Tamil education in U.S.

,Canada and Singapore A Report with some suggestions

--Maraimalai Ilakkuvanar After a century-long struggle and persistent demands,we achieved the central governments announcement and declaration of the classical language status accorded to Tamil.Now we are eagerly expecting the propagation of Tamil language and literature throughout the world,especially in most of the universities worldwide.Now this is a humble venture to assess the Tamil teaching in Universities at U.S.,Canada and Singapore.Instead of relying on secondary sources I wished to send a questionnare to the Professors,engaged in teaching Tamil at various universities. Not only the data provided by them but also their own statements are compiled and given here just to avoid ambiguity and redundancy. Dr.K.Karunagaran has given an overview of Tamil education at U.S. In USA : -------- Tamil teaching and Tamil Studies programs are almost 47 years old. Started in the year 1961-62,in the University of Chicago,Chicago,it was later on became a Center for South Asia Area Studies program under the headship of Prof.A.K.Ramanujan. This program was inaugurated by Prof.T.P.M. at Chicago under their invitation,and Prof.TPM gave a series of Lectures on Tamil Language & Tamil Literature.And still later these lectures were published under the titles"History of Tamil Language"by the Deccan College,Poona and "History of Tamil Literature" by the Annamalai university.At one point of time Tamil was taught in more than 17 Centres through out USA.But now(as of 2007),Tamil is being taught in the following Universities in USA: 1) University of California, BerkeleyTamil is taught to 35 to 40 students each semester courses. It is also given for the Graduate program -for M.A. and Ph.D.research. (For the past 35 years)-Prof.George Hart is in Charge of the Program.It was the University of California that started research in the area of Dravidian Languages under the stewardship pf Prof.M.B.Emeneau in the early 1950s.Prof.Emeneau along with Prof.T.Burrow of the Oxford University (U.K.) published a monumental work under the tiltle"Dravidian Etymological Dictionary" .In this work find atleast 60% of the root words are drawn from Tamil language, which richly supports the view that Tamil was the ancient language of the Dravidian Family of languages and mother of such languages .2) Univesity of Chicago: Tamil teaching continues for more than 45 years (20 students each semester) and encourages Tamil studies in different social science disciplines .3)University of Michigan, Michigan: Around 30 to 35 students at the Undergraduate level doing Tamil learning. Atleast 3 to 4 Ph.D. scholars working for their graduate and Ph.D. programs related to Tamil studies such as Anthropology, sociology, women studies, Hinduism, Literature and so on. 4) University of Texas at Austin (Texas)-

Around 20 students each semester as well as Graduate program in Tamil studies, 5) University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia-This institution attracts around 20 students each semester in the under graduate program. There are opportunities for doing the Graduate programs related to South Asian Languages and Cultures .6) University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA)It has only Summer Tamil Teaching Program At least 12 to 20 students take part during each summer.They also have a collaborative program with AIIS at Madurai(American College) .7) University of Colombia,Virginia- It has part time Tamil teaching program, 8) University of Yale-It has undergraduate and graduate programs and attracts around 10 to 15 students each semester. 9) New York State University, Stonybrook, NY there is a Dept. Dravidian Studies, 10) University of North Carolina: It has part-time Tamil teaching at present They are trying to have full time teaching in the coming years. However there are some private organizations and individuals giving instruction in Tamil to children and adults depending upon their need in some states and places-especially some of the Tamil Sangams and Tamil Cultural organizations. South Asian Languages and Cultures is one of the broader areas in which interest is shown especially in research and graduate programs. Several researchers visit Tamilnadu, SriLanka and other Tamil-speaking countries for field study and pursue research in connection with their Ph.D. and higher level project works. Comparative study of Literatures with Tamil, as well as Linguistics is also pursued in several centers. Of late, interest is shown with reference to social and religious philosophies as well as cultures in South Asia. Native Medicine, Philosophy, Religious thought, Translation, Antiquity of Tamil, Epics like Chilappathikaram etc.are the fields of research now. Among the universities enlisted by Dr.K.Karunagaran,University of California,Berkeley deserves a special mention.It is the only university which holds a Tamil Chair.The credit goes to the Illustrious Tamil scholar Dr.George L.Hart,who is a Professor of Tamil there From 1970.He and his wife Kausalya Hart,by their persistent efforts convinced the Tamil community there to donate funds to establish a Tamil chair.It was established in 1997 and I had the privilege to be the first visiting Professor of this prestigious Tamil chair,by the sincere efforts of George Hart. George Hart has done a commendable service for the propagation of Sangam classics Worldwide,by his research as well as his translations.His translation works of Purananooru and other sangam poems are described in detail in the appandix. Dr.K.Karunagaran,now a Tamil lecturer in the University of Michigan and previously was the Vice Chancellor of Tamil University,Thanjavur gave the following suggestion: It is a good thing if the Govt. TamilNadu establishes at least one strong and permanent chair for Tamil Teaching in an US university in the near future. That would go a long way in the development of Tamil reaching and fostering Tamil studies in the

New world.Tamil music, and Tamil drama could also form part of Tamil studies.Lot of interest is evinced in the area of Tamil native music and Nataka Tamil (like Silambu and other old plays and stage). He also suggested if the Government solicits the co-operation of the Tamil diaspora there the scheme will be more successful. It would be useful to take into confidence some of the fore-runners in establishing Tamil sangams and Tamil Literary forums in USAin the early 1970s.. There are a few individuals who are really strong and can do something concrete for the development of such studies in the larger interest of Tamil and Tamil culture. For the past ten years Dr.K.Karunagaran is doing a remarkable job there in imparting Tamil education.To put it in his own words: As for the University of Michigan during the past 10 years I have trained atleast 300 under graduate sudents and 30-35 graduate students (Ph.D. level) in Tamil and Tamil studies.

Dr.Vasu Renganathan,who teaches Tamil at the University of Pennsylvania describes the history and nature of the Tamil courses there: History of Tamil courses at the University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania has been offering Tamil language and literature at three levels of language courses for the past two decades, besides guiding a number of Ph.D. students who conduct their research in Tamil related areas. We have had students both from Tamil heritage as well as from non-natives who specialize in Tamil language and literature research as part of their graduate program. The three levels of instruction that we offer consistently are beginning, intermediate and advanced Tamil courses. Besides, we also offer independent study courses to cater the needs of Tamil researchers. Syllabus All the three levels of courses that we offer in our department are meant to provide Tamil language education from learning alphabet to learn to read, write and speak the language fluently. Our syllabi for all of these courses are designed in such a way that the students acquire native like proficiency at the end of three levels of instruction. These courses are designed for two semesters each for about eight months, and five hours per week. In all of these courses students learn the grammar of both spoken and written Tamil. Advanced level and independent study students are taught Tamil literatures from Sangam to Modern Tamil, and consequently they conduct research in any one piece of literature of their choice. In the past, advanced level students had chosen to study Manimekalai, Silappatikaram, Alwars poems and Nayanmars works. Topics of our Ph.D. students range from study of Sangam and religious literatures of Tamil Nadu, Temples of Tamil Nadu, study of folk literature and so on. Students from the disciplines of Anthropology, Folklore, History, Religion and Political Science are involved in post graduate level research in Tamil. Strength of students.(For the past 5 years) Tamil classes in all of the three levels usually contain for about twenty to twenty five students in total. Out of these, about fifty percent of them are heritage learners, who want to learn the language to maintain their Tamil background at home. Others are

