MA in Religion - History of Christianity in New Haven United States | Yale University

The History of Christianity concentration equips students with expertise in Christian history and analytical historical methods for religious studies. The program offers diverse courses spanning early and medieval Christianity through the Reformation to modern times, complemented by interdisciplinary offerings from departments like Religious Studies, History, American Studies, African American Studies, Art History, and Classics. Students examine past cultures with scholarly rigor while investigating their ongoing influence on contemporary society. By analyzing manuscripts, printed materials, visual artifacts, and oral traditions, students master multiple historical methodologies and participate in modern discussions about memory, conflict, race, gender, and sexuality. This program actively counters traditional historical biases that centered European male narratives, fostering critical comparative analysis of how different societies have addressed human diversity. Faculty focus on theological history, the cultural environments shaping religious concepts and practices, Christianity's impact on social and political transformations, and its global interactions with other faith traditions. The concentration mandates eighteen credit hours in historical studies plus either an academic or professional thesis.