RLST 5100a, Method and Theory  Noreen Khawaja

Required seminar for doctoral students in Religious Studies. Others admitted with instructor’s permission.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

RLST 5180a, Secularisms  Supriya Gandhi

This seminar investigates secularism, a multidimensional and multivalent category, together with its multiple lineages. We read influential scholarly interventions tracing the European genealogies of secularism together with critiques of secularism as a form of power. We put these readings in conversation with discussions of secularism and histories of the secular in global contexts including South and West Asia and North Africa. Through these we critically examine various, sometimes conflicting, understandings of secularism. Deployments of Islam as a foil to secularism, and the question of the Islamic secular, constitute important themes of the course.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 6060a, Pedagogy  Kathryn Lofton

A course on how to develop pedagogical methods. Students should only register who could also attend a MW lecture course from 2:30–3:20 p.m.
M 3:30pm-5:20pm

RLST 6080b / HIST 6030b, Approaches to the Study of Christianity in Late Antiquity  Stephen Davis

This proseminar addresses key methodological and historiographical issues in the periodization and commodification of late antiquity as a field of inquiry, focusing especially on Christianity from the rise of Constantine (313) to the Council of Chalcedon (451). Part one of the course focuses on theories and methods that have marked the study of late ancient Christianity in recent decades, including the analysis of discourse, sexuality and gender, bodies and ritual practice, and hybridity and ethnic identities. Part two focuses on a series of case studies, including the rise of Constantine, North African ecclesiastical resistance, the role of bishops and councils, barbarians and Roman borders, monasticism, pilgrimage, and the cult of the saints. The course concludes with a consideration of early Christian archaeology. The course is designed for EMWAR students with a primary or secondary area of concentration in Early Christianity, Late Ancient Christianity, Christianity and Judaism in the Hellenistic East, and West Asian Religions of the Sasanian and Early Islamic Eras. The course also provides important historical context for students concentrating in New Testament and in Scriptures and their Interpretation in Antiquity. Students interested in completing a seminar-based exam in connection with the course are encouraged to speak with the instructor. EMWAR area of concentration designations: EarXty, LateXty, XtyJudEast, WAR.
M 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 6160b / HIST 6157b / JDST 7206b / MDVL 7157b, How the West Became Antisemitic: Jews and the Formation of Europe, 800–1500  Ivan Marcus

This seminar explores how medieval Jews and Christians interacted as religious societies between 800 and 1500.
HTBA

RLST 6350a, Philosophical Fragments  Nancy Levene

The point of departure for this course is Kierkegaard’s 1844 work, Philosophical Fragments, or A Fragment of Philosophy. We read it together with some of the works it refers to and presupposes, as well as works with which it can be freely associated. Concepts taken up include truth, history, interpretation, god, person, paradox, dialectic, irony, and creativity. Prerequisite: coursework in philosophical texts.
M 3:30pm-5:20pm

RLST 6430a / JDST 7445a, The Global Right: From the French Revolution to the American Insurrection  Elli Stern

This seminar explores the history of right-wing political thought from the late eighteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on the role played by religious and pagan traditions. This course seeks to answer the question, what constitutes the right? What are the central philosophical, religious, and pagan, principles of those groups associated with this designation? How have the core ideas of the right changed over time? We do this by examining primary tracts written by theologians, political philosophers, and social theorists as well as secondary literature written by scholars interrogating movements associated with the right in America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia. Though touching on specific national political parties, institutions, and think tanks, its focus is on mapping the intellectual overlap and differences between various right-wing ideologies. While the course is limited to the modern period, it adopts a global perspective to better understand the full scope of right-wing politics.
M 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 6520a / JDST 6500a, Introduction to Jewish Studies  David Sorkin and Sarit Kattan Gribetz

