Division of Humanities
Knowledge from antiquity to the present
The faculty of the FAS Humanities division cover an expansive intellectual terrain. They are experts in history, literature, language, philosophy, and the arts. Their work asks who we are and what we might become as they make new discoveries about the past and present that will shape the future of human culture. Through collaboration, research, and teaching, they initiate conversations around the most pressing questions that humankind has addressed from antiquity to the present.
The divisional dean of the Humanities is Marc Robinson.
Humanities departments and programs
The FAS's 20+ humanities units cover the range of human knowledge: from English to Classics; from History of Art to Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies; from the world's languages and literatures to History. In addition, several programs are cross-divisional, bridging Humanities and Social Science.
News
Historian Sunil Amrith Awarded 2025 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Nonfiction
Amrith's book of environmental history, The Burning Earth, continues to garner accolades including the 2025 Toynbee Prize, a longlisting for the 2025 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, and a nomination for the 2025 British Academy Book Prize.
Teaching writing at Yale: Alison Bechdel
From playwriting to investigative journalism to graphic fiction, Yale offers a multitude of courses in creative writing. The following video, featuring graphic novelist and Professor in the Practice Alison Bechdel, is the first in a series about teaching — and learning — how to write at Yale.
Office Hours with… Malina Buturović
In a Q&A, Assistant Professor of Classics Malina Buturović explains what drew her to study the ancient world, what we can learn from ancient science, and her love of movies in which nothing happens.
Getting to know… Justin Willson
In a Q&A, Assistant Professor of History of Art Justin Willson describes the power of iconic imagery, the richness of Yale’s collections, and his favorite place for a bike ride.
Becoming better thinkers through art and culture
How does architecture affect the way we live? Does it influence our health and our healing? Fatima Naqvi, the Elias W. Leavenworth Professor of German and Film Studies in the FAS, explores these questions in her new book. She looks at how writers and directors portray the architecture of hospitals and describe their experience from the 1880s to the present. Naqvi’s scholarship lies at the intersection of architecture, literature, and film. She argues that by experiencing culture and the arts, we become better thinkers in ways that are difficult to quantify but nevertheless profound.
FAS Humanities contacts
- FAS Dean of Humanities; Malcolm G. Chace '56 Professor of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies and of English; Professor of American Studies; Professor in the Practice of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism
- FAS Dean's Office
- Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (Program)
- English
- American Studies (Program)
- Senior Associate Dean; Dean of Faculty Affairs
- FAS Dean's Office