Introduction to sanskrit culture and literature

The course is complementary one for the Bachelor degree of 'Ancient Civilizations for the Contemporary World', and belongs to the literary-linguistic area. It aims to provide the students with a substantial knowledge of South Asian civilizations correlated to the historical development of Sanskrit language and literature. The Sanskrit language, as outcome of a work of linguistic and literary canonization, operated by a cultural elite in scholarly and courtly context, was one of the most important means to promote cultural, social and political hegemony: irradiating from north India, it spread all over South Asia, throughout its lengthy history, so becoming vehicle of a civilization which is essential to understand the contemporary cultural complexity characterizing South Asian region until the Far East. The course aims also to present some basic linguistic elements, mostly focusing on the lexicon, serving the purpose of a better understanding of Sanskrit literature and civilization.

Knowledge and understanding: knowledge of the fundamentals of the Sanskrit civilization; knowledge of the historical, geographical and linguistic context in which Sanskrit language and literature developed; understanding of the relationship between cultural complexity, linguistic variety and socio-political hegemonic aspects; knowledge of the main literary expressions of the Indian tradition; knowledge of some basic elements of Sanskrit language; understanding of the main lexical items, correlated to literary sources (read in English translation, together with the original language text).
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: ability to correlate historical, geographical and linguistic context to literary sources; ability to address debated cultural heritage questions focusing on the complex relationship between the manifold aspects of the literary sources and the language as hegemonic media. Ability to critically consult the reference texts and their bibliography, understanding their main arguments, and applying diverse interpretative theories.
Expressing critical opinions: ability to approach literary sources on the basis of the understanding of their historical and linguistic context, being free from biased pre-assumptions, and linking ancient models with contemporary phenomena. Ability to critically evaluate sources on the internet and other media.
Communication skills: clear and exact (oral and written) exposition and communication of the information acquired.
Learning skills: understanding, and interpreting Sanskrit texts, mostly relying on English translations, also in an interdisciplinary perspective; ability to autonomously develop and integrate relevant pieces of knowledges and skills.