80-gruppe ¨C Sanskrit (80SANS)

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Through the study of the ancient Indian language Sanskrit (and/or P¨¡?i and /or Vedic Sanskrit) and the literature written in these languages, the students will be equipped with well founded knowledge about the older (`classical?) Indian culture, but also about its present day impact and importance. Sanskrit, one of the oldest known Indo-European languages, has remained for more than 2500 years the most important and widely used literary and scientific language in the Indian subcontinent. Even today Sanskrit serves as a trans-regional language in many contexts. The focus of the program lies on classical Sanskrit and its literatures, including the present day applications of the language. In addition, the students can acquire knowledge either in Vedic Sanskrit or in P¨¡li, a middle-Indo-Arian language, used mainly as by the Buddhist Therav¨¡da tradition (in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam). The course emphasizes both, practical command of spoken Sanskrit and classical Sanskrit. A semester long study in India is a mandatory part of the subject group. The language skills acquired in the 80 group giv