graduate students from one of the sister departments such as History, Anthropology, Religion and so on. Every year we have about four or five students conducting their research in Tamil related areas for their Ph.D. and post graduate programs. Faculty We usually have two faculty members who specialize in Tamil language, literature, linguistics and South Indian History. Role of Tamil faculty members involve both teaching Tamil language and literature as well as guiding Ph.D. students for their research. Tamil faculty members are also actively involved in conducting Tamil research in Classical literature, language pedagogy and so on. The research areas that we focus on currently include development of technologically sound pedagogical materials for the learners of Tamil (cf. http://www.southasia.upenn.edu/tamil), studying Sangam and Religious literatures of Tamil from cultural, anthropological, linguistic and historical perspectives. My question was:What kind of help is needed from the government of Tamil Nadu, Tamil community for the propagation of Tamil and research in Tamil Classics? He gave a detailed reply. One of the issues our students have consistently is acquiring appropriate academic resources, and also having consultation with academic professionals in Tamil Nadu in connection with their research. Establishing a separate department in Tamil Nadu, especially to cater the needs of Tamil students and researchers in foreign countries, would help immensely our Ph.D. students and researchers in pursuing their research. For example, when our students come to Tamil Nadu to conduct their research they find it very difficult to get in touch with experts and professionals in their topic research; also they sometime have hard time getting access to Tamil resources such as books, palm leaves, archeological materials and others on a timely fashion. A separate department that can coordinate with our students and researchers from abroad and the resources in Tamil Nadu would be of immense help. Currently, our students get leads in Tamil Nadu on their own and follow their directions. This can be organized in a more methodological manner through a separate department which can act as a liaison between Tamil researchers abroad and resources in Tamil Nadu. Learning the Tamil language and literature in Tamil Nadu has been one of the requirements of our students and they find very limited resources for such immersion courses. Establishing separate departments that can offer courses for teaching the Tamil language and literature to foreign students will be of great help for our students. Currently, there are only two centers (one in Madurai Kamarajar University and the other in Pondicherry Institute of Linguistics and Cultures) where they can get this kind of education. Resources in Tamil University can be made use of to offer Tamil language and literature courses on a regular basis in order to meet the needs of Tamil students from foreign countries. American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), Chicago offers financial aids for American students who conduct research in Indian studies including Tamil studies. This institute may be contacted to establish departments and centers in Tamil Nadu for Tamil researchers abroad. Organizing international seminars and conferences in TamilNadu on a regular basis with Tamil researchers in U.S. and other foreign countries would be of immense

help. The topics of these conferences can be in Tamil classical literature, religion, pedagogy, linguistics, culture, folklore and a number of others. These valuable suggestions proposed by Dr.Vasu Renganathan should be carried out by the Central and State government agencies for the development of Tamil education abroad. Dr.Annamalai,a prominent linguist of International repute,is teaching Tamil at Yale university.He gives a description of Tamil program there: The Tamil program at Yale is four years old, though there was facility for learning the Tamil language by willing students from much earlier, as for any other language. The new program is part of the South Asian program, which makes possible for undergraduate students to have a second major in South Asian Studies. Hence the Tamil program aims at looking at the contributions of Tamil to South Asia and at similarities and differences with other regions in this respect. The breadth of coverage would be from the classical to the contemporary period. The Tamil program attracts students of different backgrounds from second generation of Tamil speaking families in the US to Sinhalese speaking families in Sri Lanka . There are some students from Euro-American background also. Students are from America as well as from other nations. Most of them pursue under-graduate studies majoring in various disciplines ranging from environmental studies to engineering. Graduate students want to acquire proficiency in Tamil when it is relevant to their disciplinary research. They all need knowledge of modern Tamil. Besides Tamil-specific courses, the faculty in other disciplines are encouraged to include any relevant material relating to Tamil in their courses, whether they are in anthropology, political science, history, literature etc. A shining example of this is the inclusion of Cilappatikaram in a course on World Literatures. When asked about the prospects of new benefits for the propagation of Classical literature and classical Tamil as a result of the Indian governments notification of Tamil as a classical language, Dr.Annamalai gave the following reply: I should point out that no Tamil program in the U.S. restricts itself to classical Tamil. It is a wrong presumption that the classical status conferred on Tamil by the Indian government will help increase the number of programs or change the focus of the existing programs in the US . The academic world everywhere recognized the classical nature of Tamil literature and language long before the government. They all also know that that Tamil is also a dynamic modern language creating vibrant modern literature. Both aspects of Tamil will continue to be part of Tamil programs in the US . Tamil programs are also designed to support scholarly inquiries of Tamils' culture, society, politics, religion in all periods of their history as well as doing of community work and business in contemporary Tamil Nadu. Yale Tamil program in no exception. What kind of support is needed for this Tamil Program? Dr.Annamalai explains:

Yale University receives endowments and other support from governments, foundations, business houses and individuals for its program of South Asian Studies. The support could have a specific focus on Tamil. Such support will be used for inviting visiting faculty, inviting scholars for giving lectures and seminars, building library resources with print and non-print materials (films and videos on Tamil arts and culture), extracurricular programs of performance of classical and folk music and dance from Tamil Nadu, supporting Yale students spending a summer or any other semester in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka for specialized studies in educational institutions there, supporting South Asian doctoral and post-doctoral research students to spend some time at Yale and other activities that will promote Tamil studies as part of South Asian Studies. Tamil families in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka may host visiting students coming to Tamil Nadu for short periods to study. Any support to make Tamil studies a crucial component of South Asian Studies will be welcome. Canada: In Canada,University of Toronto is offering Tamil education form 2006. The organizer of this program,Dr.Chelva Kanaknayagam gives the particulars: For the last two years, we have offered courses in Tamil language and Tamil studies. These courses have been taught by different instructor, andsometimes the Tamil Studies course is team taught. The courses are offered by the University of Toronto at the 2nd year undergraduate level. We are hoping to expand our course offerings in the coming years, Depending on the support we get from the University and from outside. Generally, We restrict the class size to about 30 students, and the enrolment has been high. The demand for more courses is high. Singapore:
Currently there are three publicly- funded universities in Singapore, namely the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) & Singapore Management University (SMU). Despite the fact that Indians consist of 8% of the 4.5 million Singapore populations none of these universities offer any degree progarmme in Tamil. As result, since the mid 80s, a few Tamil language (TL) teachers on their own imitative went to various colleges in Tamil Nadu (mainly Chennai & Madurai) to pursue a BA degree in Tamil Language & Tamil Literature. Subsequently, a few even completed their MA in Tamil in Tamil Nadu. However, not many TL teachers wanted to take this path, as the majority are married female teachers who had their family commitments. Prof.Shanmugam,Head of the Tamil department at SIM university explains the origin and growth of the Tamil department there.

Since the 1950s voices were heard from the Tamil community which comprises of 67% of the Indian population here for a need of a Department of Tamil Studies or Indian Studies at the NUS. In 1957 an Indian Studies Department was established at the then the University of Malaya which was located in Singapore. However, in 1959 this was transferred to University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Since then numerous attempts were made to start an Indian Studies Department at the NUS without of no avail. The reason why the authority was not keen was that it was not possible to sustain the degree for a no. of years. History of SIM University (UniSIM) SIM was founded on 28th November 1964 by the Economic Development Board as a not-for-profit membership institution with the mission of developing Singapores human resource capital. In the early years, SIM offered training courses in management for senior managers and supervisory personnel. SIMs portfolio grew to incorporate a wide range of diploma, bachelors, masters and doctoral programmes in partnership with established international universities. With its experience in running adult learning programmes, SIM was selected by the Minisrry of Education (MOE) in 1992 to steward the Open University Degree Programmes (OUDP) in Singapore. The degrees were awarded by the The Open University of the United Kingdom (OUUK). In 2002, the OUDP was renamed SIM Open University Centre (SIM-OUC) when OUUK granted accreditation to SIM. In January 2005, MOE granted SIM approval to form SIM University (UniSIM). UniSIM was formally registered as a privately funded university on 14th April 2005 and its first student intake commenced in January 2006. UniSIM continues to manage its partnership programmes with OUUK for its existing open university students and with Beijing Normal University for its Chinese language courses. SIM University has become Singapores first and only university dedicated to working professionals and adult learners. Meanwhile, some of the TL teachers grabbed this opportunity and pursued the OUDP in English language and English literature as there was no indication at that point of time that a BA degree in Tamil will be introduced in UniSIM. The Singapore Tamil Teachers Union (STTU) instrumented this programme for the benefit of TL teachers. It worked closely with UniSIM and Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) to use the latters curriculum materials as well as their expertise for the degree programme. Though MKU study guides are used, it is adapted or augmented to suit our local needs.

