REL 3603a, Elementary Biblical Hebrew I  Eric Reymond

An introduction to the language of the Hebrew Scriptures—Biblical Hebrew. Students work through the grammar book, doing exercises and practicing paradigms. Among these exercises is the reading of specific biblical texts. By the end of the year, students should have a basic grasp of this ancient language’s grammar and some experience reading Hebrew.  3 Course cr
MWF 8:30am-9:20am

REL 3604b, Elementary Biblical Hebrew II  Eric Reymond

A continuation of REL 3603. An introduction to the language of the Hebrew Scriptures: Biblical Hebrew. Students work through the grammar book, doing exercises and practicing paradigms. Among these exercises is the reading of specific biblical texts. By the end of the year, students should have a basic grasp of this ancient language’s grammar and some experience reading Hebrew. Prerequisite: REL 3603  3 Course cr
MWF 8:30am-9:20am

REL 3605a, Elementary New Testament Greek I  Daniel Bohac

First term of a two-term introduction to the ancient Greek language of the New Testament for those with little or no knowledge of ancient Greek. This first term concentrates on elementary grammar and syntax and on building vocabulary.  3 Course cr
MWF 8:30am-9:20am

REL 3606b, Elementary New Testament Greek II  Daniel Bohac

Second term of a two-term introduction to the ancient Greek language of the New Testament for those with little or no knowledge of ancient Greek. The second term focuses on improving reading and translation skills and on developing working knowledge of the critical scholarly tools used in New Testament interpretation. Prerequisite: REL 3605 or equivalent.  3 Course cr
MWF 8:30am-9:20am

REL 3613b, Medieval Mystics from Bernard of Clairvaux and Beyond  Staff

This reading course in Medieval Latin is intended to help students improve their command of Latin by working directly with medieval texts. We read selections from major mystics of the Middle Ages, including works by authors such as Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), Hildegard of Bingen’s Scivias (ca. 1151/1152), Mechthild of Magdeburg’s Das fließende Licht der Gottheit (Lux Divinitatis Fluens, ca. 1250–80), and others. Prerequisite: one year of formal study of Latin, equivalent to LATN 110 and LATN 120 or LATN 125.  3 Course cr
TTh 10am-11:20am

REL 3614a, Creating Financially Sustainable Churches and Nonprofits  James Elrod

This six-week seminar examines some of the significant financial challenges faced by churches, schools, cultural institutions, and social services organizations. Utilizing a case study-based curriculum, we explore financial issues that help determine (or undermine) a nonprofit’s ability to realize its mission. Topics include mission alignment, governance, management’s agency in the creation of financial information, financial statement analysis, budgeting, fundraising, and financial sustainability. No prior coursework in finance required.  1½ Course cr
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

REL 3615b, Managing Crisis in Churches and Nonprofits  James Elrod

Financial crisis has become the normative state for many churches and nonprofit enterprises. In 2018, prior to the global pandemic, the consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimated that more than half of nonprofit organizations had less than one month’s operating reserves. This six-week seminar explores the unique challenges nonprofit leaders encounter when their organization enters financial crisis. Utilizing a case study-based curriculum, we explore strategies that promote stabilization, turnaround, and long-term recovery. Prerequisite: successful completion of REL 3614 or permission of the instructor.  1½ Course cr
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

REL 3640a, Emmaus Encounter: Hawaii  JaQuan Beachem

In 1819, missionaries set sail from Andover Seminary and what would become Yale Divinity School for a mission to Hawaii. The legacy of those missions is mixed, complex, painful, fascinating, and in need of a future different from the past. Together with partners in Hawaii, students from Andover Newton Seminary’s diploma program engage in meaningful dialogue on what that future can be. In so doing, students have the opportunity to learn constructively the art of building community within and among groups.  0 Course cr
Th 1:30pm-2:50pm

REL 3699a or b, Reading Course  Staff

Reading courses may be arranged on materials, subjects, and concerns not included in the courses being offered, or may have a narrower focus than those courses. Reading courses may count toward distributional requirements across areas of the curriculum but may not be counted as fulfilling particular requirements within an area. Only full-time faculty at Yale University may offer reading courses.  3 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3792a and REL 3793a and REL 3794b, Colloquium on Ministry Formation/Anglican  Staff

