FACULTY OF ORIENTAL STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

SANSKRIT

A handbook for Undergraduates reading Sanskrit

ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/14

1

CONTENTS

Page

Introduction

2

The Oriental Institute

3

Libraries

3

Viva Voce 4

Appendix A: Faculty Information

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Dates of Full Term for Academic Year 2013-14

YEAR TERM FROM TO

2013-14

Michaelmas 2013 Sunday, 13 October Saturday, 7 December

Hilary 2014 Sunday, 19 January Saturday 15 March

Trinity 2014 Sunday, 27 April Saturday, 21 June

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1. Introduction

Sanskrit is the key to Indian civilization, and it is in this spirit that it is

taught at Oxford, though the B.A. course necessarily concentrates on

giving students a thorough grounding in the language, and the bulk of the

teaching proceeds by the reading and explication of classical texts.

Formally, the course is in two parts. The first, of five months, leads to the

Preliminary Examination at the end of the second term, in late March.

Teaching for this consists mainly of intensive instruction in the rudiments

of the language. The second, the Final Honours course, takes seven terms

(26 months).

The Final Honour School is examined in 9 papers, 7 in Sanskrit and two in the

subsidiary language (see below). There are only two set text papers. For these

Sanskrit language is studied from two contrasting and complementary points of

view. The indigenous study of Sanskrit grammar is given a large place in our

course, not only because it teaches Sanskrit with authoritative accuracy, but, even

more important, because linguistics was the paradigm science in Ancient India.

On the other hand, historical and comparative linguistics have drawn western

philologists to the study of Sanskrit; the student is therefore introduced to the

historical philology of Vedic, the oldest form of Sanskrit. Four more papers in

Sanskrit are accounted for by a general unprepared translation paper, a general

essay paper on Sanskrit literature and the arts, and an unprepared translation paper

and an essay paper in a chosen area of Sanskrit studies, such as literature, religion,

philosophy, or even an area more closely defined. The choice of this more

specialized area and the materials read in preparation for the examination in it is

arranged between teachers and student. The final paper in Sanskrit is in a special

subject; for this the student may, if appropriate, offer a short dissertation instead

of an examination paper. Several students in recent years have for this dissertation

edited unpublished texts from manuscripts or inscriptions. From 2007 we are also

asking students to submit a copy of their dissertation on cd (preferably in pdf).

Remember to write your candidate number and not your name on the dissertation

you submit.

The choice of a subsidiary language lies between Old Iranian, Pali, Prakrit, Tibetan

and Hindi. The first three of these again are examined by an unprepared translation

paper and an essay paper. The material in Old Iranian is mainly Zoroastrian

literature, in Pali exclusively Buddhist literature, and in Prakrit both Jaina literature

and secular creative literature (poetry and drama). Tibetan and Hindi are examined

by a paper in prose composition and unprepared translation, and a paper in prepared

texts with questions on culture and history. Study of the subsidiary language begins

at the start of the second year, and thereafter accounts for about a third of the work.

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The course book for Prelims. is Teach Yourself Sanskrit by M.A. Coulson,

which is fairly widely available, and gives good advice on auxiliary

material. It is unnecessary to know any Sanskrit before beginning the

course (though students may find it valuable to familiarise themselves with

devanagari, the script in which Sanskrit is usually printed). A basic

knowledge of English grammar is however essential. For more advanced

students of Indology, ability to read French is virtually essential, and

German hardly less valuable, so that the best preparation for this course

may well be to acquire a reading knowledge of those languages.

2. The Oriental Institute

Address: The Oriental Institute

Pusey Lane

Oxford OX1 2LE.

Tel: 01865-278200.

Fax:01865-278190.

Email: name@orinst.ox.ac.uk

General: Most of the teaching for courses in Oriental languages is faculty-

based, and nearly all classes, lectures, and tutorials are held in the Oriental

Institute. This is open during term Monday - Friday 9.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.,

Saturday 9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m.; out of term it closes at 5.00 p.m. and is

closed on Saturday. The Institute is home to most of the teaching staff in

Oriental Studies, and to the Faculty Office, classrooms, a language library, a

library (see ‘Libraries’ below) and a common room which serves morning

coffee from 10.30 a.m. - 11.30 a.m. and afternoon tea from 3.30 p.m. - 4.30

p.m. during term.

3. Libraries

Bodleian Library: The Bodleian Library is the University's main library,

and one of the greatest research libraries in the world. Many students

graduate without having ever entered the Bodleian; that is their loss. The

Bodleian can be daunting at first; it is extremely large and most books are

not on open shelves, but there are regular introductory courses, and the

librarians are always willing to help. The Bodleian houses a vast collection

of books and manuscripts, and virtually every text you will need is

available there. Books written in Bodleian books cannot be borrowed.

Oriental Institute Library: Administratively this library is part of the

Bodleian Library, so you will first need to obtain your University ID card

from your college; you should then register with a librarian in the Institute

library. You may borrow up to 6 books for an initial period of 2 weeks.

