Introductory Sanskrit I (Summer intensive)

US101S.
This course aims to provide a linguistically rich study of the world's most fascinating language equivalent to a first-semester university course. Exercises introduce the extensive literature, profound philosophy and rich mythology of ancient India which has and continues to influence over a quarter of the world’s population today. After introducing the Devanāgarī script and Sanskrit phonology, the course surveys the intricate and highly organized structure of the grammar with the aim of enabling a student to begin reading original materials after the second semester. Readings in the course are adapted from Sanskrit literature. An interactive on-line exercise platform provides immediate intelligent feedback and focused help at every stage of sentence analysis and translation virtually eliminating the difficulty and frustration felt by language learners in a typical course. On-line video presentations supplement the course so class time can focus teacher-student interaction where it is most beneficial.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf.
Schedule: 2–27 June 2025.
See the continuation US102S 30 June–25 July.
Intensive course meeting times: Live meetings everyday Monday–Friday 10:00am-12:30pm U.S. Central Time, recorded lectures, daily interactive on-line exercises (images: welcome, transliteration instructions, transliteration errors, sandhi errors, morphological identification, translation), flexible consultation. Time commitment: 40 hours per week.
Course fee: $3,000, or $5,000 if enrolling in both US101S and US102S before 1 June.
Register.
Course materials: Scharf, Peter M. {S}abdabrahma: a linguistic introduction to Sanskrit. Providence: The Sanskrit Library, 2022. Two volumes. Volume I, Text and exercises; Volume II, Appendices. Available via links on The Sanskrit Library publications page.

Topics

Lecture	Topic
1	Introduction: Sanskrit language and literature
2	Phonology (SikzA)
3	{d}evanAgarI script
4	Sandhi
5	Verbs
6	Nouns
7	Adjectives
8	The imperative and optative moods
9	Feminine I/U-stem nominals
10	Class 5, 8, and 9 present stem verbs
11	Short i/u-stem nominals
12	Class 2, 3, and 7 verbs and f-stem nominals