The overall purpose of the Colloquium series in the Anglican Studies curriculum is to supplement the curriculum with topics of importance in preparing for service to God in and through the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. The Colloquium offers Episcopal and Anglican students an opportunity to engage in reflection and discernment on their experience of formation for religious leadership, lay and ordained, providing an opportunity to integrate varied theological disciplines. While leadership skills and capabilities can in some measure be taught abstractly, they are most effectively integrated into one’s formation through exposure to seasoned leaders in various institutional contexts. Students explore a wide variety of leadership skills and styles in the presentations at the Colloquium and the assigned readings. Students practice leadership skills through role-playing, improvisation, and case studies. The intention is to set a leadership context in which students can practice leadership lessons that can be adapted to a ministry environment. Each term of the Colloquium focuses on different leadership skills. Over the course of their participation in Colloquium, Berkeley students are exposed to, and given an opportunity to practice, valuable leadership skills for ministry. These colloquia are required of all Berkeley Divinity School students wishing to qualify for the Diploma in Anglican Studies.  0 Course cr per term
M 4pm-5:20pm

REL 3793a and REL 3794b, Colloquium on Ministry Formation/Anglican  Andrew McGowan

The overall purpose of the Colloquium series in Anglican Studies is to supplement the curriculum with topics of importance in preparing for ministry and leadership in and through the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. The Colloquium offers Episcopal and other Anglican students an opportunity to engage in reflection and discernment on their experience of formation for religious leadership, lay and ordained, providing an opportunity to integrate varied theological disciplines. Over the course of their participation in Colloquium, Berkeley students are exposed to, and given an opportunity to practice, valuable leadership skills for ministry. In the senior (or final) year particular emphasis is placed on liturgical leadership. These colloquia are required of all Berkeley Divinity School students wishing to qualify for the Diploma in Anglican Studies.  0 Course cr per term
M 4pm-5:20pm

REL 3794b, Colloquium on Ministry Formation/Anglican  Andrew McGowan

The overall purpose of the Colloquium series in the Anglican Studies curriculum is to supplement the curriculum with topics of importance in preparing for service to God in and through the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. The Colloquium offers Episcopal and Anglican students an opportunity to engage in reflection and discernment on their experience of formation for religious leadership, lay and ordained, providing an opportunity to integrate varied theological disciplines. While leadership skills and capabilities can in some measure be taught abstractly, they are most effectively integrated into one’s formation through exposure to seasoned leaders in various institutional contexts. Students explore a wide variety of leadership skills and styles in the presentations at the Colloquium and the assigned readings. Students practice leadership skills through role-playing, improvisation, and case studies. The intention is to set a leadership context in which students can practice leadership lessons that can be adapted to a ministry environment. Each term of the Colloquium focuses on different leadership skills. Over the course of their participation in Colloquium, Berkeley students are exposed to, and given an opportunity to practice, valuable leadership skills for ministry. These colloquia are required of all Berkeley Divinity School students wishing to qualify for the Diploma in Anglican Studies.  0 Course cr
M 4pm-5:20pm

REL 3795a or b, Colloquium on Ministry Formation/Lutheran  Timothy Keyl

The Lutheran Colloquium is offered each fall and spring term. The fall colloquium focuses on Lutheran worship; the spring colloquium focuses on Lutheran spiritual practices and self-care. The primary focus is on students considering ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but it is open to all.  0 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3797a, Andover Newton Colloquium I: Ministry in the Making  Sarah Drummond

This one-hour weekly fall colloquium for ministerial formation, taken in conjunction with its spring counterpart (Andover Newton Colloquim II, REL 3798), deals with mentoring, theological reflection, and free church ecclesiology. Required of all M.Div. students enrolled in the Andover Newton program at Yale.  0 Course cr
Th 5:30pm-6:20pm

REL 3798b, Andover Newton Colloquium II: Ministry in the Making  Sarah Drummond

This one-hour weekly colloquium for ministerial formation, running over both fall (REL 3797) and spring (REL 3798) terms, deals with mentoring, theological reflection, and free church ecclesiology. Required of all M.Div. students enrolled in the Andover Newton program at Yale.  0 Course cr
Th 5:30pm-6:20pm

REL 3799a or b, M.Div. Thesis  Staff

A thesis or project is an option in the third year of the M.Div. program. Theses or projects written for the M.Div. program are eligible for elective credit only.  3 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3805a or b, Roman Catholic Lay Ministry Colloquium  Ryan Lerner

This course explores topics that Roman Catholic students identify as essential to round out their experience at YDS as well as to support their ongoing discernment of, and formation for, a possible vocation for lay ministry and leadership in the Catholic Church. The goal is to provide students with an understanding of the role and opportunities for lay leadership in multiple dimensions in the contemporary Catholic Church. The course examines the theological grounding and historical development of the role of the lay minister into its present form, as well as the various transformations that have led to a deeper awareness of the essentiality of lay collaboration with ordained and religious in areas of ministry, administration, and leadership. Students also garner the necessary tools for ongoing discernment and faith formation, as well as a basic understanding of certain aspects of canon law and an appreciation of ecclesiology.  0 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3899a or b, M.A.R. Thesis or Project  Staff

