Tibetan (TIBETAN)

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

Courses

TIBETAN 1A Elementary Tibetan 5 Units

A beginning Tibetan class developing basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in modern Tibetan (Lhasa dialect). The course also helps students begin to acquire competence in relevant Tibetan cultural issues.

TIBETAN 1B Elementary Tibetan 5 Units

A continuation of TIBETAN 1A, TIBETAN 1B develops further listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in modern Tibetan (Lhasa dialect), with a gradually increasing emphasis on basic cultural readings and developing intercultural competence.

TIBETAN 10A Intermediate Tibetan 3 Units

This course, a continuation of 1A-1B (elementary Tibetan), is designed to develop the student's skills in modern standard Tibetan. The emphasis is on communication skills in vernacular Tibetan, as well as grammar, reading, writing, and a familiarity with contemporary Tibetan culture more generally.

TIBETAN 10B Intermediate Tibetan 3 Units

This course, a continuation of 10A, is designed to develop further the student's skills in modern standard Tibetan. The emphasis is on communication skills in vernacular Tibetan, as well as grammar, reading, writing, and a familiarity with contemporary Tibetan culture more generally.

TIBETAN 24 Freshman Seminar 1 Unit

The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to fifteen freshmen.

TIBETAN 84 Sophomore Seminar 1 Unit

Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.

TIBETAN 100S Advanced Tibetan Conversation 1 Unit

This course is designed for advanced students of Tibetan language. Its goal is to provide an opportunity for advanced students to develop their colloquial Tibetan conversation skills. More sophisticated linguistic forms are used and reinforced while dealing with various socio-cultural topics, with a particular focus on Buddhist-related subjects toward the end of the term. Primary emphasis will be on the Lhasa dialect of Tibetan, though some variant dialects may also be introduced.

TIBETAN 110A Intensive Readings in Tibetan 4 Units

This course is an intensive introduction to reading classical Tibetan literature. Following an introduction to basic grammar, the course moves quickly into selected readings from Buddhist texts in Tibetan. It typically builds on basic skills acquired in 1A-1B (elementary Tibetan), though with consent it may be taken independently.

TIBETAN 110B Intensive Readings in Tibetan 4 Units

A continuation of TIBETAN 110A, this course provides an intensive introduction to a range of classical Tibetan literature. Assuming knowledge of basic classical Tibetan grammar, the course focuses on selected readings from Buddhist texts in Tibetan.

TIBETAN C114 Tibetan Buddhism 4 Units

This course is a broad introduction to the history, doctrine, and culture of the Buddhism of Tibet. We will begin with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century and move on to the evolution of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist literature, ritual and monastic practice, the place of Buddhism in Tibetan political history, and the contemporary situation of Tibetan Buddhism both inside and outside of Tibet.

TIBETAN 115 Contemporary Tibet 4 Units

This course seeks to develop a critical understanding of contemporary Tibet, characterized as it is by modernity, invasion, Maoism, liberalization, exile, and diaspora. It explores the cultural dynamism of the Tibetans over the last 100 years as expressed in literature, film, music, modern art, and political protest. The core topics include intra-Tibetan arguments regarding the preservation and "modernization" of traditional cultural forms, the development of new aesthetic creations and values, the constraints and opportunities on cultural life under colonialism and in the diaspora, and the religious nationalism of the recent political protests.

TIBETAN 116 Traditional Tibet 4 Units

This class will explore Tibetan civilization throughout the pre-modern period with an emphasis on literature, the visual arts, ethnography, and the history of Tibet's important cultural exchanges on the broader Inner Asian and Himalayan stages. The overall lesson plan will cover a wide range of Tibetan cultural forms and regions, and highlights the many international links that so animated Tibet itself and were crucial to the politics of Asia for many centuries. Furthermore, the theme of "early modernities" will be prominent in the readings in the second half of the course.

TIBETAN C154 Death, Dreams, and Visions in Tibetan Buddhism 4 Units

Tibetan Buddhists view the moment of death as a rare opportunity for transformation. This course examines how Tibetans have used death and dying in the path to enlightenment. Readings will address how Tibetan funerary rituals work to assist the dying toward this end, and how Buddhist practitioners prepare for this crucial moment through tantric meditation, imaginative rehearsals, and explorations of the dream state.

TIBETAN C214 Seminar in Tibetan Buddhism 2 or 4 Units

This course provides a place for graduate-level seminars in Tibetan Buddhism that rely primarily on secondary sources and Tibetan texts in translation. Content will vary between semesters but will typically focus on a particular theme. Themes will be chosen according to student interests, with an eye toward introducing students to the breadth of available western scholarship on Tibet, from classics in the field to the latest publications.

TIBETAN C224 Readings in Tibetan Buddhist Texts 2 or 4 Units

This seminar provides an introduction to a broad range of Tibetan Buddhist texts, including chronicles and histories, biographical literature, doctrinal treatises, canonical texts, ritual manuals, pilgrimage guides, and liturgical texts. It is intended for graduate students interested in premodern Tibet from any perspective. Students are required to do all of the readings in the original classical Tibetan. It will also serve as a tools and methods for the study of Tibetan Buddhist literature, including standard lexical and bibliographic references, digital resources, and secondary literature in modern languages. The content of the course will vary from semester to semester to account for the needs and interests of particular students.

TIBETAN 298 Directed Study for Graduate Students 1 - 8 Units

Special tutorial or seminar on selected topics not covered by available courses or seminars.

TIBETAN 299 Thesis Preparation and Related Research 1 - 8 Units

TIBETAN 601 Individual Study for Master's Students 1 - 8 Units

Individual study for the comprehensive or language requirements in consultation with the graduate adviser. Units may not be used to meet either unit or residence requirements for a master's degree.

TIBETAN 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Students 1 - 8 Units

Individual study in consultation with the major field adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare for various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D.

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