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Tamil

College of Liberal Arts

Learn Tamil at UT Austin

Tamil is a Dravidian language of South India and one of India’s classical languages. Its ancient and modern literary traditions are both exceptionally rich and exceptionally varied. It is the dominant language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and has official status also in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia. Altogether, there are more than 66 million Tamil speakers around the world. Learning Tamil thus provides access to one of the great and influential cultural traditions of India.

Learn More About Lower and Upper Division Tamil Below 

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Lower-Division Courses 

TAM 506, First-Year Tamil I

Not open to native speakers of Tamil. Five lecture hours a week for one semester. Skills to be developed: writing, reading, speaking and listening.

TAM 507, First-Year Tamil II

Not open to native speakers of Tamil. Five lecture hours a week for one semester. Skills to be developed: writing, reading, speaking and listening. Prerequisite: Tamil 506 with a grade of at least C.

TAM 312K, Second-Year Tamil I

Not open to native speakers of Tamil. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Skills to be developed: vocabulary development, cultures, languages. Prerequisite: Tamil 507 with a grade of at least C.

TAM 312L, Second-Year Tamil II

Not open to native speakers of Tamil. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Skills to be developed: vocabulary development, cultures, languages. Prerequisite: Tamil 312K with a grade of at least C.

Upper-Division Courses

TAM 320K, Advanced Tamil I

Not open to native speakers of Tamil. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Skills to be developed: translation, literary appreciation, composition, comprehension, modern and old poems, recitation of poetry and more. Prerequisite: Tamil 312L with a grade of at least C.

TAM 320L, Advanced Tamil II

Not open to native speakers of Tamil. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Skills to be developed: translation, literary appreciation, composition, comprehension, modern and old poems, recitation of poetry and more. Prerequisite: Tamil 320K with a grade of at least C.

TAM 330, Topics in Tamil Language and Literature

Not open to native speakers of Tamil. Study of specific subjects related to South Asian culture as reflected in Tamil literary productions and other modes of expression. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Tamil 312L with a grade of at least C.

TAM 360, Conference Course in Tamil Language and Literature

Supervised individual study of selected problems in Tamil language and literature. Conference course. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and written consent of instructor on form obtained from the undergraduate adviser.