Some books are kept on reserve behind the circulation desk; you must sign

for these, and under no conditions should they leave the library.

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Viva voce

Final Honour School (FHS) candidates may be examined by viva voce (oral

examination) and so candidates should be prepared to travel to Oxford up until the

final examiners’ meeting (normally by first week of July, but may be later).

In deciding to conduct a Viva, examiners and assessors should bear in mind that:

1. The reason for holding a Viva must be clear and is when examiners are

otherwise unable to determine the class of the submitted papers.

2. A Viva must not be used as a means of assessing suspicions about possible

plagiarism.

3. A candidate must be given 2-3 days notice of the Viva.

4. The Viva must be scheduled to take place before the final examiners’

meeting.

5. A candidate who attends for a Viva can only improve on a class mark as a

result of the Viva.

Appendix A: Faculty Information

Contents:

1. University complaints and appeals procedure

2. Student feedback form and notes

3. Note on when external examiners are used

4. Note on voluntary submission of theses on CD

5. Weblink for use of IT regulations

6. List of weblinks for study skills and other resources

7. University definition of plagiarism

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

Complaints and academic appeals within the Faculty of Oriental Studies

1. The University, the Humanities Division and the Oriental Studies faculty all hope that

provision made for students at all stages of their programme of study will make the need for

complaints (about that provision) or appeals (against the outcomes of any form of

assessment) infrequent.

2. However, all those concerned believe that it is important for students to be clear about how

to raise a concern or make a complaint, and how to appeal against the outcome of assessment.

The following guidance attempts to provide such information.

3. Nothing in this guidance precludes an informal discussion with the person immediately

responsible for the issue that you wish to complain about (and who may not be one of the

individuals identified below). This is often the simplest way to achieve a satisfactory

resolution.

4. Many sources of advice are available within colleges, within faculties/departments and

from bodies like OUSU or the Counselling Service, which have extensive experience in

advising students. You may wish to take advice from one of these sources before pursuing

your complaint.

5. General areas of concern about provision affecting students as a whole should, of course,

continue to be raised through Joint Consultative Committees or via student representation on

the faculty/department’s committees.

Complaints

3.1 If your concern or complaint relates to teaching or other provision made by the faculty,

then you should raise it with the chairman of the Undergraduate Committee (Professor Clive

Holes) or with the Director of Graduate Studies (Professor Rosalind O’Hanlon) as

appropriate. Within the faculty/department the officer concerned will attempt to resolve your

concern/complaint informally.

3.2 If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, then you may take your concern further by

making a formal complaint to the University Proctors. A complaint may cover aspects of

teaching and learning (e.g. teaching facilities, supervision arrangements, etc.), and non-

academic issues (e.g. support services, library services, university accommodation, university

clubs and societies, etc.). A complaint to the Proctors should be made only if attempts at

informal resolution have been unsuccessful. The procedures adopted by the Proctors for the

consideration of complaints and appeals are described in the Proctors and Assessor’s

Memorandum[http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/pam/] and the relevant Council

regulations [http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/regulations/]

[ 4. If your concern or complaint relates to teaching or other provision made by your college,

then you should raise it either with your tutor or with one of the college officers, Senior

Tutor, Tutor for Graduates (as appropriate). Your college will also be able to explain how to

take your complaint further if you are dissatisfied with the outcome of its consideration. ]

Academic appeals

5. An appeal is defined as a formal questioning of a decision on an academic matter made by

the responsible academic body.

6. For undergraduate or taught graduate courses, a concern which might lead to an appeal

should be raised with your college authorities and the individual responsible for overseeing

your work. It must not be raised directly with examiners or assessors. If it is not possible

to clear up your concern in this way, you may put your concern in writing and submit it to the

Proctors via the Senior Tutor of your college. As noted above, the procedures adopted by the

Proctors in relation to complaints and appeals are on the web

[http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/regulations/].

7. For the examination of research degrees, or in relation to transfer or confirmation of

status, your concern should be raised initially with the Director of Graduate Studies. Where a

concern is not satisfactorily settled by that means, then you, your supervisor, or your college

authority may put your appeal directly to the Proctors.

8. Please remember in connection with all the cases in paragraphs 5 - 7 that:

(a) The Proctors are not empowered to challenge the academic judgement of examiners or

academic bodies.

(b) The Proctors can consider whether the procedures for reaching an academic decision were

properly followed;

i.e. whether there was a significant procedural administrative error; whether there is evidence

of bias or inadequate assessment; whether the examiners failed to take into account special

factors affecting a candidate’s performance.

(c) On no account should you contact your examiners or assessors directly.

9. The Proctors will indicate what further action you can take if you are dissatisfied with the

outcome of a complaint or appeal considered by them.

