit Grammar
SNKRT 560 (3) Readings in Philosophical Sanskrit
SNKRT 570 (3) Seminar in Indian Epigraphy
SNKRT 581 (3) Readings in Indian Buddhist Texts
INDN 401 (3) Pali
INDN 402 (3) Pali
INDN 410 (3) Prakrit
II. Literature in Translation. 10 credits.
ASIAN 203 (5) Literature and Culture of Ancient and Classical India
ASIAN 206 (5) Literature and Culture of South Asia from Tradition to Modernity
III. South Asian History. 5 credits. One course from among:
HSTAS 202 (5) Introduction to South Asian History, 1500-present.
HSTAS 401 (5) History of Ancient India
HSTAS 402 (5) History of Medieval and Mughal India
HSTAS 403 (5) History of Modern India to 1900
HSTAS 404 (5) History of Twentieth-Century India
IV. South Asian Humanities and Social Sciences. 10 credits. Selected from following courses:
ANTH 316 (5) Modern South Asia
ANTH 412 (5) South Asian Social Structure
ARCH 445 (3) South Asian Architecture I
ARCH 446 (3) South Asian Architecture II
ART H 204 (5) Survey of Asian Art
ART H 306 (5) Indian Art of South Asia
ASIAN 494 (5) Ramayana in Comparative Perspective
GEOG 436 (5) Social and Political Geographies of South Asia
MUSIC 428 (3) Music of North India
MUSIC 447 (3) Music of Southern India
POL S 340 (3) Government and Politics of South Asia (= SISSA 340)
POL S 434 (5) International Relations of South Asia
RELIG 202 (5) Introduction to World Religions: Eastern Traditions
RELIG 352 (5) Hinduism
RELIG 354 (5) Buddhism
RELIG 454 (5) Perceptions of the Feminine Divine in Hinduism
SISSA 316 (5) Modern South Asia
SISSA 339 (5) Social Movements in Modern South Asia
SISSA 340 (5) Government and Politics of South Asia (= POL S 340)
SISSA 417 (5) Political Economy of South Asia
SISSA 434 (5) International Relations of South Asia (= POL S 434)
Other courses with South Asia content may be substituted with prior approval.
V. Capstone Seminar. 5 credits.
INDN 490 (5) (Application for approval of this course is pending).
Note: These requirements take effect at the beginning of Autumn Quarter 2009, and apply if the major is declared on or after September 30, 2009.
Major || Minor || M.A. || Ph.D. || top
Undergraduate
Minor (Hindi, Sanskrit)
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I. Language.
15 credits of a single South Asian language at the second-year level or above:
For Bengali: BENG 321, 322, 323 Intermediate Bengali (5,5,5)
For Hindi: HINDI 321, 322, 323 Intermediate Hindi (5,5,5)
For Sanskrit: SNKRT 401, 402, 403 Intermediate Sanskrit (5,5,5)
For Urdu: URDU 321, 322, 323 Intermediate Urdu (5,5,5)
II. South Asian Humanities and Social Sciences. 15 credits.
A. Literature. 5 credits.
ASIAN 203 (5) Literature and Culture of Ancient and Classical India or:
ASIAN 206 (5) Literature and Culture of South Asia from Tradition to Modernity
B. Other. 10 credits selected from among the following courses:
ANTH 316 (5) Modern South Asia
ANTH 412 (5) South Asian Social Structure
ARCH 445 (3) South Asian Architecture I
ARCH 446 (3) South Asian Architecture II
ART H 204 (5) Survey of Asian Art
ART H 306 (5) Indian Art of South Asia
ASIAN 494 (5) Ramayana in Comparative Perspective
GEOG 436 (5) Social and Political Geographies of South Asia
HSTAS 202 (5) Introduction to South Asian History, 1500-present.
HSTAS 401 (5) History of Ancient India
HSTAS 402 (5) History of Medieval and Mughal India
HSTAS 403 (5) History of Modern India to 1900
HSTAS 404 (5) History of Twentieth-Century India
MUSIC 428 (3) Music of North India
MUSIC 447 (3) Music of Southern India
POL S 340 (3) Government and Politics of South Asia (= SISSA 340)
POL S 434 (5) International Relations of South Asia
RELIG 202 (5) Introduction to World Religions: Eastern Traditions
RELIG 352 (5) Hinduism
RELIG 354 (5) Buddhism
RELIG 454 (5) Perceptions of the Feminine Divine in Hinduism
SISSA 316 (5) Modern South Asia
SISSA 339 (5) Social Movements in Modern South Asia
SISSA 340 (5) Government and Politics of South Asia (= POL S 340)
SISSA 417 (5) Political Economy of South Asia
SISSA 434 (5) International Relations of South Asia (= POL S 434)
Other courses with South Asia content may be substituted with prior approval.