Furthermore local Singapore and Malaysian literatures are also incorporated into the curriculum tp provide the local flavour. Also Professor Tamizhannal has been appointed as the external consultant to the university while Prof Aranga Ramalingam of University of Madras is our external examiner. The MOE gave its blessings to this programme. Hence, in January 2006, UniSIM started a BA in Tamil language and literature with 48 students. There are 2 student intakes i.e. in Januray and July in a year. There are 2 semesters in a year. On each semester, students are allowed to offer 2 modules out of a total of 12 modules. In other words, students will be able to offer 4 modules per year. The students are allowed to complete the programme in 3 to 8 years. (The syllabus of the Tamil B.A.course is given in the appendix.) Sugestions: When compared to Sanskrit, Tamil has only a few departments abroad and those depaetments have a lot of difficulties in many aspects. A co-ordination committee may be set up by the Centre of Excellence for Classical Tamil, to oversee the establishment of new departments of Tamil abroad,to hear their grievances,to supply necessary teaching materials and to give them an useful feedback about their performance.This will help not only the universities which run these courses but also the foreign students who come forward to learn Tamil. Details of Appendices Appendix-1-CV of Dr.George L.Hart III APPENDIX-2 STUDIES APPENDIX-3 -THE M.A. PROGRAM IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES,University of California,Berkeley. APPENDIX-4:LETTERS & SCIENCE ,SEVEN-COURSE BREADTH REQUIREMENT COURSES U.C.BERKELEY. -THE JOINT M.A./Ph.D. PROGRAM IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN

APPENDIX-5--Bio Data of Dr.Vasu Ranganathan, University of Pennsylvania.

APPENDIX-6- BULLETIN OF TAMIL STUDIES COMMITTEE,UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO,CANADA. APPENDIX-7-Syllabus-B.A.Tamil in SIM University,Singapore.

Appendix-1
George L.HartIII, Head of the department of Tamil Program& Current Chairholder Tamil Chair,South andf Southeast Asian Studies University of California,Berkeley.CA-US

Current Chairholder

Professor George L. Hart has been named to the endowed Chair in Tamil Studies by University of California, Berkeley Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien. Chancellor Tien's letter of appointment reads in part "Please accept the appointment of this endowed chair as an indication of my gratitude for your many years of teaching and service and for your scholarship which has reflected so favorably on the Berkeley campus." George Hart has been a Berkeley faculty member since 1973. He was promoted to full professor in 1981. A Harvard B.A., M.A. and Ph.D., Professor Hart is a graduate of the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, where his studies included both Tamil and Sanskrit. At Berkeley Professor Hart has developed the Tamil program of language, literature and cultural studies to be the most important of its kind in North America. Professor Hart is the author of textbooks for both Tamil and Sanskrit, and of translations of classical Tamil poetry, and the Tamil Ramayana of Kampan. George Hart is married to Tamil lecturer Kausalya Hart who is also an author of several Tamil language textbooks.
(From:Website of the University of California,Berkeley) George L. Hart From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search

George L. Hart is a professor of Tamil language at the University of California, Berkeley. Hart received his Ph.D. in Sanskrit from Harvard University and taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining the faculty at Berkeley. He has studied Latin and Greek as well as several modern European and Indian languages. Hart is best-known for his translations of several Tamil epics into English and for asserting that Tamil should be classified as a classical language, which is stated clearly in a letter addressed to Professor Maraimalai on April 11th, 2000. On September 18th, 2004 the Indian Union Cabinet recognized Tamil as a classical language. In 2002, Hart, along with co-author Hank Heifetz, was the recipient of the AAS South Asia Council (SAC) Ramanujan Book Prize. The two produced a volume of translated Tamil poetry entitled Four Hundred Songs of War and Wisdom. Hart is also the author of several Tamil and Sanskrit textbooks. He is married to Kausalya Hart, herself a professor and Tamil textbook author.
[edit] Works

* The Poems of Ancient Tamil, Their Milieu and Their Sanskrit Counterparts

* A Rapid Sanskrit Method * The Four Hundred Songs of War and Wisdom: An Anthology of Poems from Classical Tamil, the Purananuru * Poets of the Tamil Anthologies: Ancient Poems of Love and War * The Forest Book of the Ramayana of Kampan
[edit] External links * Profile in UC Berkeley site * Interview with Hart (in Tamil) * Interview with a Tamil magazine (in Tamil) ( From:Wikipedia)

APPENDIX-2 THE JOINT M.A./Ph.D. PROGRAM IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES Joanna Wlliams - Head Graduate Advisor 510-642-4353 Joanna Williams email Lee Amazonas - Student Affairs Officer 510-642-4219 Lee Amazomas' email INTRODUCTION This program offers emphases in the following languages and literatures: Hindi, Urdu, Indonesian, Sanskrit, Tamil and Khmer. Literature is understood in the widest sense to include not only creative writing and cultural expression in the various genres but also sources concerning religion, philosophy, history, and the fine and performing arts. The analysis of cultural expression is also understood to include attention to social, anthropological, economic, and political contexts. The program provides opportunities to explore the rich cultural, social, and religious histories of South and Southeast Asia as well as the living contemporary cultures of these areas. The curriculum covers the classical literary canon, religious literature, folk and popular works, oral traditions and performance media (including recitation, musical and dramatic performance, dance, and film), and modern literatures of the colonial and post-colonial periods. Advanced proficiency in the language of emphasis is a central goal of study, as is the ability to undertake sophisticated textual study of a broad range of literary works in that language. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the extensive opportunities for interdisciplinary linkages by pursuing courses offered by the South and Southeast Asia faculty in other departments on the UCB campus. Students are also encouraged to pursue courses and independent reading that will familiarize them with pertinent methods in the various disciplines (such as contemporary literary theory, ethnographic theory,

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historiography, and cultural studies theory). Appropriate comparative work, on Asian and non-Asian cultures, is encouraged as well. The Ph.D. in South and Southeast Asian Studies prepares students for academic careers in teaching and research not only in South and Southeast Asian Studies, but also in Comparative Literature, Religious Studies, Asian Studies, and Cultural Studies. To apply: Submit a UC Berkeley Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships and a writing sample. The Graduate Record Examination is required (except for most international students, who need to take TOEFL). For details, see "applying for the graduate program" link. Prerequisites for Admission to the M.A./Ph.D. Program 1. At least two years of study in the language of emphasis, or the equivalent (as determined by the Head Graduate Adviser); 2. Eight undergraduate or graduate courses dealing with South or Southeast Asia, or the equivalent (as determined by the Head Graduate Adviser). Candidates with insufficient preparation are advised to apply to the M.A. program (see below). Program Requirements 1. A minimum of 10 courses undertaken in graduate status at UCB, including at least four graduate seminars in the language of emphasis and the departmental Methods Seminar (SSEAS 294); 2. A historical knowledge of the area of emphasis, demonstrated by appropriate course work, as approved by the Head Graduate Adviser; 3. Completion of an M.A. thesis, supervised by a committee of three faculty members (also required of transfer students holding the M.A. who have not completed equivalent work in the judgment of the Head Graduate Adviser); 4. Competence in one or more appropriate secondary languages, as determined in consultation with the Head Graduate Adviser and the Academic Adviser (and demonstrated either through course work or departmental examination); 5. Completion of an Oral Qualifying Examination in three approved fields (including the field of emphasis, a secondary field within the Department, and a cognate field); 6. Submission of a Dissertation Prospectus and its approval during a Prospectus Conference involving the three faculty members of the Dissertation Committee; 7. Advancement to Ph.D. candidacy; 8. Completion of the dissertation under Plan B. (See university catalog.) Additional Requirements for the Sanskrit Emphasis 1. Completion of a written competency examination in Sanskrit (three hours in length, dictionary may be used); 2. One course in Linguistics (Linguistics 100 is strongly recommended); 3. Reading knowledge of two additional languages of scholarship in the field, normally French and German, to be demonstrated either by written examination of two years of course work at the college level. Reading ability in a second South Asian or other related foreign language (such as Latin, Greek, Old Iranian) is strongly recommended. Students in the joint M.A./Ph.D. program will acquire the M.A. degree upon completion of twenty units of course work in graduate status at UCB (including two graduate seminars in the language of emphasis and the methods seminar). Additionally, students will complete requirements #2 and #3 (as above), demonstrate advanced competence in the language of emphasis and advance to M.A. candidacy. They will acquire the Ph.D. degree upon completion of the remaining requirements.

