This course focuses on critical scholarship and traces the development of the field of Shi'i studies in the 20th and 21st centuries. Notably, in the past 25 years there has been a significant increase in publications focusing on Shi'ism in such fields as religious studies, visual studies, anthropology, and history, which have contributed to our understanding of this second largest branch of Islam. This course will establish an intellectual foundation in the field and prepare students for more advanced research using primary sources and ethnographic fieldwork in Shi'i studies.