In a society that is broadly ambivalent about—if not roundly antagonistic against—Jews and Judaism, how can one study Jewish texts and history? Is the study of Jews and their religion and cultures necessarily an act of apologetics or polemics? What does “objectivity” mean in this loaded context? This course examines the inception and development of the modern field of Jewish studies in nineteenth-century Germany and the ways in which the field evolved and spread from Europe to Palestine, Israel, and the United States. Ultimately, students grapple with the question of the place of Jews and Jewish studies in the modern academy. The course begins with readings of the major practitioners of the “academic study of Judaism” (Wissenschaft des Judentums) since its inception in the nineteenth century with close examination of the ways in which those scholars read the ancient, medieval, and early modern sources that they used to construct their studies of Jews and Judaism. It then turns to the institutionalization of the field through the establishments of seminaries, large-scale publication projects (encyclopedias, anthologies), historical societies and archives, research institutes, and university programs. Finally, the course examines the intersection between the personal and professional through pairing memoirs written by scholars with the scholarship they published. Throughout, programmatic statements are combined with close analysis of the way scholars read their sources.
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 6600b / AMST 6627b / ENGL 5820b / FILM 6020b, Media and Religion  John Peters and Kathryn Lofton

Media and religion are devices of information and agencies of order. This course proceeds from the possible synonymy of its organizing terms, using as a form of weekly debate the relationship between media and religion. Readings think about how religion and media generate meanings about human doings and their relations with ecological and economic systems while also being constitutive parts of those systems. Students develop projects that allow them to explore a relationship between concept and subject in humanistic study.
M 3:30pm-5:20pm

RLST 6640a, Buddhist Metaphysics: Vasubandhu’s Treasury  Sonam Kachru

The Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu (fl. late fourth century C.E.) described Buddhism as a path of reasons in his massively influential Treasury of Buddhist Thought. This seminar explores those reasons, beginning with the argument for the salience and necessity of arguments. We explore Vasubandhu’s arguments about the nature of time (do past and future exist?); atomism (physical, mental and temporal); the nature of pain and pleasure; the existence of God; intentionality and knowledge of one’s own mental states; the unconscious; selves and streams of consciousness; on figuralism and the need for non-naivety in connection with our use of language. Throughout, we pay attention to meta-philosophical moments where the rationality or irrationality of certain ways of conceiving of the methods and goals of in philosophical explanation and description are entertained. We consequently pay particular attention to awareness of the different kinds of analysis on offer, and the arguments for and against reductionism and foundationalism in metaphysics.
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 6790b / EMST 6150b / HIST 6150b, Popular Religion in Europe, 1300–1700  Carlos Eire

Readings and discussion in recent scholarship on the history of religion in the Christian West in the late medieval and early modern periods.
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

RLST 6980b / AMST 7720b, Variety and Standardization  Sally Promey and Jamil Drake

Variety and standardization number among Western modernity’s favorite binaries, fully entangled with another sibling set of “dualities”: religion and secularization. In the United States, the process of “nationing” citizens (to use Tony Bennett’s term) has taken the shape and motto of a linear movement from variety to standardization: e pluribus unum, out of many one. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the US Constitution’s stated commitment to free exercise and nonestablishment, religion invites us to explore the relationship and tension between variety and standardization in American sociopolitical life. On the one hand, religion is a site that not only accommodates but also generates a variety of diverse identities, communities, ideals, epistemes, and practices. On the other hand, religion is a site that enforces standardization and encourages adherence and conformity to authorized ideals, knowledges, behaviors, and institutions. Under pressure of these “opposing” rubrics, variety and standardization are co-constitutive in configuring and managing racial, class, gender/sexual, and national as well as religious differences. This graduate seminar explores religion within the interstices of variety and standardization and at their intersections. Guest experts in the field(s) have been invited to present their work. Given the professors’ geography of expertise, the in-class course content most closely examines variety and standardization in the context of the United States. Other geographical/chronological interest and expertise is welcome and encouraged in student projects, course readings, and class discussion.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 6990a / AMST 8805a / HSAR 6720a / WGSS 7779a, Sensational Materialities: Sensory Cultures in History, Theory, and Method  Sally Promey

