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Explore the Summer 2025 Course Offerings

Explore our diverse range of academic offerings designed to inspire, challenge, and expand your intellectual horizons. Whether you're looking to deepen your expertise in a specific field, explore new areas of interest, or engage with world-class instructors, our courses cater to a variety of academic goals. Browse through our list to discover the opportunities awaiting you this summer, and take the next step in your academic journey at Yale.

2025 Course Search

Displaying 121-140 of 228 courses

The Global Right: From the French Revolution to the American Insurrection

HIST S268E (CRN: 30264) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Elli Stern
Dates: Session A, May 26 - June 27, 2025
Course Mode: Online
Meeting Times: TTh 1.00-4.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

Online Course. This seminar explores the history of right-wing political thought from the late eighteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on the role played by religious and pagan traditions. This course seeks to answer the questions: what constitutes the right? What are the central principles and values of those groups associated with this designation? And what are the defining features of what is commonly referred to as the “global right?” It will do so by examining primary tracts written by theologians, political philosophers, and social theorists as well as secondary literature written by scholars interrogating various movements and ideologies associated with the Right in America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Though touching on specific national political parties, institutions, and think tanks, its focus will be on mapping the intellectual similarities and differences between various right-wing ideologies. The “Right” emerged alongside its counterpoint, the "left," as early as 1692 to describe the congregation patterns surrounding the French Monarch, but it was not until the Revolution of 1789 when it gained its current political meaning. As the French Chamber of Deputies debated the rights of man and royal veto powers it was suggested that opponents to these measures sit du côté droit, while supporters place themselves du côté gauche. The division, many complained, was too absolute and left no room for nuance or political idiosyncrasies. Yet the arrangement held, the terms stuck, and by mid-century the right had begun to be a catchall for a host of political groups, including conservatives, traditionalists, authoritarians, royalists, nationalists and papists. By the twentieth century the term would be stretched to include movements ranging from Fascism to Populism and would be used to describe the political position of political parties in the Middle East and Asia. Though primarily associated with European and parliamentary politics, increasingly the designation of the right has been applied to Evangelical and Judeo-Christian groups in the United States. (The HIST cross-listing counts as a history "J" departmental seminar). 1 Credit. Session A: May 26 – June 27. Tuition: $5270. Technology Fee: $85.

History of Southeastern Europe

HIST S299 (CRN: 30281) | Learn More

Instructors: Jasmina Besirevic Regan
Dates: Learn more on the Yale Study Abroad program page
Course Mode: Study Abroad
Meeting Times: M-F 10.00-12.00
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to college students only

This course is part of a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad and cannot be taken independent of the program. Interested students must apply to Yale Study Abroad by February 4th. For more detailed information about the program, including a description of the courses, housing, excursions, and budget, visit the Yale Study Abroad program page.

Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic World

HIST S402 (CRN: 30318) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Joseph Manning
Dates: Session B, June 30 - August 1, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: MWF 9.00-11.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

In-person Course. The history and culture of the ancient world between the rise of Macedonian imperialism in the fourth century B.C.E. and the annexation of Egypt by Augustus in 30 B.C.E. Particular attention to Alexander, one of the most important figures in world history, and to the definition of "Hellenism." 1 Credit. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270.

Art Since 1945

HSAR S223 (CRN: 30216) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Mitchell Herrmann
Dates: Session B, June 30 - August 1, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: TTh 1.00-4.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities, Writing
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

In-person Course. This course surveys the major global modern art movements from 1945 to the present. Topics include abstraction, pop art, minimalism, video installations, performance, conceptualism, land art, appropriation, and institutional critique. The works of prominent artists will be examined within their broader historical, political, and social contexts. Emphasis is placed upon the intersections between artistic practice and issues of race, gender, class, and sexuality. Students will be introduced to various methodologies employed by art historians, particularly close visual analysis. Seminar discussions make extensive use of the collections in the Yale University Art Gallery and Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. 1 Credit. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270.

Belle Époque France

HSAR S288 (CRN: 30276) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Richard Riddick
Dates: Learn more on the Yale Study Abroad program page
Course Mode: Study Abroad
Meeting Times: TTh 1.00-4.00
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to college students only

This course is part of a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad and cannot be taken independent of the program. Interested students must apply to Yale Study Abroad by February 4th. For more detailed information about the program, including a description of the courses, housing, excursions, and budget, visit the Yale Study Abroad program page.

Age of Cathedrals

HSAR S428 (CRN: 30287) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Maile Hutterer
Dates: Learn more on the Yale Study Abroad program page
Course Mode: Study Abroad
Meeting Times: TTh 1.00-4.00
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to college students only

This course is part of a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad and cannot be taken independent of the program. Interested students must apply to Yale Study Abroad by February 4th. For more detailed information about the program, including a description of the courses, housing, excursions, and budget, visit the Yale Study Abroad program page.

