This course is intended to be the first in a two course sequence in the study of Shi'ism in the study of religion. The second course in the sequence is RLG3517H. "Foundations" focuses on critical scholarship and traces the development of the field of Shi'i studies in the 20th century until the late 1970s. This course will introduce students to scholarship focusing on Shi'i mysticism, theology, doctrine, law, and historiography. This course will provide students with an understanding of the longue-durée of the field, its trends, and the major issues that have shaped the field in its earlier period.