A project or thesis is an option for both the concentrated and comprehensive M.A.R. programs. Students may elect to write a thesis in the second year of their program. Candidates who choose to write theses or pursue projects enroll for one or two terms, three credit hours per term.  For M.A.R. concentrated program students, the academic adviser determines area credit. Theses or projects written for the M.A.R. comprehensive program are eligible for elective credit only.  3 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3900a or b, Transformational Leadership for Church and Society  William Goettler

This two-day (Friday afternoon/evening and all day Saturday), one-credit course offers intense engagement with significant leaders in church and society and includes analysis, reflection, and leadership training models for those who anticipate leadership roles in churches and other institutions. In addition to reading about 300 pages in preparation for the weekend class, a ten-page response paper is due two weeks after the course ends.
HTBA

REL 3901a or b, Andover Newton Colloquium III: Reading the Bible in Community  Gregory Mobley

The Andover Newton Colloquium series supplements the curriculum with topics of importance in preparation for service to God in and through the Free Church traditions, such as the ecclesiastical families in the “congregationalist” wing of Christendom, e.g., the United Church of Christ, the various expressions of the Baptist communion, and Unitarian Universalists. This colloquium on Reading the Bible in Community offers students an opportunity to engage in preparation, leadership, and reflection on the study of Scripture in group contexts from a confessional perspective. It supports the weekly Bible study offered at the Emmaus worship service sponsored by Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School.  0 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3902a, Andover Newton Colloquium IV: Designing and Leading Worship in a Time of Crisis  Mark Miller

Designing and Leading Worship in a Time of Crisis is a practical course in worship for our present-day pandemic. Students are required to engage both in theological reflection and praxis of liturgy design and leadership. This is accomplished through reading, active participation in class discussions, attending/experiencing worship, hands-on liturgy planning and leading, and evaluation of best practices. Creativity features prominently in the course through the student’s presentations.  0 Course cr
M 3pm-5pm

REL 3903b, Clinical Pastoral Education Preparation  Joanne Jennings

Clinical Pastoral Education immerses ministry students in settings where they practice pastoral care under peer and professional supervision. Students who think deeply about what they need to learn in CPE, and how they might open themselves up to self-reflection, have more meaningful and effective CPE ministries. This 1.5-credit seminar prepares students for the intense internal and external work of CPE. In order to enroll, students must have submitted applications for CPE to begin immediately after the seminar. This seminar meets once a week for the last six weeks of the term.  1½ Course cr
M 6pm-8pm

REL 3905b, Andover Newton Colloquium V: Mentored Vocational Discernment  Sarah Drummond

“Mentoring” and “discernment” are two dimensions of ministerial formation that are nearly universally understood to be important. This colloquium provides students with a setting for intentional work in both areas. That setting serves as a holding environment for integration, where students consider how their YDS and Andover Newton educations are shaping their identities and visions for their futures. Prerequisites: REL 3797 and REL 3798.  0 Course cr
Th 1:30pm-2:50pm

REL 3910a, ISM Colloquium  Martin Jean

The Institute of Sacred Music Colloquium is central to the purpose of the Institute and to the faculty’s involvement in, and personal attention to, how ISM students are trained. Colloquium is the meeting ground for all Institute students and faculty, the place where we study together, grapple with major issues, and share our work as students of sacred music, worship, and the arts. Taken for .5 credits per term, Colloquium meets every Wednesday from 3:30 until 5 p.m., with informal discussion from 5 to 5:30 p.m. ISM students from the two partner schools of Music and Divinity collaborate on a presentation to be given in their final year. The course is divided into two term-long parts, with responsibility for the fall term resting primarily with the faculty and outside presenters, and for the spring term primarily with the students.  ½ Course cr
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

REL 3911b, ISM Colloquium II  Martin Jean

 ½ Course cr
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

REL 3970a, Advanced Practicum I: Reimagining Church Facilitation  William Goettler

This program is for students in their final year of study at the Divinity School. It is open only to students who have already met the YDS Supervised Ministry requirement. Students must apply during the previous spring term and be chosen for participation. As Reimagining Church facilitators, students work closely with a Connecticut congregation that has expressed the desire to think anew about how it will be a church in the years to come. Working through the practicum with a finely developed syllabus and plan of action, these advanced ministry students seek to move the congregational working group to new insights and perhaps to action. Accompanying this work is the required weekly 1.5-hour peer reflection group (practicum) and a series of events featuring visiting speakers and other plenary sessions. Further, students maintain an active blog about the church’s experience on the Reimagining Church website. Completion of both terms (REL 3970 and REL 3971) is required. Prerequisite: REL 3986 and REL 3987, REL 3989, or at least one unit of CPE.  1½ Course cr
F 9am-10:20am

