Classes

Throughout historical and contemporary periods, Persia (Iran) has occupied a central role in global religious thought and spirituality. The ancient Persian religions, including Zoroastrianism (Mazdayasna) and Manicheanism, had highly developed theological and philosophical...

The period known as Late Antiquity (c. 3rd-9th cent. CE) witnessed major religious transformations that still define our world today, including most importantly the rise of rival monotheisms, the “Abrahamic” traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. After suffering...

This course is designed for graduate students in the Committee on the Study of Religion and is open to students in related fields who teach courses pertaining to religion. The course aims to equip students with skills to be effective Teaching Fellows at Harvard and to...

Questions arising from the diversity of religions recur in all of the major branches of Islamic thought and appear in complex permutations in diverse cultural contexts. Focusing primarily on pre-modern Islam, this course invites students to investigate perspectives on the...

Students learn the details of Classical Persian grammar, lexicography, and prosody, and work with modern Persian academic commentaries on classical works. Students gain the reading fluency necessary for research in Classical Persian prose, and a foundational understanding of...

From the rise of the Axis of Resistance and U.S.-Iran rivalry in the region, to the war in Yemen between the Shi'a Ansarallah (Houthis) and Saudi Arabia, and the battle over the future of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, the rise of Shi’a political actors has been one of the most...

Regional order in the Middle East has significant consequences and reverberations around the globe ranging from inter-state rivalries, ethno-national violence, world energy markets, and international great power competition for influence in western Asia and interconnected...

As two of the most populous and important states in the Middle East comprising almost 40% of the population of the region, Iran and Turkey have shaped the foundations of core regional trends from the 19th century up to until the contemporary period. As non-Arab majority...

From the conflict in Yemen pitting the Shi'a Houthis against a Saudi-led coalition, to the civil war in Syria and the Shi'a militia-led fight against ISIS in Iraq, dominant media narratives portray conflict in today's Middle East as part of a proxy battle between Iran and...

This course explores the doctrines and practices of the Ismailis, adherents of a minority branch of Shia Islam that recognizes the continuation of religious authority after the Prophet Muhammad through a particular line of his descendants known as the Imams. Under the...

A course on selected topics in Shii History, Thought and Literature. Prerequisite: A prior course on Islam. Permission of instructor required.

Between 900 to 1300 CE, Islamicate societies were characterized by drastic transformations in religious thought, political authority and institutions as the Shiʿi dynasties (Ismaili Fatimids and Ithnaʾashari Buyids) were overthrown and replaced by rulers who enabled the...