Technology and American Medicine

HSHM S428 (CRN: 30343) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Deborah Streahle
Dates: Session B, June 30 - August 1, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: TTh 9.00-12.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities, Writing
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

In-person Course. This course explores the material culture of American medicine. From instruments like thermometers and scalpels to imaging tools like X-rays and MRIs to everyday aids like glasses, prosthetics and fitness tracking apps—technology suffuses medicine today. In this course, we will analyze particular technologies as both physical and cultural objects in historical context. In addition to investigating the definition of medical technology, we will also consider a range of themes and questions, among them: why do some technologies succeed and others fail? What is the relationship between medical technology and power? How do race, class, gender, and sexuality impact the creation and use of medical technology? We will pay particular attention to the themes of expertise, authority, and identity. In addition to reading primary and secondary sources, we will work closely with materials from the Medical Historical Library. Students can expect to emerge from the course prepared to analyze medical technologies and place them in historical context in American medicine. The course will culminate in a student-run exhibition of medical technologies. Enrollment limited to 15 students. 1 Credit. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270.

Histories of Racism in Science, Medicine, and the University

HSHM S455 (CRN: 30080) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Daniel HoSang
Dates: Session B, June 30 - August 1, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: TTh 9.00-12.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

In-person Course. This course examines the influence of Eugenics research, logics, and ideas across nearly every academic discipline in the 20th century, and the particular masks, tropes, and concepts that have been used to occlude attentions to these legacies today. Students make special use of the large collection of archives held within Yale Special Collections of key figures in the American Eugenics Society. Students work collaboratively to identify alternative research practices and approaches deployed in scholarly and creative works that make racial power visible and enable the production of knowledge unburdened by the legacies of Eugenics and racial science. Enrollment limited to 20 students. 1 Credit. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270.

Belle Époque France

HUMS S214 (CRN: 30274) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Richard Riddick
Dates: Learn more on the Yale Study Abroad program page
Course Mode: Study Abroad
Meeting Times: TTh 1.00-4.00
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to college students only

This course is part of a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad and cannot be taken independent of the program. Interested students must apply to Yale Study Abroad by February 4th. For more detailed information about the program, including a description of the courses, housing, excursions, and budget, visit the Yale Study Abroad program page.

The Logic of Dreams

HUMS S221 (CRN: 30213) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Paul North
Dates: Session B, June 30 - August 1, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: MW 9.00-12.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

In-person Course. The nature, history, and possible meanings of dream experience, with reference to Sigmund Freud's Interpretation of Dreams. Works from film and literature about dreams and dreaming, as well as major texts in dream theory. 1 Credit. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270.

Medicine and the Humanities: Certainty and Unknowing

HUMS S225E (CRN: 30124) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Matthew Morrison
Dates: Session A, May 26 - June 27, 2025
Course Mode: Online
Meeting Times: TTh 1.00-4.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

Online Course. Sherwin Nuland often referred to medicine as “the Uncertain Art.” In this course, we will address the role of uncertainty in medicine, and the role that narrative plays in capturing that uncertainty. We will focus our efforts on major authors and texts that define the modern medical humanities, with primary readings by Mikhail Bulgakov, Henry Marsh, Atul Gawande, and Lisa Sanders. Other topics will include the philosophy of science (with a focus on Karl Popper), rationalism and romanticism (William James), and epistemology and scientism (Wittgenstein). 1 Credit. Session A: May 26 – June 27. Tuition: $5270. Technology Fee: $85.

Free Will and Moral Responsibility

HUMS S260 (CRN: 30230) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Lawrence Vogel
Dates: Session A, May 26 - June 27, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: MWF 9.00-11.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

Course closed to further enrollment. In-person Course. The question of free will matters because it seems fair to hold people morally responsible for what they do only if they act of their own free will.  But do human beings have free will? If so, what is it, and how is it related to moral and legal responsibility?  If we don’t have free will, how can we justify our ordinary moral responses: judgments of praise and blame, morally laden emotions like pride, indignation, shame and guilt, and practices of reward and punishment?  Even if much of our behavior is freely chosen, there are times when people are excused for wrongful acts or even exempted from moral responsibility altogether.  How do excuses and exemptions function?  Are we becoming a society that diminishes the value of personal responsibility by accepting too many excuses?  Or are we more enlightened and humane when we appreciate how limited personal responsibility is in the face of biological and environmental “givens” and historical and social circumstances that move people to behave as they do?  We shall pay special attention to the phenomenon of complicity in the wake of social pressure to comply with wrongdoing. Enrollment limited to 20 students. 1 Credit. Session A: May 26 – June 27. Tuition: $5270.