This interdisciplinary seminar explores the sensory and material histories of (often religious) images, objects, buildings, and performances as well as the potential for the senses to spark contention in material practice. While course content focuses on United States things and religions (given the professor’s areas of expertise and academic appointments), the course also considers broader geographical and categorical parameters so as to invite intellectual engagement with the most challenging and decisive developments in relevant fields, including recent literatures on material agencies. The goal is to investigate possibilities for scholarly examination of a robust human sensorium of sound, taste, touch, scent, and sight—and even “sixth senses”—the points where the senses meet material things (and vice versa) in life and practice. Topics include the cultural construction of the senses and sensory hierarchies; investigation of the sensory capacities of things; and specific episodes of sensory contention in and among various religious traditions. In addition, the course invites thinking beyond the “Western” five senses to other locations and historical possibilities for identifying the dynamics of sensing human bodies in religious practices, experience, and ideas. Course is by permission of instructor; qualified undergraduates are welcome. In order to request permission, please email the professor (sally.promey@yale.edu) with responses to the following questions: (1) Why are you interested in taking this seminar?; (2) what educational, intellectual, artistic, or other experiences do you bring to the seminar’s subjects?; (3) how does the content of this course relate to your own career and/or personal aspirations?
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 7050a / AMST 7705a / HIST 7304a, Readings in Religion and American Society  Tisa Wenger and Jamil Drake

This seminar explores intersections of religion and society in North American history from the colonial period to the present as well as methodological problems important to their study. The course is designed to give graduate students a working knowledge of the field by examining key historiographical trends and influential approaches in recent years. It is not a specialized research seminar, but it does require a basic understanding of historiography. We think together about the sources, conversation partners, methods, and key interventions of each text we read.
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 7210a / NELC 6580a, Introduction to Arabic and Islamic Studies  Travis Zadeh

Comprehensive survey of the various subjects treated in Arabic and Islamic studies, with representative readings from each. Detailed investigation into the methods and techniques of scholarship in the field, with emphasis on acquiring familiarity with the bibliographical and other research tools.
HTBA

RLST 7540a / EMST 8185a / SPAN 7710a, The World(ing) of Tarot  Todne Thomas and Nicholas Jones

This new course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the exploration of tarot. It joins together religious studies, social scientific, historical, and aesthetic approaches to teach about contexts of practice, genealogies of tarot phenomena, and its visuality. It establishes a foundational knowledge of tarot by exploring popular culture (mis)representations, tracing its longstanding eclectic history, and studying its archetypes. Conceptually, the course uses tarot as an avenue to discuss conceptual themes of materiality and aesthetics, esotericism, politics, gender, culture, and worlding. Through this guided study of tarot, we explore tarot’s enduring yet contested appeal and relativize Western epistemologies, including that of the academy itself.
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

RLST 7730a / HIST 6229a / JDST 7261a / MDVL 7229a, Jews and the World: From the Bible through Early Modern Times  Ivan Marcus

The course is a comprehensive introduction for GS students as well as YC students.  It serves as a window course to pre-modern Jewish history.  For YC students this can lead to taking seminars on more limited topics.  For graduate students it is a good preparation for comprehensive exams and provides a model survey course to be offered later on as an instructor.
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

RLST 7770b / HIST 6155b / JDST 764b / MDVL 7155b, Jews in Muslim Lands from the Seventh through the Sixteenth Century  Ivan Marcus

Introduction to Jewish culture and society in Muslim lands from the Prophet Muhammad to Suleiman the Magnificent. Topics include Islam and Judaism; Jerusalem as a holy site; rabbinic leadership and literature in Baghdad; Jewish courtiers, poets, and philosophers in Muslim Spain; and the Jews in the Ottoman Empire.
HTBA

RLST 8190b / AMST 6630b / HSAR 6529b, Museums and Religion: The Politics of Preservation and Display  Sally Promey