University of Oxford

Faculty of Oriental Studies

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT FEEDBACK ON LECTURES AND CLASSES

The Faculty values students’ views on the teaching it provides. Please complete one form for

each course of lectures and classes that you have attended this term. Mention what you have

found good as well as what you consider needs to be improved. You are not obliged to

indicate which year of your degree course you are in, but it makes the feedback much more

useful if you do.

The forms will be seen only by the Chairman of the Undergraduate Studies Committee and

the Academic Administrator: any comments will be passed to the teacher concerned in an

anonymous form. The form itself will not be seen by the teacher. Further information about

what will happen to your comments is provided in each undergraduate subject handbook.

Students are encouraged whenever possible to discuss concerns directly with their teacher, as

this is often the quickest and most constructive way to deal with problems.

……… Term 2012/13

Title of lecture series or class:

Name of lecturer(s) /class teacher(s):

What year of your degree course are you in?

YOUR COMMENTS

This form should be returned to the Academic Administrator, Room 316, Oriental

Institute, Pusey Lane, by the end of each term. It can be emailed, sent by messenger or

handed in at the Lodge.

STUDENT FEEDBACK AND COMPLAINTS

The Faculty values students’ views on the teaching it provides. Feedback forms are sent

to all students each term, giving them an opportunity to comment on the teaching they are

receiving that term. Forms are sent out by e-mail from the Faculty Officer, and are

returned by students anonymously to enable them to comment on individual teaching

staff. Whenever possible students are encouraged to discuss concerns directly with the

teacher, as this is often the quickest and most constructive way to deal with problems.

Feedback forms will be dealt with by the Faculty in the following way:

Completed forms are only seen by the Assistant Administrator and the Chair of the

Undergraduate Studies Committee. Any comments will be passed to the teacher

concerned in an anonymous form, and the teacher will not see the form itself.

During a member of teaching staff’s probationary period, all feedback is anonymised and

forwarded both to the member of staff concerned and their mentee, together with the

recommendation that, should there be any negative feedback, the mentor and mentee

should meet to discuss it and, if appropriate, meet with the whole class from which the

negative feedback was generated. The feedback forms and recommendations are also

copied to the Tutorial Secretary and will also eventually be seen by the faculty committee

responsible for reviewing the member of staff’s initial period of appointment at the end of

their probationary period.

Outside the member of staff’s probationary period (or for teachers who are not members

of staff in Oriental Studies), all anonymised reports are forwarded to the member of staff

concerned and to the Tutorial Secretary, with the same recommendation that, should there

be any negative feedback, the member of staff and the Tutorial Secretary should meet to

discuss it and, if appropriate, meet with the whole class from which the negative feedback

was generated.

Feedback forms commenting upon the teaching of a Tutorial Secretary are copied to the

Faculty Board Chairman.

General issues (but not those regarding individual teachers) raised by student feedback

forms should be brought by the Tutorial Secretary to Joint Consultative Committee

meetings, and a written report on the outcome of any complaints should be published by

the convenor of the JCC (even if no student members attend).

3. Any student achievement that contributes to a named award will be moderated by an external

examiner, except for First Public Examinations (FPE) and M.Phil Qualifying Examinations in

Cuneiform Studies and M.Phil Qualifying Examinations in Egyptology.

4. We are also asking students to voluntarily submit a copy of their dissertation on CD (preferably in

pdf).

5. Your attention is drawn to University regulations concerning the use of Information Technology

Facilities:

http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/regulations/196-052.shtml

6. Study Skills and Other Resources:

General Guidelines for Thesis (or dissertation) Writers

https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/access/content/group/a55c44d3-9f21-4dec-b48c-

2dc6fa4e4bee/Exams/General_Guidelines_for_Thesis_Writers.pdf

EPSC Study Skills Resources

(Access to the online (anti-)plagiarism course mentioned on this webpage is via the

SkillsPortal website (www.skillsportal.ox.ac.uk). You will need to create a user account

before taking an online course.)

http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/goodpractice/

Library Training and Workshops

http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/services/training

Careers and Skills Development

http://www.ox.ac.uk/current_students/careers_skills.html

Oxford University Language Centre

http://www.lang.ox.ac.uk/

Student Counselling Service

http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/shw/counserv.shtml

Plagiarism

http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/goodpractice/

7. UNIVERSITY DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM

Cf. http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/goodpractice/

Plagiarism is the copying or paraphrasing of other people’s work or ideas into your own work

without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in

manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. Collusion is another form of

plagiarism involving the unauthorised collaboration of students (or others) in a piece of work.

Cases of suspected plagiarism in assessed work are investigated under the disciplinary regulations

concerning conduct in examinations. Intentional or reckless plagiarism may incur severe penalties,

including failure of your degree or expulsion from the university. In their Memorandum, Essential

Information for Students, the Proctors and Assessor draw attention to the disciplinary regulations

relating to plagiarism that must be observed by both undergraduate and graduate students. Please read

Section 9.5 on the weblink: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/pam/index.shtlm)”