Age of Cathedrals

HUMS S268 (CRN: 30286) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Maile Hutterer
Dates: Learn more on the Yale Study Abroad program page
Course Mode: Study Abroad
Meeting Times: TTh 1.00-4.00
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to college students only

This course is part of a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad and cannot be taken independent of the program. Interested students must apply to Yale Study Abroad by February 4th. For more detailed information about the program, including a description of the courses, housing, excursions, and budget, visit the Yale Study Abroad program page.

Life Worth Living

HUMS S411 (CRN: 30227) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Blake Trimble
Dates: Session A, May 26 - June 27, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: TTh 9.00-12.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students

In-person Course. What does it mean for a life to go well? What would it look like for a life to be lived well? In short, what shape would a life worth living take? We will explore these questions through engagement with the visions of seven modern figures and foundation texts that influenced them: Abraham Joshua Heschel and the Tanakh, Thich Nhat Hanh and the Buddhist scriptures, Mohandas Gandhi and the Bhagavad Gita, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Bible, Robin Wall Kimmerer and North American Indigenous wisdom, A. Helwa and the Quran, and Oscar Wilde and expressive individualism. The course will also feature visits from contemporary individuals who understand their lives to be shaped by the figures and traditions in question. Enrollment limited to 35 students. 1 Credit. Session A: May 26 – June 27. Tuition: $5270.

Independent Research in the Summer

IDRS S300 (CRN: 30215) | Learn More

Instructors: N/A
Dates: Session A, May 26 - June 27, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: N/A
Distributional Requirements: N/A
Eligibility: Open to college students only

In-person Course. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Independent Research in the Summer consists of special projects initiated and arranged by the student in an area of academic interest under the mentorship and supervision of a Yale faculty adviser and with the approval of the relevant Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). In general, IDRS S300 enables the student to study material not otherwise offered by the department. The course may be used for research, design or other projects, or directed reading, but in all cases, a term paper, a written report on the research project, or an equivalent final assessment as determined by the faculty adviser and the DUS is required. The student is expected to meet regularly with their faculty adviser and spend approximately 35 hours a week on their research for the duration of the five-week session. Students may receive academic credit only if they are not being paid for their research, although they may work for credit in one five-week session and for pay in the other. Upon completion of the course, the faculty adviser must submit to the Yale Summer Session Registrar a substantive report, which describes the nature of the independent research and evaluates the student’s performance in it. The report must indicate the mark of Pass or Fail. These reports should be shared with the student and the DUS and, for Yale College students, kept in the office of the student’s residential college dean. For Yale College students, IDRS S300 may count toward a major’s requirements only with the approval of their DUS. IDRS S300 does not typically qualify as an in-person course for students who require an in-person course to fulfill their visa requirements. Admission to IDRS S300 is by application only. Further information about the application requirements can be found at https://summer.yale.edu/academics/independent-research-summer. Students are expected to work well in advance to prepare their project description and other application materials and secure the required approvals, all of which must be submitted to summer.session@yale.edu by no later than the relevant application deadline. May be repeated for credit so long as the Yale College limits on independent studies are not exceeded. For college students and beyond.  1 Credit. Session A: May 26 – June 27. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270.

Independent Research in the Summer

IDRS S300 (CRN: 30217) | Learn More

Instructors: N/A
Dates: Session B, June 30 - August 1, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: N/A
Distributional Requirements: N/A
Eligibility: Open to college students only

In-person Course. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Independent Research in the Summer consists of special projects initiated and arranged by the student in an area of academic interest under the mentorship and supervision of a Yale faculty adviser and with the approval of the relevant Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). In general, IDRS S300 enables the student to study material not otherwise offered by the department. The course may be used for research, design or other projects, or directed reading, but in all cases, a term paper, a written report on the research project, or an equivalent final assessment as determined by the faculty adviser and the DUS is required. The student is expected to meet regularly with their faculty adviser and spend approximately 35 hours a week on their research for the duration of the five-week session. Students may receive academic credit only if they are not being paid for their research, although they may work for credit in one five-week session and for pay in the other. Upon completion of the course, the faculty adviser must submit to the Yale Summer Session Registrar a substantive report, which describes the nature of the independent research and evaluates the student’s performance in it. The report must indicate the mark of Pass or Fail. These reports should be shared with the student and the DUS and, for Yale College students, kept in the office of the student’s residential college dean. For Yale College students, IDRS S300 may count toward a major’s requirements only with the approval of their DUS. IDRS S300 does not typically qualify as an in-person course for students who require an in-person course to fulfill their visa requirements. Admission to IDRS S300 is by application only. Further information about the application requirements can be found at https://summer.yale.edu/academics/independent-research-summer. Students are expected to work well in advance to prepare their project description and other application materials and secure the required approvals, all of which must be submitted to summer.session@yale.edu by no later than the relevant application deadline. May be repeated for credit so long as the Yale College limits on independent studies are not exceeded. For college students and beyond.  1 Credit. Session A: May 26 – June 27. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270.