This interdisciplinary seminar focuses on the tangled relations of religion and museums, historically and in the present. What does it mean to “exhibit religion” in the institutional context of the museum? What practices of display might one encounter for this subject? What kinds of museums most frequently invite religious display? How is religion suited (or not) for museum exhibition and museum education? Enrollment is by permission of the instructor; qualified undergraduates are not only welcome but also encouraged to join us. There are no set prerequisites, but, assuming available seats, permission is granted on the basis of response to three questions: Why do you wish to take this course? What relevant educational or professional background/experience do you bring to the course? How does the course help you to meet your own intellectual, artistic, or career aspirations?
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 8331a / HIST 8831a, Psychoanalysis as Theory and Practice  Omnia El Shakry

This course serves as an introduction to the psychoanalytic tradition through a reading of its foundational Freudian as well as post-Freudian texts. Centered on the “so-called Copernican revolution to which Freud himself compared his discovery,” we attend primarily to the lineaments of the unconscious. Our readings will focus on Sigmund Freud and the Anglophone tradition (Klein, Winnicott, Bion, Bollas). In addition, there is special emphasis on questions of race (through Frantz Fanon and Afro-pessimism) and religion (through new work on psychoanalysis and Islam). Throughout the seminar, we remain attuned to the elements of psychoanalysis that enable us to engage the most pressing ethical questions of our times of war and death.
T 5pm-7pm

RLST 8370a / SMTC 5470a, Northwest Semitic Inscriptions: Official Aramaic  Jimmy Daccache

Official Aramaic is the lingua franca of the Persian Empire during the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. This course is designed to familiarize students with texts from Achaemenid Egypt (the abundant papyri of Elephantine and Hermopolis), Bactria, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia. The Aramaic grammar is illustrated through the texts. Prerequisite: RLST 835, or some knowledge of Aramaic or a related Semitic language.
M 9am-10:50am

RLST 8480a / SMTC 5230a, Intermediate Syriac I  Jimmy Daccache

This two-term course is designed to enhance students’ knowledge of the Syriac language by reading a selection of texts, sampling the major genres of classical Syriac literature. By the end of the year, students are familiar with non-vocalized texts and are capable of confronting specific grammatical or lexical problems. Prerequisite: RLST 839 / SMTC 5140 or knowledge of Syriac.
T 9am-10:50am

RLST 8740a / SMTC 5530a, Advanced Syriac I  Jimmy Daccache

This course is designed for graduate students who are proficient in Syriac and is organized topically. Topics vary each term and are listed in the syllabus on Canvas.
T 11am-12:50pm

RLST 8820b / ANTH 5828b, Readings on Mind and Nature  Nancy Levene

Study of works on nature, history, reason, person. Readings vary from year to year.
M 3:30pm-5:20pm

RLST 9050a, Theology Doctoral Seminar  Kathryn Tanner

Doctoral seminar for RLST doctoral students in theology and others interested (with permission of instructor).
T 5:30pm-7:20pm

RLST 9550a / EALL 7530a / EMST 9600a / MDVL 9005a / NELC 5400a, Proseminar for Jobseekers in Premodern Fields  Lucas Bender

This course is intended for doctoral students (particularly studying topics in the premodern humanities) in their penultimate and final years. Over the course of the semester, students work with peers as well as faculty convener to build the skills they need to present their research to others in a clear, compelling way. Topics covered include preparing application materials, interviewing, negotiating job offers, alt-ac careers, publishing, CV building, and how to succeed in postdoctoral and junior faculty positions. Weekly sessions generally include workshop time as well as presentations by the convener and visitors. This proseminar is particularly directed toward students affiliated with Archaia and medieval studies but welcomes all those with research interests in the premodern world; if space allows, students working on modern topics can also join. The broad range of primary specialties represented provides students with experience engaging with scholars outside their field, which is increasingly essential for premodernists in the modern academic world.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

RLST 9800a or b, Directed Readings in Religious Studies  Staff

Directed readings in religious studies.
HTBA