Battelle-Tompkins 113, 202-885-2957, pathak@american.edu

Areas of specialization
The philosophical, psychological, and religious aspects of epic poetry and poetic creativity; comparative religious studies; classical literary criticism; and contemporary psychological theories.

Professional affiliations
American Academy of Religion
American Comparative Literature Association
American Oriental Society
American Philological Association
Modern Language Association

Selected Publications
“Why Do Displaced Kings Become Poets in the Sanskrit Epics? Modeling Dharma in the
Affirmative Ramayana and the Interrogative Mahabharata.” International Journal of Hindu Studies 10, no. 2 (2006): 127–49.

“The Divine Character of Poetic Creativity in Rajasekhara’s Kavyamimamsa.” In Proceedings of the 13th World Sanskrit Conference, Poetry, Drama and Aesthetics Section, ed. Mandakranta Bose, David Gitomer, and David Smith. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, forthcoming.

Courses taught
Meaning and Purpose in the Arts
Forms of the Sacred: Religions of the East
Hinduism
Topics in Religious Discussion: How to Compare Myths

Education
A.M. (divinity), Ph.D. (history of religions), University of Chicago Divinity School
Ph.D. (social and behavioral sciences), Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
A.B. (religion), Princeton University