Independent Research in the Summer

IDRS S300E (CRN: 30379) | Learn More

Instructors: N/A
Dates: Session A, May 26 - June 27, 2025
Course Mode: Online
Meeting Times: N/A
Distributional Requirements: N/A
Eligibility: Open to college students only

Online Course. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Independent Research in the Summer consists of special projects initiated and arranged by the student in an area of academic interest under the mentorship and supervision of a Yale faculty adviser and with the approval of the relevant Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). In general, IDRS S300E enables the student to study material not otherwise offered by the department. The course may be used for research, design or other projects, or directed reading, but in all cases, a term paper, a written report on the research project, or an equivalent final assessment as determined by the faculty adviser and the DUS is required. The student is expected to meet regularly with their faculty adviser and spend approximately 35 hours a week on their research for the duration of the five-week session. Students may receive academic credit only if they are not being paid for their research, although they may work for credit in one five-week session and for pay in the other. Upon completion of the course, the faculty adviser must submit to the Yale Summer Session Registrar a substantive report, which describes the nature of the independent research and evaluates the student’s performance in it. The report must indicate the mark of Pass or Fail. These reports should be shared with the student and the DUS and, for Yale College students, kept in the office of the student’s residential college dean. For Yale College students, IDRS S300E may count toward a major’s requirements only with the approval of their DUS. Admission to IDRS S300E is by application only. Further information about the application requirements can be found at https://summer.yale.edu/academics/independent-research-summer. Students are expected to work well in advance to prepare their project description and other application materials and secure the required approvals, all of which must be submitted to summer.session@yale.edu by no later than the relevant application deadline. May be repeated for credit so long as the Yale College limits on independent studies are not exceeded. For college students and beyond.  1 Credit. Session A: May 26 – June 27. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270. Technology Fee: $85.

Independent Research in the Summer

IDRS S300E (CRN: 30380) | Learn More

Instructors: N/A
Dates: Session B, June 30 - August 1, 2025
Course Mode: Online
Meeting Times: N/A
Distributional Requirements: N/A
Eligibility: Open to college students only

Online Course. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Independent Research in the Summer consists of special projects initiated and arranged by the student in an area of academic interest under the mentorship and supervision of a Yale faculty adviser and with the approval of the relevant Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). In general, IDRS S300E enables the student to study material not otherwise offered by the department. The course may be used for research, design or other projects, or directed reading, but in all cases, a term paper, a written report on the research project, or an equivalent final assessment as determined by the faculty adviser and the DUS is required. The student is expected to meet regularly with their faculty adviser and spend approximately 35 hours a week on their research for the duration of the five-week session. Students may receive academic credit only if they are not being paid for their research, although they may work for credit in one five-week session and for pay in the other. Upon completion of the course, the faculty adviser must submit to the Yale Summer Session Registrar a substantive report, which describes the nature of the independent research and evaluates the student’s performance in it. The report must indicate the mark of Pass or Fail. These reports should be shared with the student and the DUS and, for Yale College students, kept in the office of the student’s residential college dean. For Yale College students, IDRS S300E may count toward a major’s requirements only with the approval of their DUS. Admission to IDRS S300E is by application only. Further information about the application requirements can be found at https://summer.yale.edu/academics/independent-research-summer. Students are expected to work well in advance to prepare their project description and other application materials and secure the required approvals, all of which must be submitted to summer.session@yale.edu by no later than the relevant application deadline. May be repeated for credit so long as the Yale College limits on independent studies are not exceeded. For college students and beyond.  1 Credit. Session A: May 26 – June 27. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270. Technology Fee: $85.

Elementary Italian I

ITAL S110 (CRN: 30181) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Costanza Barchiesi, Sarah Atkinson
Dates: Learn more on the Yale Study Abroad program page
Course Mode: Study Abroad
Meeting Times: M-F 9.30-12.30
Distributional Requirements: N/A
Eligibility: Open to college students only

This course is part of a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad and cannot be taken independent of the program. Interested students must apply to Yale Study Abroad by February 4th. For more detailed information about the program, including a description of the courses, housing, excursions, and budget, visit the Yale Study Abroad program page.

Elementary Italian II

ITAL S120 (CRN: 30182) | Syllabus | Learn More

Instructors: Sarah Atkinson, Costanza Barchiesi
Dates: Learn more on the Yale Study Abroad program page
Course Mode: Study Abroad
Meeting Times: M-F 9.30-12.30
Distributional Requirements: N/A
Eligibility: Open to college students only

This course is part of a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad and cannot be taken independent of the program. Interested students must apply to Yale Study Abroad by February 4th. For more detailed information about the program, including a description of the courses, housing, excursions, and budget, visit the Yale Study Abroad program page.

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