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Upon completion of the M.A. requirements, students will be reviewed by the faculty to determine whether they are making satisfactory progress and should continue in the program. EXPLANATORY NOTES Requirement # 1: Course Work Students should carefully plan their courses so as to be ready, normally after six semesters, to concentrate on reading for their Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examinations (which should be taken in the seventh or eighth semester). All course work should be completed before the oral examinations. The course work must include: * four graduate seminars in the language of emphasis; * the departmental Methods Seminar (SSEAS 294); * a history course; * courses to satisfy the language requirement (which may count-in the case of South or Southeast Asian languages-toward the ten-course program requirement if taken at the upper-division or graduate level); * appropriate course work in the second and third fields to be covered in the Oral Qualifying Examination (see below), as determined by the Academic Adviser and the faculty examiners in the second and third fields. The course work should also include appropriate provision for completing the Master's thesis (which might be begun, for example, in a graduate seminar and completed during an Independent Studies course). Further course selections are elective. Students may enroll in courses beyond the ten-course minimum and may audit courses with the permission of instructors. A limited number of lower-division and Independent Studies courses may be used to satisfy the program requirements. During the registration period of each semester, the choice of courses must be approved by the Academic Advisers and noted on the Semester Plans (see below, "Advising and Scheduling Calendar"). Students must take required courses for letter grades and maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 ("B"). Requirement # 2: Historical Knowledge Each student is expected to enroll in a one-semester course, either at the graduate or upper-division level, that deals substantially and extensively with the history of the area of concentration. The course must be taken for a grade. The Head Graduate Adviser must approve the selection. Requirement # 3: M.A. Thesis The program requires completion of an M.A. thesis as specified under the university's Plan I requirement for the M.A. A thesis topic should be identified during the second semester of the program or, at the latest, by the beginning of the third. The student's M.A. thesis committee must approve it. (See below.) The project should be a feasible one that can be completed by the end of the fourth semester. Bibliographical work and preliminary research will normally be carried out in the fall semester (the third semester in the program) and the writing done in the spring. Complete and near-final drafts must be submitted to the thesis committees by April 12 for award of spring degrees. A student's M.A. thesis committee consists of three faculty members, at least one from the Department's core faculty, who are chosen by the student and approved by the Head Graduate Adviser. Normally the thesis committee chair will be the student's Academic Adviser. The committee chair and/or Academic Adviser will assist students to plan course work that supports and contributes to the timely completion of the M.A. thesis project.

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The M.A. thesis must demonstrate the ability to pursue advanced independent research, evaluate and analyze evidence, and present a reasoned and coherent argument. Students should obtain a copy of the booklet "Instructions for Preparing and Submitting Theses and Dissertations for Higher Degrees" from the Graduate Division. (Also available at the Graduate Division's web site.) The M.A. thesis in South and Southeast Asian Studies is expected to run between 25 and 50 double-spaced, typewritten pages, excluding footnotes and bibliography. Requirement # 4: Secondary Foreign Languages Language requirements in the South and Southeast Asian Studies program are based on the individual student's fields of specialization and research needs. The program has as its main requirement advanced proficiency in the student's language of emphasis. To develop command of a range of linguistic skills in support of the student's research agenda, additional work is required in one or more secondary languages. Within the first year of the program, each student must completein consultation with the academic adviser and the Head Graduate Advisera language plan. This plan identifies (in addition to the language of emphasis) the secondary language or languages in which the student must demonstrate competence to fulfill the requirements of both the degree program and the research agenda. The language plan must also indicate how the requirements are to be met. Although individual students and their advisers may adopt more stringent secondary requirements (in accord with field and research demands), the demonstration of advanced reading knowledge and knowledge of the grammatical structure of one approved foreign language is essential. This knowledge may be demonstrated through completing a university-level second-year course, demonstrating native ability, or passing an Option 2 examination under the jurisdiction of the Graduate Division. The secondary language(s) may be South or Southeast Asian, European, or other, subject to the approval of the student's academic adviser and the Head Graduate Adviser. For all students with an emphasis in Sanskrit, the following requirements apply: * Reading ability in a second South Asian or other related language (such as Latin, Greek, Old Iranian), to be demonstrated either by written examination or advanced (minimum of two years of course work at the college level) language training. * Reading knowledge of two languages of scholarship in the field, normally French and German, to be demonstrated either by written examination or two years of course work at the college level. * Students are also strongly advised to complete a graduate course in each of the following: Vedic, Middle Indic, and Vyakarana. Old Iranian and a course in Indo-European linguistics are also highly recommended. Requirement # 5: Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination Students are eligible to take the Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination after they have completed their course work, foreign language(s) requirements, and M.A. thesis. The qualifying examination will take place within one year of the completion of these requirements (which should normally take six semesters). Taking this examination after the eighth semester will result in a significant loss of funding to the student (the Dean's Normative Time Fellowship). This examination is designed to assess the readiness of the student to enter the dissertation research phase of the doctoral program. Its primary aim is to evaluate the student's mastery of the substantive content and theoretical concepts of three approved fields of specialization. These fields should be defined and developed in consultation with the student's Academic Adviser and the individual faculty members of the examination committee. The Head Graduate Adviser must approve the fields and the composition of the committee. A list of fields, as well as the membership of the examination committee, must be submitted to the Graduate Division (on a graduate Division form) no later than three weeks before the examination date.

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Each student is urged to select and consult members of the examination committee very early in the academic career so as to shape a suitable study program that develops both theoretical and substantive competence in the three fields. A general meeting between the student and the committee, well in advance of the examination itself, is desirable as an opportunity to discuss the preparation for and objectives of the examination. The Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination is based on prepared bibliographies in the chosen three fields of specialization. These bibliographies are designed by the student in consultation with one or more faculty members in each given area. While centered on subjects significant to the student's research interests, they should also be sufficiently broad to cover the major sources, analytical issues, and methodological questions relevant to each field. Each bibliography should be substantive: ideally, a minimum, thirty books or a commensurate volume of essays, inclusive of both appropriate primary and secondary texts, and intellectually coherent. The first and primary field of examination will focus on a subject and a body of texts pertaining to the student's language of emphasis. The second field will engage a related but distinct subject (and body of texts) in South or Southeast Asian Studies. The third will concern a cognate subject (and body of texts)-one that engages a particular discipline, theoretical perspective, or comparative area relevant to the student's interests. Each Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Committee consists of four faculty members. At least one member must be from the Department's core faculty, and at least one from outside the Department. The exam committee chair, who must be a member of the DSSEAS faculty, may be the person who chaired the M.A. thesis committee, but cannot also serve as the chair of the student's Ph.D. dissertation committee. Prior to the qualifying examination each student must successfully complete one of the two following written exercises. (The options may not normally be mixed. Students will select one or the other in consultation with their examiners.) Option 1: Preparation of Field Statements. Each statement (roughly 6,000-8,000 words for the first field, roughly 4,000-6,000 words each for the second and third fields) will be an analytical essay that surveys in an integral fashion the themes, arguments, evidence, and theoretical perspectives of the prepared bibliographies. Option 2: Response to Field Questions. Each examiner in each of the three fields will pose one written question. On three different days of a single week, the student will receive one of the questions and then prepare at home, during a twenty-four hour period, an analytical essay in response. The appropriate examiner must approve each field statement or each response to a field question at least one week prior to the oral qualifying examination. Approval forms are available from the Student Affairs Officer. Responses to individual field questions may not be undertaken more than three times. Following approval, the statements or responses may be shared with the full Oral Qualifying Committee. They are to be kept on file in the Department. The examination is an oral examination of three hours. At its conclusion, the committee may advise the Dean of the Graduate Division that the student has a) passed the examination and should be continued in the program, b) failed the examination but should be re-examined after at least three months, or c) failed the examination and should be discontinued without re-examination. Requirement # 6: Dissertation Prospectus and Formation of Dissertation Committee To be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy, a student must write and submit for approval a Dissertation Prospectus consisting of the following: 1. An essay outlining the nature of the proposed dissertation research, its relation to existing scholarship on the subject, and its anticipated value. This essay (five pages or less) is intended to serve as a working

