FIRST YEAR DETAILS:
TERM 1
In the first two weeks of the programme, the focus is upon the alphabet and understanding subtle changes in pronunciation due to prefixes, suffixes, subscribed letters etc. Each day there is a vocabulary list for students to memorize beginning with very basic words, increasing in complexity as the class progresses. From the third week on, students receive a broad introduction to the basic elements of colloquial sentence structure. This gives them the ability to engage in elementary communication with members of the local Tibetan community when buying goods, eating in restaurants and so on. Coupled with the daily conversation classes, this ability to talk to the local Tibetans builds their confidence and enthusiasm for continuing study.
TERM 2
The second term mostly expands on the material from the first term. The class is taught to make longer sentences, linking them together and ways to communicate increasingly more subtle nuances and information. In this way, the class naturally reviews all of the information taught in the first term and expands on what the students already understand. By the end of this term the students have received all the tools necessary for communicating quite freely with Tibetan speakers. Through continuing interaction with the Tibetan community and conversation partners students will increase their fluency and mastery of the colloquial side of the language.
There are nine hours of conversation classes a week and they are integral to internalizing the information from class accurately and efficiently. Each conversation partner works with two students at a time and there is a roster whereby students change both conversation partners and the students they are sharing with every week. Working in pairs assists the students to hear and correct inaccuracies of pronunciation and inflection that can be very difficult to hear in oneself. It also helps to foster a cooperative attitude amongst the students and keeps the class moving together at a consistent rate. It is also possible for students to hire conversation partners for extra private conversation classes and Thosamling is happy to assist in facilitating this.
TERMS 3 AND 4
Terms three and four focus primarily on Dharma, introducing terminology and becoming more familiar with the format of a teaching. The main study material consists of selected chapters from Geshe Lhundrup Sopa’s “Lectures on Tibetan Religious Culture” , in particular the chapters on refuge in the Three Jewels, beings of the three capacities and tenets. At this time students will also encounter some new colloquial sentence structures and vocabulary, however the main goal is to give a good foundation to enter the second year language and philosophy study programmes.
In addition, time permitting, the class may study extra material such as the Tibetan publication of His Holiness Dalai Lama’s “Kindness, Clarity and Insight.” This extra material is at the teacher’s discretion and depends on the overall level of the class.
2ND YEAR DETAILS
The second year differs markedly to the first in it’s method of concentrating on recordings of Lam Rim teachings by Geshe Tsewang Nyima. The teaching is clear and quite thorough, making it a very good tool for the students to gain familiarization with the style of presentation and the subject matter. There is a set structure for the year but the class is tailored to particular strengths and weaknesses of the students at the teachers’ discretion.
In the first term, the primary objective is to improve the aural comprehension of the students so they become more confident in their understanding of an oral teaching. Initially, the students are guided quite closely, with the teacher not only introducing new vocabulary, but also explaining the more complicated passages. This is done using partial transcripts and directly assisting students to fill in the missing sections by listening to them in class. Over time there is less material in the transcripts and the students are able to rely more on their listening skills to understand the teaching.
By the second semester as the students become more familiar with the nuances of an oral teaching the focus of the class shifts. At this time there is less need for discussion of the grammar and sentence structure and more attention is given to learning new terminology and understanding the contextual nature of the presentation. There is regular discussion of the different English translations which can serve to deepen the understanding of the subtleties of the Tibetan terminology.
Each week there are 6 hours of class time focused on listening to and discussing the recorded teachings. Homework is regularly assigned and students will need an MP3 player to listen to the teachings at home. There is an additional four hours of conversation class provided to ensure that students' colloquial language skills are maintained.
The schedule is such that students can attend both the philosophy and language classes in the second year. The debate classes are an excellent way for one to improve their speaking and listening skills and affords extra time for students to listen to teachings in Tibetan. Students taking both programs tend to progress more quickly and for this reason Thosamling encourages participation in both of them, especially for people interested in becoming translators. Students should be aware that by taking both classes they will be kept very busy.
Those entering the course will be required to take an entrance examination and should have a good grasp of colloquial Tibetan and some basic Dharma vocabulary. Other study materials are available and may be used subject to available time and the teacher’s discretion.