REL 3971b, Advanced Practicum II: Reimagining Church Facilitation  William Goettler

This program is for students in their final year of study at the Divinity School. It is open only to students who have already met the YDS Supervised Ministry requirement. Students must apply during the previous academic year and be chosen for participation. As Reimagining Church facilitators, students work closely with a Connecticut congregation that has expressed the desire to think anew about how it will be a church in the years to come. Working through the practicum with a finely developed syllabus and plan of action, these advanced ministry students seek to move the congregational working group to new insights and perhaps to action. Accompanying this work is the required weekly one-and-a-half-hour peer reflection group (practicum) and a series of events featuring visiting speakers and other plenary sessions. Further, students maintain an active blog about the church’s experience on the Reimagining Church website. Completion of both terms (REL 3970 and REL 3971) is required. Prerequisites: REL 3986 and REL 3987, REL 3989, or at least one unit of CPE.  1½ Course cr
HTBA

REL 3986a, Part-time Internship with Practicum I  Staff

Within the Divinity School curriculum, the internship experience is uniquely situated at the intersection of academic study and the practices of ministry and justice work, preparing degree candidates for leadership in the world by engaging them in student-centered experiential learning and theological reflection on the nature, practice, and context of work and service. The internship program requires students to work at the site of their own choosing, commit to weekly meetings with their assigned on-site supervisor, engage in regular theological reflection with a trained mentor, and participate each week with their practicum group. The Part-time Internship with Practicum is taken for two consecutive terms starting in September—Practicum I in the fall term and Practicum II in the spring term. Ministry-related internship sites may include churches, schools, college campuses, or other institutions. Non-profit /justice focused internships may include a wide range of sites, from youth services to reentry programs, homeless shelters to immigration programs, journalism to retreat centers, and many others. The Part-time Internship with Practicum carries 3 credits each term, and students are offered a stipend. Students are required to complete 400 hours during the year, 370 on site and 30 with the practicum group. This course is open to M.A.R. and M.Div. candidates in their second or third year. Both terms must be completed to meet the M.Div. degree Internship requirement. Prerequisite: REL 3990 must be taken by the beginning of the term.  3 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3987b, Part-time Internship with Practicum II  Staff

This course represents the required spring term of the year-long Part-time Internship with Practicum, following completion of the fall term course. See description of Part-time Internship with Practicum I for details. Prerequisite: REL 3986.  3 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3990a or b, Negotiating Boundaries in Ministerial Relationships  Staff

This nine-hour workshop helps students develop critically reflective understandings of professional ethics as it applies to maintaining boundaries in the practice of Christian ministry. This subject is explored through the analysis of aspects of spiritual care and ministerial behavior, including sexuality, power, boundaries, and the personhood or character of the minister. The workshop, required of all M.Div. students, is a prerequisite for any supervised ministry. The workshop does not receive academic credit but does appear on the student’s transcript.  0 Course cr
HTBA

REL 3996a, Part-time Internship with Advanced Practicum I  Staff

The Part-time Internship with advanced Practicum is open to students who have successfully completed a first internship either in ministry or nonprofit settings. The Part-time Internship with Advanced Practicum is taken for two consecutive terms starting in September—Practicum I in the fall term and Practicum II in the spring term. The internship can be arranged as a second year at the same site or at a different site to provide another type of contextual experience. Students work under the mentorship of a trained supervisor, combined with a peer reflection group (practicum) facilitated by a practitioner, for a total of 300 hours over the two terms. The internship is guided by a learning covenant developed by the student in collaboration with the supervisor. In some cases where a site does not have a theologically trained supervisor, the student may also receive supervision from a theological mentor assigned by the director. In addition to performing typical internship responsibilities, each intern creates a unique major project that involves substantive research and is presented to other students in the advanced practicum. The Part-time Internship with Advanced Practicum carries 3 credits for the year—1.5 credits for Practicum I and 1.5 for Practicum II—and offers a student stipend. Prerequisites: REL 3986 and REL 3987, or REL 3988  1½ Course cr
HTBA

REL 3997b, Part-time Internship with Advanced Practicum II  Staff

This course represents the spring term of the year-long Part-time Internship with Advanced Practicum. See description of Part-time Internship with Advanced Practicum I for details. Prerequisites: REL 3996  1½ Course cr
HTBA

REL 3999a or b, S.T.M. Thesis or Project  Staff

An extended paper, an independent thesis, or a project in the candidate’s area of concentration is required for the S.T.M. degree. Extended papers are written in conjunction with the regular requirements for courses credited toward the S.T.M. degree. Candidates who choose to write theses or pursue projects enroll for one or two terms, three credit hours per term.  3 Course cr
HTBA