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paper outlining the issues to be addressed in the dissertation, the approach to be taken, and the relation of that approach to recent knowledge. 2. A bibliography of approximately five pages, which surveys the pertinent primary and secondary literature. After preliminary approval of the Dissertation Prospectus by the dissertation committee chair, the student submits copies to the other members of the dissertation committee and the Department's Head Graduate Adviser. During the subsequent Prospectus Conference the full dissertation committee reviews and discusses the Prospectus with the student. Once approved, the Prospectus is placed in the student's file together with notes from the conference discussion. This document functions as a statement of baseline expectations for subsequent work on the dissertation. A Ph.D. dissertation committee, following the university's Plan B, will consist of three faculty members. Two members must be in the Department and one outside the Department. The composition of this committee may overlap with that of the Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination committee, but the same person may not chair both committees. The member of the dissertation committee most closely involved with the student's research is usually selected as the chair (also referred to as dissertation adviser), but, upon the advice of the student, the Dean of the Graduate Division may appoint joint chairpersons. The committee chair will normally, but not necessarily, be a member of the Department's core faculty. The dissertation adviser plays an important role in guiding the student toward successful completion of the dissertation and in helping to place the student in professional employment. Students retain the right to change dissertation advisers or other members of their committees. Requirement # 7: Advancement to Candidacy An application for advancement to Ph.D. candidacy must be filed with the Graduate Division no later than the end of the semester in which the student passes his or her Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination. The application is to be signed by the chair of the student's dissertation committee and the Head Graduate Adviser. In addition to satisfaction of Requirements 1, 2, and 3 of the joint M.A./Ph.D. program in South and Southeast Asian Studies, eligibility for advancement to candidacy requires the following: 1. Satisfaction of the foreign language requirement(s); 2. Successful completion of the Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination; 3. Approval of the Dissertation Prospectus during the Prospectus Conference; 4. The presence on the official transcript of no more than two courses graded "Incomplete"; 5. A minimum 3.0 (B) grade point average in all upper-division and graduate courses taken in graduate standing. Requirement # 8: Ph.D. Dissertation and Normative Time After the Dissertation Prospectus has been approved, the dissertation adviser meets regularly with the student to check his or her progress. (Annual interviews are required; semester interviews are desirable; and monthly interviews are preferable.) The student and dissertation adviser should agree in advance on how written material is to be submitted for review and returned with timely commentary from both the dissertation adviser and the other members of the committee. The Graduate Division requires all doctoral students advanced to candidacy to submit to their committees an evaluation of their progress during the previous year and a program for the coming year. In accordance with the university's Plan B, the completed dissertation must be read and approved by all three members of the student's dissertation committee. The committee may, at its discretion, require a final oral defense, to which other members of the faculty and students of the Department may be invited.

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Doctoral degrees are awarded in December and May. The deadline to file a dissertation is the last working day of the semester. To receive the degree, all work for the degree must be completed and filed with the Graduate Division by the last day of the term. To comply with UCB's Normative Time requirement, the Ph.D. dissertation must be completed before the end of the 7th year (14th semester) from the student's entry into the program. Students who do not complete dissertations within the Normative Time, plus a 2-year grace period, will have their candidacy lapsed by the Graduate Division. The Department's Head Graduate Adviser may request an extension of the student's candidacy if the student is otherwise making adequate progress and the delay can be attributed to factors largely beyond the student's control. ***************************************** ADDITIONAL NOTES Readers, GSRs, GSIs As part of their professional preparation, graduate students in the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies may be employed in one or more of the following capacities. Readers assist class instructors by reading and grading essays and examinations in larger undergraduate courses in South or Southeast Asian Studies. They hold consultation hours with students and normally attend class lectures. Graduate Student Researchers assist faculty members on research projects. Graduate Student Instructors assume instructional responsibility, normally by serving as section leaders of the discussion groups associated with the large lower-division survey courses that are principally taught and overseen by faculty members. GSIs may also participate in the instruction of introductory and intermediate language courses. They sometimes lead Reading and Composition courses in the lower division or specialized upper-division seminars. For information on wages, benefits and appointment procedures, see the Personnel Officer. For information on vacancies, see the Student Affairs Officer. Advising and Scheduling Calendar Students are invited freely to seek counsel throughout the academic year. The following schedules are suggested. Prior to the Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination, students see their academic advisers three times each year. 1. During the fall registration period for the coming spring semester: a) to seek approval of course selections for the coming spring term (noted and filed on the Semester Plan); b) to submit any outstanding language plans; c) to form Master's or Qualifying Committees; and d) to schedule forthcoming examinations for the spring semester. 2. During the spring registration period for the coming fall semester: a) to seek approval of course selections for the coming fall term (noted and filed on the Semester Plan); b) to form Master's or Qualifying Committees; and c) to schedule forthcoming examinations. 3. During the first week of classes each fall: a) to confirm or change course selections for the current semester (noted and filed on a form called the "Semester Plan,"); b) to submit a language plan; c) to select and seek approval, as relevant, for Master's Thesis Committees or Oral Qualifying Committees; and d) to confirm the scheduling of all forthcoming examinations (in languages as well as the Orals, when relevant).

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After meeting their academic advisers, students should promptly inform the Student Affairs Officer of examinations they intend to take, committees they have formed, plans to apply for advancements to candidacy or to file for degrees, and other arrangements that require official action. Language examinations are normally administered during the twelfth week of each semester. Qualifying examinations are scheduled at the discretion of students and committee members, but must be taken by the last day of the semester in which the student hopes to advance to candidacy. Not doing so can result in a considerable loss of Graduate Division funding on the part of the student. Before the Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination, a student meets with her/his Chair of the Dissertation Committee regularly (on a mutually agreed schedule) to prepare the Dissertation Prospectus and the Prospectus Conference. Following the successful completion of the Prospectus Conference, students continue to meet their dissertation committee members on a regular, mutually agreed schedule (as discussed in Requirement #8). ADDENDA Semester Plan forms describing prospective course work must be completed, approved, and filed for each term, in consultation with the Head Graduate Adviser. Students should procure the forms from the Student Affairs Officer before seeing their academic advisers and return them, signed, in order to receive their adviser codes (necessary for registration). The Student Affairs Officer must be kept informed of (and will advise on) all official actions: the scheduling of Prospectus Conferences, the appointment of Dissertation Committees, applications for advancements to candidacy, filings for degrees, and the like. APPENDIX-3

THE M.A. PROGRAM IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES This program is offered for students seeking a terminal M.A. degree or students with limited backgrounds who are preparing for more advanced work. Emphases in the program include the languages and literatures of Hindi, Khmer, Indonesian, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Urdu. Prerequisites for Admission to the M.A./Ph.D. Program * Two years of study in the language of emphasis or the equivalent, as determined by the Head Graduate Adviser; * Five undergraduate courses concerning South and Southeast Asia or the equivalent, as determined by the Graduate Adviser. Program Requirements * A minimum of twenty units of course work in graduate status at UCB, including at least two graduate seminars in the language of emphasis (which may be taken outside the Department, with permission of the Head Graduate Adviser) and the departmental Methods Seminar (SSEAS 294); * A historical knowledge of the area of emphasis, demonstrated by appropriate course work. * Completion of a Masters thesis, supervised by a committee of three faculty members; * Advanced competence in the language of emphasis, as demonstrated by course work through the thirdyear level or the equivalent and completion of seminar and thesis research in that language; * Advancement to M.A. candidacy. Additional Requirements for the Sanskrit Emphasis