Note: These requirements go into effect in Autumn Quarter 2009 and apply if the minor is declared on or after September 30, 2009.
Major || Minor || M.A. || Ph.D. || top
M.A. and Ph.D. Programs
Admission
The applicant must meet the requirements of the Graduate
School as outlined in the University Catalog. An undergraduate
grade point average of 3.0 in the last 90 quarter or 60
semester credit hours is a prerequisite for admission,
together with three letters of recommendation, and a statement
of purpose. for admission to the M.A. program with specialization
in South Asian Languages and Literature, preference will
be given to students with prior preparation in a South
Asian language and literature, in South Asian regional
studies, or in a humanistic discipline pertinent to the
study of South Asian civilization. Students lacking such
preparation may be admitted to the M.A. program; however,
they must remedy any deficiencies by adding, as early as
possible, such courses as the academic adviser considers
necessary. South Asian languages in which specializations
are offered at the University are Sanskrit and
Hindi.
Prospective applicants to this program should be aware
that there is also an M.A. program in South Asian Studies
in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.
These two South Asia-focussed programs are partially overlapping,
but have significantly different emphases. In general,
the South Asian studies concentration in Asian Languages
and Literature is designed for students with interests
in any studies which are primarily based on the study of
languages and/or linguistics, and in textual or philological
studies. The Jackson School South Asia program is intended
for students who are more interested in a general interdisciplinary
area studies program, particularly (though not exclusively)
with an emphasis on the social sciences.
Advisers
Students should request an adviser within one year and
one term of the beginning of their program; if no adviser
is requested within that period, one will be assigned.
Each student is expected to work out a course of study
with the adviser which concentrates on areas pertinent
to the language specialization (e.g., Hindi devotional
literature, Sanskrit poetry).
In addition, all students are required to comply with the
rules and procedures of the Department of Asian Languages
and Literature (copies of which are available from the
Department).
M.A. Program
I. Requirements for Course Work and Credits
1. For the M.A. non-thesis, 45 course credits, 18 of which
must be 500 level and above, are required. Students are
also required to complete language study through the fourth-year
level in their major language and through the second-year
level in a second South Asian language. In addition, the
student must present two seminar papers which are approved
by the student's adviser and at least one other faculty
member in the Department.
2. The M.A. thesis program requires a minimum of 45 course
credits plus 9 thesis credits. At least 18 of the 45 credits
must be taken at the 500 level or above. The language requirements
in this program are the same as in the non-thesis program.
In addition, the student must write an acceptable M.A.
thesis according to the rules and policies of the Department
of Asian Languages and Literature and pass an oral examination.
II. Foreign Language Requirements
Students must demonstrate competence in their major South
Asian language, and must complete the course requirements
in their second South Asian language as outlined above.
In addition, students must demonstrate through a written
examination reading knowledge of one foreign language relevant
to their research, which must be other than English and
the student's native language. At the M.A. level, this
language may be the student's second South Asian language
or a European language.
Ph.D. Program
Normally, entry into the program is contingent upon successful
completion of the M.A. degree in Asian Languages and Literature
at the University of Washington and a satisfactory evaluation
by South Asian Language Program faculty. Students with
sufficient background, usually the successful completion
of a relevant M.A. degree at another institution, may be
considered for admission into the Ph.D. program. Students
are expected to fulfill the Graduate School's residence
requirements (see the Department of Asian Languages and
Literature's Policies and Procedures), to fulfill foreign
language requirements, to pass a series of examinations
(described below), and to write and defend a dissertation.
Students who have completed an M.A. in Asian Languages
and Literature at the University of Washington with specialization
in a South Asian language, as described above, will often
have fulfilled the residence requirements for the Ph.D.
as set out by the Graduate School. If not, these must be
satisfied as the student moves toward the Ph.D. Often,
course work will continue to be appropriate.
For the Ph.D., students are required to demonstrate competence
in their major South Asian language and pass written examinations
in two research languages other than English and the student's
native language (that is, one written examination in addition
to the examination completed at the M.A. level). One of
these two research languages must be a European language.
Students are also required to pass four written field
examinations, at least three of which must fall within
the general purview of South Asian languages and literature.
A fourth can have as its subject an adjacent field or discipline,
of the candidate so chooses--an aspect of South Asian history
or art history, for example. Once these field examinations
have been satisfactorily completed, the student is eligible
to take a two hour comprehensive oral examination, administered
by his or her supervisory committee. When that has been
passed, students are accorded candidate's status (Ph.C.)
and are ready to submit a dissertation proposal. The Ph.D.
is conferred once the completed dissertation has been defended
before the student's supervisory committee.
Major || Minor || M.A. || Ph.D. || top
