Tenzin Tsepak conducts research on Tibetan history, literature, and culture, with a special interest in Indic poetics in Tibet from the thirteenth till the late eighteenth centuries.
keywords
Tibetan history, Indic poetics, Kāvyādarśa, Tibetan poetry and poets.
Teaching
courses taught
ASIA 1700 - Introduction to Tibetan Civilization
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Fall 2023
Explores the dynamic history of Tibet from its early empire to the present. Offers interdisciplinary perspectives on Tibetan civilization, including arts and literature, religion and politics, society and culture. Topics include the role of Buddhism in Tibetan society from its early establishment up through the rule of Dalai Lamas, forms of myths and rituals to create a Tibetan past and sense of shared identity, the adaptation of Indic literary models, sectarian tensions and ecumenical projects, and modern identity, art and literature.
ASIA 4300 - Open Topics in Asian Literature and Culture
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2021 / Spring 2022
Examines selected texts on a particular topic. Taught by regular or visiting faculty. Topics change each term. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
ASIA 4600 - Encounters: Tibet, the Himalayas, and the West
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2022 / Fall 2023
Provides a history of European knowledge about Tibet in the early medieval period, followed by the historical accounts of various European missionaries, travelers, and merchants to Tibet from the medieval to the early modern period. Critiques the construction of the myth of Shangri-la in the West the complex relationship and representation of Tibet and the Tibetans in the West. Formerly offered as a special topics course. Recommended prerequisite: ASIA 1700.
ASIA 4700 - Tibetan Literature and Culture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023
This course focuses on Tibetan literary writings, mostly secular, from the 12th to the 20th century. Students will read English translations of primary Tibetan texts (and secondary works) selected from a wide variety of genres such as history, literary, poetry, biography, guidebooks, maxims, and fiction. The course will familiarize students with the cultural, intellectual, and historical movements that contributed to the development of Tibetan literary tradition. Formerly offered as a special topics course. Recommended prerequisite: ASIA 1700.
TBTN 1110 - Colloquial Tibetan I
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2023
Provides a thorough introduction to the colloquial Tibetan language, emphasizing speaking and listening in the Lhasa dialect. Trains students in basic conversations and the idiomatic and syntactical features of Tibetan through drills and dialogues.
TBTN 1120 - Colloquial Tibetan II - DILS
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2022 / Spring 2023
Continuation of TBTN 1110; provides a thorough introduction to the colloquial Tibetan language, emphasizing speaking and listening in the Lhasa dialect. Trains students in basic conversations and the idiomatic and syntactical features of Tibetan through drills and dialogues.
TBTN 1210 - Modern Literary Tibetan I
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2021 / Spring 2022
Provides a thorough introduction to the modern literary Tibetan, emphasizing reading and writing. Trains students in the Tibetan script, elementary grammar, and reading authentic materials, including Tibetan maxims, pop song lyrics, and children's stories.
TBTN 1220 - Modern Literary Tibetan II - DILS
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2022
Continuation of TBTN 1210; provides a thorough introduction to the modern literary Tibetan, emphasizing reading and writing. Trains students in the Tibetan script, elementary grammar, and reading authentic materials, including Tibetan maxims, pop song lyrics, and children�s stories.
TBTN 2010 - Intermediate Colloquial Tibetan 1
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2022
Aims at increasing students' proficiency in colloquial forms of Tibetan. Expands knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of spoken Tibetan and engages in more advanced conversation topics while also continuing to develop reading knowledge of modern Tibetan.
TBTN 2020 - Intermediate Colloquial Tibetan 2
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023
Aims at increasing students' proficiency in colloquial forms of Tibetan. Expands knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of colloquial Tibetan and also continues to develop knowledge of reading and writing modern Tibetan.
TBTN 2120 - Intermediate Tibetan I - DILS
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2023
This DILS (Directed Independent Language Study) course on Intermediate Tibetan will introduce students to intermediate grammar, sentence construction, conversation topics, and readings in modern Tibetan. This will include introduction to Tibetan grammatical markers and particles, morphology, syntax, and vocabularies using a range of authentic materials.
