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INVESTIGATING THE SCRIPTURES Professor Nicole Karapanagiotis, Ph.D. and students Michael Putnam and Lacy Bell-Putnam study texts from the ancient language of Sanskrit.

Unique Class Tackles Ancient Language of Sanskrit

Studying texts has taken on a different meaning with a new class in the Department of Literature and Philosophy. Instead of using a traditional textbook, students are gaining hands-on experience in the translation of ancient religious Sanskrit texts.

Last fall, Professor Nicole Karapanagiotis taught the very first Sanskrit class with three students as part of the Religious Studies program. “We open texts, and it’s like we’re co- investigators of these ancient scriptures. We sit together with these ancient texts and we try to figure it out,” said Karapanagiotis, describing the class. “This class, then, is different from many others at Georgia Southern. It is very hands on. We work together to read religious texts. There is no lecturing to students. Instead, we learn together.”

As one of the oldest languages in the world, Sanskrit is found in the texts of three major religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Sanskrit is also a liturgical language, which means that it is used in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples even to this day. “So, knowing Sanskrit is key to understanding these traditions’ textual viewpoints — on the nature of God, reality, the self, etc. — and also to interpreting ritual expressions as they are performed by practitioners of these traditions today,” Karapanagiotis said.

Aside from religious texts, most people would be surprised to know that Sanskrit is commonly heard and used in our everyday lives. “I think students will know of Sanskrit through yoga,” she added. “You will often hear the yoga instructor call a pose by the Sanskrit name, and many students here take yoga.” Other familiar words in the language include “karma,” “guru,” “Buddha,” “dharma,” “om” and “namaste.”

Karapanagiotis says a religious studies class like Sanskrit allows students to look closely at the texts. “We aim for breadth and depth, and this class adds a dimension of depth and specialization to students’ study,” the professor said. “We’re trying to bring the University to the next level. This class is an important bridge between making us an undergraduate teaching research university and preparing students to pursue higher specialized degrees.”

A class like Sanskrit is a big undertaking for Georgia Southern because the course typically is taught at bigger schools like major research universities and/or private or Ivy League institutions, Karapanagiotis said. “It’s the hardest language I will ever tackle, yet I feel like I learned better because it was just the three of us,” said junior anthropology major Michael Putnam. “The class gives us accolades other universities do not have.”

Now well into teaching the second year of a new class, Karapanagiotis said her goal is to enable her students to closely read Sanskrit texts and to give them an opportunity to work directly with primary religious materials from the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. “This allows them to learn about these religions from the inside out, so to speak,” she said. “And who knows, maybe these students will eventually translate texts that have never been translated before! How great would that be?”

Sandra Bennett