- to familiarize students with the richness of the literary
output of the Indian subcontinent, with special emphasis on the 
relevance of these texts, however old, to the contemporary 
global scene;
- to help students situate those works within larger historical
and cultural contexts; 
- to provide students with an understanding of the conventions of
literary composition and reception that inform their creation, 
such as conventions of genre, metrics, style; 
- to improve students' communication skills through oral
presentations in class and expository writing assignments, 
including in-class and out-of-class essays. 

Students' performances will be evaluated through a variety of
means, including assessment of oral presentations, objective 
tests, essays, and the final examination.

Texts to be read will be culled from the various religious and
secular traditions. The topics considered are generated by the 
specific work under analysis. The works treated will vary with 
the instructor. A typical reading list might look as follows:

Week 1  The Vedic Tradition
Week 2  The Upanishads
Week 3  Jataka Tales
Week 4  The Shastric Tradition, Manava Dharma Shastra
Week 5  Kautilya, Arthashastra
Week 6  Bharatamuni, Natyashastra
Week 7  Kamashastra
Week 8 The Bhagavad Gita
Week 9 Valmiki, Ramayana
Week 10 Mahabharata
Week 11 kavya
Week 12 Kalidasa, Sakuntala
Week 13 Bhartrhari
Week 14 Tukaram
Week 15 Mirabai

Students are required to abide by the University of Georgia academic honesty policy.