Tibetan Language and Culture has a multi-millennia history rich in a wide variety of genres of literature, including historical chronicles, poetry, stories, liturgical texts, philosophical treatises, astrology, biography, and autobiography. Additionally, the Tibetan language contains a wealth of oral traditions, including epic, satire, melodious songs of spiritual realization, proverb-laden speeches of competitive erudition, love songs, and much more. The faculty of ALC and Religious Studies work together to provide an array of classes on both secular and sacred aspects of Tibetan culture, with a special focus on Tibetan literature and oral tradition across a range of time from late first millennium works preserved in the Library Cave of Dunhuang and other sites in Central Asia to contemporary forms of poetry and prose. Prof. Antonio Terrone teaches Tibetan literature courses and thematic courses relating to Tibetan Buddhism in ALC, Prof. Sarah Jacoby teaches Buddhist literature, language, and gender studies courses in Religious Studies, and Prof. Tsering Samdrup teaches courses on Tibetan culture and language with an emphasis on oral traditions and linguistics. Northwestern is currently building up our Tibetan language course offerings; Prof. Samdrup regularly offers intermediate-advanced level Tibetan reading classes, and we hope to expand Tibetan language course offerings to include more elementary courses in the future.