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1. Completion of a written competency examination in Sanskrit (three hours in length, dictionary may be used); 2. One course in Linguistics (Linguistics 100 is strongly recommended); 3. Reading knowledge of an additional language of scholarship in the field, normally French or German, to be demonstrated either by written examination of two years of course work at the college level. Reading ability in a second South Asian or other related foreign language (such as Latin, Greek, Old Iranian) is strongly recommended. Notes on these requirements may be found in the previous sections of this document. For information about applying for advancement to M.A. candidacy, see the Student Affairs Officer. Students are expected to complete the requirements within two years. Students in the M.A. program who wish to pursue the Ph.D. must submit to the Department a Change of Major application (and related documents) by January 20 of the year in which they seek admission to the Ph.D. program. Applications must include two recommendations: one from the field adviser and one from a member of the Masters thesis committee. The Head Graduate Adviser will present all Change of Major applications to the Admissions Committee, for discussion and action at the regular spring meeting of that committee. 2007 Regents of the University of California; contact webmaster

Undergraduate Major Program PROGRAMS Undergraduate Graduate Applying for the Graduate Program

Alexander von Rospatt, Chair (510) 642-8169 Alexander von Rospatt's email Sylvia Tiwon, Faculty Adviser (510) 642-1610 Sylvia Tiwon's email Lee Amazonas, Student Affairs Officer 510-642-4219 Lee Amazonas' email INTRODUCTION The two tracks in the South and Southeast Asian Studies major are flexible, interdisciplinary programs offering opportunities for both wide, comparative study of South and Southeast Asian cultures and greater concentration on a particular area of interest and geographical focus. With the guidance of the faculty and staff advisers, students might choose to pursue, for example, intense study of a language and its literature or broader inquiries into such subjects as the religions of traditional and modern South and Southeast Asia. Students may include in their major programs suitable courses from other departments. THE MAJOR

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1. South and Southeast Asian Civilizations Students pursuing this track must complete one lower-division sequence on either the civilization and culture of South Asia (SA 5A, 5B) or the civilization of Southeast Asia (SEA 10A, 10B). Students must also complete a minimum of 9 additional courses concerning South or Southeast Asia, at least 8 of which must be upper-division and at least 4 of these upper division courses must be taken in the Department. In consultation with the adviser, students will choose an area of interest (religion or art history or literature, for example). At least 2 courses of the 9 described above should cover this area of interest. At least 3 courses in the area of interest are recommended. 2. South and Southeast Asian Languages and Literatures Students choosing this track must complete one lower-division sequence on either the civilization and culture of South Asia (SA 5A, 5B) or the civilization of Southeast Asia (SEA 10A, 10B) and four semesters of language work (in one of the following languages: Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian, Khmer, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, and Vietnamese). Students may establish first-year language proficiency through examinations administered by the Department (although passing an examination will not carry credit). Students must also complete a minimum of 4 upper-division courses concerning South or Southeast Asia, at least half of which must be taken in the Department. Students who are considering graduate level study of South or Southeast Asia are strongly advised to choose the Language and Literatures emphasis. This would provide the minimum level language preparation required for most graduate programs. For both tracks: The major consists of 42-44 units (normally between 10 and 12 courses). An adviser must approve all courses taken outside the department that students intend to use for credit (including courses taken in study abroad programs). Among their upper-division courses, students will normally be expected to include one seminar (SSEAS 190 or an equivalent) that requires significant research and writing on S outh or Southeast Asia. MINOR REQUIREMENTS The minimum requirements, set by the College of Letters and Science, for the completion of a minor program are five upper-division courses, of which a minimum of three must be completed at UCB. All courses in the minor program must be completed on a letter-graded basis. An overall grade-point average of 2.0 is required in courses used for the minor program. HONORS PROGRAM To be eligible for admission to the honors program, a student must attain a 3.5 grade point average or higher in courses completed in the major, and a 3.3 grade-point average in all courses completed in the University. An honors thesis is required, as is registration in SSEAS H195. Students who wish to participate must choose a thesis topic in consultation with their major adviser and apply for admission to the program through the departmental office no later than the first week of spring semester of the senior year. APPENDIX-4 LETTERS & SCIENCE

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SEVEN-COURSE BREADTH REQUIREMENT COURSES The following courses can be taken for the L&S breadth requirement. These breadth designations are current as of Fall 2006. Courses numbered 98, 99, or above 190 may not be used for breadth credit. Arts & Literature SA 121, 122, 124, C128, 129, 131, 138, C140, 142, 143, 145, 165 SSEASN 39A, 39B, 39D-G, C110, C113, 138 SEASIAN 123, 124, 128, 129; HINDI-URDU 101A, 101B, 102A, 102B, 104A, 104B Historical Studies SA 1A, 1B, 110A, 110B SSEASN C110, C112 SEASIAN 10A, 10B International Studies SSEASN 39C, C113, C145 SEASIAN 10A, 10B HINDI-URDU 100A, 100B, 101A, 101B, 103A, 103B MALAY/INDONESIAN 100A, 100B PUNJABI 100A, 100B TAGALOG 100A, 100B, 110A TAMIL 100A, 100B THAI 100A, 100B, 180 VIETNAMESE 100A, 100B, 101B Philosophy & Values SA C128, 129, 131, C140, 141, C142, 155, 160, 165 SSEASN C51, C145 Social & Behavioral Sciences SA 108, 110A, 110B, 130, 139, 141, 145 SSEASN 39C, 39F, 39G, C112 SEASIAN 122, 130 2007 Regents of the University of California; contact webmaster S,SEASN 39G Freshman/Sophomore Seminar HART, K "Think Gender" in Indian Short Stories In this seminar, students will read fifteen short stories from various languages of India translated into English. The stories will describe the relationships between men and women and how the society looks at the roles of men and women in Indian culture. The students will be expected to read the stories and to discuss and critique them in class. They will also be expected to write two five-page research papers. This seminar may be used to satisfy the Arts and Literature or Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement in Letters and Science. Kausalya Hart (M.A., Annamalai University, 1962) is the author of Tamil for Beginners, Tamil Madu, and Tamil Tiraippadam (advanced Tamil textbooks). She has prepared numerous Tamil language teaching aids (including a collection of Tamil movie videos), and a dictionary for modern Tamil. Her current research involves the preparation of a dictionary of Tamil inscriptions. Her interests include Tamil literature, grammar, and inscriptions. Tamil 1B

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Introductory Tamil HART, K The grammar of modern Tamil will be covered followed by readings in simple texts. Practice will also be given in spoken Tamil. Tamil 101B Readings in Tamil HART, K 101B is devoted to viewing films based on a variety of themes (social, village, mythological, classical Tamil) and to reading scripts and oral written exercises. Students will acquire language skills sufficient to approach literary texts on their own. Prerequisites: 1-year of Tamil or consent of instructor. Tamil 210B Seminar in Tamil Literature THE STAFF Readings in advanced Tamil. Texts to be determined by the needs of the students. Prerequisites: 100B. Credit option: Course may be repeated for credit with consent of instructor.

