Tibetan and Himalayan Studies

Preserving culture by learning an endangered language

CU Boulder Tibetan Losar 2023 Celebration— A Big Hit

Announcing a new certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at CU Boulder

The Center for Asian Studies is excited to announce that CU Boulder students who are interested in learning about the Tibet and Himalayan region are now able to pursue a certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan studies. Culturally and ethnically Tibetan areas constitute ¼ of the land area of the People’s Republic of China -- roughly the size of Western Europe -- as well as the country of Bhutan and parts of north India, Nepal, and Pakistan. As a focus of tension between the two Asian superpowers of India and China, this region is geopolitically crucial. The region is known as “the Third Pole'' and home to the headwaters of seven of Asia’s major rivers. It is a hotspot for global climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem services. 

CU Boulder is a leading center of research, teaching, and scholarship on Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, as well as environmental sciences, including climatology, hydrology, ecology, and geology.  Expertise on the region includes strong faculty leadership in the departments of Anthropology, Geography, and Religious Studies and the Tibet Himalaya Initiative (THI), a multidisciplinary hub for research, teaching, and public engagement on Tibet and the greater Himalaya region housed within the Center for Asian Studies. The town of Boulder, CO itself is a significant location in the history and spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the West.

Find details here.

Welcome Dan Hirshberg!

Dan Hirshberg

Dan did his PhD in Tibetan Studies at Harvard University and was an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Mary Washington for a number of years before moving back to Boulder. His first book Remembering the Lotus-Born: Padmasambhava in the History of Tibet’s Golden Age (Wisdom Publications, 2016), won Honorable Mention for the E. Gene Smith Book Prize from the Association for Asian Studies.

Check out our great new courses!

A&S Magazine - With new scholar, center launches Tibetan and Himalayan certificate

 

 

Below you will find information about grant-funded Tibetan and Himilayan-related courses and programming, as well as ongoing courses on the region. If you know of anything we should add to this resource, please email cas@colorado.edu. 

We will update this site as new developments arise, so keep checking back!

2019 Summer Tibetan Language Intensive

Tibetan and Himalayan Courses

Language courses
TBTN 1110/1210 Beginning Tibetan l & ll - DILS
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 2010/2120 Intermediate Tibetan l & ll - DILS
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.

ASIA 1700Introduction to Tibetan Civilization
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 4600  Encounters: Tibet, the Himalayas, and the West 
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 Heroes, Madmen and Poets: Tibetan Literary Culture Through the Ages
This course provides a comprehensive exploration of 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, epic, poetry, biography, literary arts (Five Minor Sciences), maxims, and fiction. Key topics include the formation of Tibetan Buddhist canons, the Gesar Epic (longest living epic in the world), the development of literary arts in Tibet, folk literature, life-writing, and the emergence of modern Tibetan literature. The course will familiarize students with the cultural, intellectual, and historical movements that have shaped the Tibetan literary landscape. Recommended prerequisite: ASIA 1700.

Other Tibetan Studies Courses

ANTH 1105 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Tibet 
RLST 3820 Tibetan Buddhism 
GEOG 3822 Geography of China
ANTH 4020/4180 Theory in Cultural Anthropology: The Himalayas
RLST 4250/5250 Buddhist Literature in Tibet 
ANTH 4690 Anthropology of Tibet 
GEOG 4822 Geography of Tibet 
ANTH 7000 Anthropology of the Himalayas 

Education & Outreach

Dan Hirshberg

Instructor, CENTER FOR ASIAN STUDIES

Holly Gayley 

Associate Professor, RELIGIOUS STUDIES • Tibet Himalaya Initiative

Carole McGranahan 

Associate Professor, ANTHROPOLOGY

Emily Yeh 

Professor and Chair, GEOGRAPHY

 

Additional Resources