Tamil 1B Section 1, Hart, K Introductory Tamil No Texts Ordered Tamil 101B Section 1, Hart, K Readings in Tamil No Texts Ordered Tamil 210B Section 1, The Staff Seminar in Tamil Literature George L. Hart Ph.D. Harvard University (Sanskrit and Indian Studies) 1971 Pofessor and holder of the Chair in Tamil Studies George Hart has taught all areas of Tamil literature as well as courses on Indian Civilization, Indian literature, and Indian religion. His latest publication (with Hank Heifetz) is an annotated translation of the great Tamil classic, The 400 Poems of Wisdom and War (The Purananuru). He has written extensively on premodern Tamil, its relationship to classical Sanskrit, and South Indian religion and culture. He has also translated several important works from Tamil, and his work was nominated for The American Book Award. Kausalya Hart M.A. Annamalai University (Tamil Language and Literature) 1962 Lecturer, Tamil Kausalya Hart has prepared voluminous materials for learning Tamil and has written Tamil for Beginners, which is used at many universities and has been translated into several languages. She has also written several Tamil plays, which have been performed by Berkeley students, and has translated from premodern Tamil. In addition to all levels of Tamil, her teaching includes South Indian music and dance and culture. She has written papers on various aspects of Tamil literature, including the Tamil Ramayana and early Christian literature.

Appendix-5 Bio Data of Dr.Vasu Ranganathan, University of Pennsylvania.

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Vasu Renganathan, Ph.D. BIO

Education:
Washington) Ph.D. Tamil Linguistics (Annamalai University) Masters in Asian Languages and Literatures (University of

Teaching Experience: Currently teaching Tamil language and literature at the

University of Pennsylvania. I have taught at the University of Washington (five years), University of Michigan (two years) and University of Wisconsin, Madison. I worked as a researcher at the Tamil University (one year). Currently conducting research on historical analysis of Tirumantiram, a religious Tamil literature. With funding from the department of Education, U.S. developed a comprehensive pedagogical website for learning Tamil (http://www.southasia.upenn.edu/tamil).

Research:

Honors/Awards
Recipient of the award of the best paper in Computational Processing of Indian Languages for the paper entitled A Lexical Phonology Approach to Processing Tamil Words by Computer published in the International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics: 1997, Kerala, India. Recipient of two research grants, each for $20,000 from the South Asian Language Resource Center, Department of Education to develop online multimedia enabled web content for beginning and intermediate Tamil. This website may be viewed at: http://www.southasia.upenn.edu/tamil. This site was recognized as the site of the month by the Bhasha India, Microsoft Corporation.

The American Tamil Journal Thendral and a few other Tamil e-Journals in the US. Recognized my service in Tamil pedagogy in the US, and published my interview in Tamil. http://www.tamiloviam.com/unicode/11080709.asp, http://thamilthinai.blogspot.com/2007/10/2.html

Academic Activities

Served as external examiner for about twenty Ph.D. theses submitted at the Annamalai University, Bharathiyar University, Bharathidasan University, Madurai Kamarajar University and Madras University, India. The topics of these theses fall within the fields of Tamil literature, religion, linguistics and culture. The Advance Tamil language courses that I offer at the department of South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvania focus mainly on the topics on Tamil literature, medieval religious texts, Sangam texts and contemporary Tamil Nadu. The students who take this course are graduate students from the department of South Asia Studies, Religious Studies and the department of Anthropology.

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 Developed in collaboration with Prof. Harold F. Schiffman a comprehensive Tamil learning website with rich pedagogic content for learning Tamil at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/tamilweb/. Associate Editor, An Electronic Dictionary for English-Tamil Verb (http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/).

Member and Affiliations

International Advisory Board member for the Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, (eFLT), Singapore (http://e-flt.nus.edu.sg). Life member, International Association of Dravidian Languages, Kerala, India. Life member, Pondicherry Association of Dravidian Linguistics and Cultures, Pondicherry, India. Life member, Association for Tamil Linguistics, Annamalai Nagar, India. Executive Committee member of the International Forum for Information Technology for Tamil (INFITT), Singapore. Executive Committee member of the Tamil Association of the Greater Delaware Valley (TAGDV) http://www.tagdv.org Editor, Sangamam (Tamil bi-annual journal published by the TAGDV). President, South Jersey Tamil Association (SJTA) http://www.thetamillanguage.com/sjtamils

Publications and Conference participations

Websites

Pedagogical Director: A comprehensive and pedagogically sound website for learning Tamil: http://www.southasia.upenn.edu and http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/tamilweb, funded by the U.S. Department of Education Interactive website for making online pedagogical exercises: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/larrc/webauthor.html Technology Director, Nai Dishayen Nai Log (Hindi) http://www.southasia.upenn.edu/hindi, Funded by the U.S. Department of Education Technology Director, Kiswahili online: http://www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe/, funded by the U. S. Department of Education Tehcnology Director, Yaruba Online: http://www.africa.uga.edu/Yorba, funded by the U.S. Department of Edcuation.

Forthcoming Book: Beginners Tamil, Hippocrene Books, New York: 2008 (February). Forthcoming papers: Formalizing the knowledge of Heritage Language Learners: A Technology based approach, Journal of the South Asia Language Pedagogy and Technolgy, December 2007. Tracing the Trajectory of changes in Tamil: Mining the corpus of Tamil Texts Annual Tamil Conference, University of California, Berkeley (2008) http://tamil.berkeley.edu/Tamil%20Conference%202008/Conf2008Begin.html

Papers published:

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 2006. Impact of technological advances on Tamil language use and planning, In Globalization, technological advances and lesser-known languages in South Asia Anju Saxena (ed.). Studies in Language Companion Series. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2006. (Co-authored with Harold F. Schiffman). 2006. Tamil Script Reform and Script Rendering approach in Unicode, to appear in the Proceedings of International Symposium Indic Scripts: Past and Future, Peri Bhaskararao, ed. Tokyo: Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. (Co-authored with Harold F. Schiffman). 2002. Presented a paper entitled and published in the conference proceedings. An Interactive Approach to Development of English- Tamil Machine Translation System on the Web at the Fifth International Conference on Information Technology for Tamil, Foster City, California, August, 2002: Published in the Proceedings of the Conference. 2001. Gave a Keynote Address on Integrating Technology for Teaching Tamil, at the 5th World Tamil Teachers Association Conference, Singapore, September 2001: Published in the Proceedings of the Conference. 2001. Co-Authored with Prof. Schiffman a paper entitled An Electronic English-Tamil Dictionary in the Proceedings of the fourth International Conference on Information Technology held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, August, 2001. 1999. Presented a paper on Developing the Skill for Fast Reading with Interactive Web Exercises at the Symposium on Self Directed Learning and Teaching, University of Hawaii, Hawaii. June, 1999. 1999. Presented a paper on Web Assisted Teaching and Learning of Tamil at the annual conference on Language Learning and Teaching organized by the North East Association of Language Learning, March, 1999. Colgate College, Hamilton, New York. 1997. Presented a paper on Significance of Creation of Modern Tamil Corpora on the Web at the First International Conference on Computerization of Tamil. National University of Singapore. May, 1977. 1993. Paper published on Tamil Anaphor Binding in Distant Clauses in the Proceedings of the SALA XV: Papers from the Fifteenth South Asian Language Analysis RoundTable Conference, Iowa, 1993.

APPENDIX-6 BULLETIN OF TAMIL STUDIES COMMITTEE,UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO,CANADA.

Tamil Studies Newsletter

About Us:

As a classical language, Tamil is boasting a large and influential body of literature.This alone signifies the importance of teaching of Tamil at the University level.Within the University of Toronto, the South Asian Department is housed under New College. Currently, Bengali, Hindi and Sanskrit are the only languages course provided under this department. To introduce a new language within the department, the courses need tobe financially supported. Thus as students, we have collaborated to gain support of New College Administration and attain the necessary funds to implement the courses.

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The course was officially registered under New College following the deposit of $12,000 by the Committee on October 4. We a r e c u r r e n t l y working towards establishing full year coursefor Fall 2006 & 2007. In the United States, University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Cornell University, University of Michigan, and University ofVirginia all offer Tamil language courses. Finally, Canada will join the ranks through theUniversity of Toronto.Following many diligent months of fundraising and promotions, theCommittee raised sufficient funds for an Introductory Tamil Language course. This coursewill be available for students as of May 2006 through the South Asian Department. For students from various universities across Canada, i t is a remarkable opportunity to learn the language with their peers through the Engl ish medium and enrich their academic pursuits. It is the beginning of the universitys exploration into the literary history of the classical language. In addition, the inclusion of such courses will diversify the curriculum and e n h a n c e C a n a d a s multiculturalism by providing courses reflective of our communitys diverse population. Canadas First Introductory Tamil Language Course Commence in Summer 2006 Thank you to Members of the Tamil Studies Donors Circle The success of Tamil Studies is largely due to the overwhelming support from v a r i o u s c ommu n i t y members. The support made through annual membership is fundamental to the development and establishment of Tamil Studies within the University of Toronto. We would like to recognize the generous contributions of the following individuals:
Mrs. Maheswari Kanagalingam Mr. Muralitharan Pasupathy Mr. Yoganathan Mr. Kumar Mahadevan Ms. Mornisha Panchalingam Mr. Vinoj Sivasothy

We look forward to meeting you all in our 1st Annual Tamil Studies Gala Dinner. If you would like to learn more about the Tamil Studies Donors Society, please visit our website www.tamilstudies.org or email us at info@tamilstudies.org for more information. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO TAMIL STUDIES COORDINATING COMMITTEE

www. tamilstudies.org

Following the start of the Tamil New Year, the committee is inviting members of the Donors Circle, sponsors, community organizations, University faculty & administration members and interested community members to partake in the 1st Annual Tamil Studies Gala Dinner. It is an evening to inaugurate Tamil Studies into the University of Toronto while providing all attendees an opportunity to learn about the future plans for Tamil studies. The dinner will feature cultural performances and speeches by members of University of Toronto faculty and well known Tamil community members. Most importantly, the proceeds from the event will help fund future Tamil Studies courses. With every course, we are building a stronger foundation for Tamil within the University of Toronto as we promote the importance of teaching Tamil at the
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University level and increasing course diversity. Tomorrow our seeds will reap its rewards, explains event coordinator, Gobhi Theivendran. For more information, please call Thaves Ponnampalam, Operations Director, at (416) 992-3339 or visit our website: www.tamilstudies.org. Given the enthusiasm of our students and community members to follow through with our goals, University of Toronto administration has become more supportive of our initiative. Currently, Merline Xavier, Committee Treasurer, is overseeing a gift agreement with Mr. Krishan Mehta, New Colleges Senior Development Officer, to register one full year Tamil Studies course with an annual deposit of $12,000 for 3 years. Originally, the committee has required to raise $50,000 by the end of the year to attain a 3-year contract with the University. With New Colleges support and cooperation, we are definitely reaching new heights for Tamil Studies at the University of Toronto, remarks Xavier.

Tamil Studies Gala DinnerFebruary 25th New Contract for Full Year Courses Tamil Literary Garden 2005
Every year, the Tamil Literary Garden and the Centre for South Asian Studies holds an event that includes a talk on Tamil Literature. This event also features the presentation of a literary award to a scholar who has made a significant contribution to Tamil literature across their lifetime. At this years event, the University of Toronto Tamil Studies Coordinating Committee was given the honor of speaking before a reputable crowd of University of Toronto professors, students and the award recipient. The principal of New College, Professor David Clanfield, praised the initiative to bring Tamil Studies. He also stated that University of Toronto is committed to increasing course diversity.
www. tamilstudies.org

During the month of May and June, the fundraising and promotion teams actively sold raffle tickets at events and shows. Community members from across the Greater Toronto Area enthusiastically bought tickets in hopes of helping us reach our goal. With a majority of the tickets sold, the sale of the raffle tickets was closed with the final draw on Friday, July 1, 2005. The draw was held during the final show of Academy of Tamil Arts and Technologys Tamil Mozhi Vaaram. We would like to express our gratitude towards our sponsors: Mr. Senthi Chelliah and Mr. Logetharlingam. The raffle tickets raised about $6276.42, which helped fund a Tamil language course for Summer 2006. A special thank you to Kanmani Rasanathan and her team members for initiating and leading this project. Over the past two years, University of Toronto Tamil Students Association has been conducting Tamil Classes during the winter and summer breaks for university students. Once again, this years summer break classes were a success with more than 30 participants in both of the sessions. Many of the students did not have any prior knowledge of the language however they quickly learned to write and read words while gaining the opportunity to practice the language in a conversation with peers. The classes are based on University of California- Berkeley's Tamil curriculum which is taught as a second language course. With every session, the popularity for these Tamil Classes has grown in Toronto. To date, nearly 150 students from diverse cultural backgrounds have attended these classes.

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Success of Tamil Studies Raffle Tickets Demand for Tamil Classes Continues Community Organizations lend a Helping Hand
The Tamil Studies Coordinating Committee is very fortunate to have the support and commitment of many community organizations. While working hard to promote our cause throughout the community, these organizations have also hosted events or donated significantly to benefit our initiative. We would like to extend our gratitude towards the following organizations:
Thirukkural Conference Steering Committee Uduppiddy American Mission College Poonkudutheevu Old Students Association Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America Western University Tamil Students Association Ryerson University Tamil Students Association University of Toronto Mississauga Campus Tamil Students Association University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Tamil Students Association University of Toronto St. George Campus Tamil Students Association

APPENDIX-7 Following are the modules offered at UniSIM: ForBachelor of Arts in Tamil Language and Literature (BATLL)

TLL101* TLL102* TLL001 TLL002 TLL003 TLL004

Introduction to Tamil Language Introduction to Tamil Literature Modern Literature (including Singapore & Malaysia literature) Devotional & Minor Literature (including local content) History of Tamil Literature (including Singapore & Malaysia literature) Grammar Phonology

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TLL005 TLL006 TLL007 TLL008 TLL009 TLL010 TLL011 TLL012

* 5 (credit units) .

Epic Literature & Didactical Literature Translation Tamil & English Theory and Practical History & Culture of Tamils (with references to S.E. Asia) Grammar Morphology & Syntax Grammar Prosody & Poetics Sangam Classical Literature Introduction to Linguistics Folk Arts & Literature

Besides, we have also incorporated Modern Linguistics, Translation and Folk Arts & Literature as new subjects in our programme. Till today we already have five student intakes starting from January 2006. At present a total of 130 students are pursuing the degree programme. And they are mainly practicing teachers. Mode of Teaching Teaching comprises of lectures and tutorials. For each module we have 6 lectures and 5 tutorials. There are a total of 14 Associate Academic Staff (part-time) who are teaching the various modules. They are full -time teachers in local schools. By and large, they possess either MA, M Phil or a PhD. The majority are expatriate teachers from Tamil Nadu who have been teaching in our local schools. All the classes are held on weekdays from 1930 hrs to 2200hrs. In addition, we also invite prominent scholars from various universities and colleges to conduct lectures on the various modules. This has been a ritual at UniSIM. The following scholars from Tamil Nadu have lectured at the UniSIM: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Dr Mohan, Madurai Kamaraj University Dr Maraimalai llakkuvanar, Presidency College Dr Arunai Palavarayan, Layola College Dr A A Manavalan, University of Madras Mr C Meykandan, Thiruchi Periyar College

Assessments & Examinations There are two ways by which the students knowledge is assessed: continual assessment and final examinations. Passing mark is 40% for both. There will be three assignments in the form of essay writing

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for each module. Students are expected to write an essay of 1,500 words. Final examination will be for the duration of 3 hrs. 50% of the continual assessments and another 50% from the examination will be computed as the final score. Faculty This degree programme is under the School of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS). It is headed by Dean, Professor Neelam Aggarwal. BATLL is part of SASS. Dr SP Thinnappan is the adjunct Advisor. The Programme Head is Mr Shanmugam who is a full-time staff. He has been with them since April 2006. He holds a Master in Training & Development from the University of Melbourne and also MA in Tamil Language in Literature from MKU. Currently, he is doing his doctoral programme with the University of Western Australia, Perth. He is expected to complete dissertation by end of this year.

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