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

In full plume: Tracing the long, transcultural history of feathers in art
For centuries people have turned to feathers as the stuff of — and the subject of — various art forms. In a Q&A, two FAS scholars discuss the cultural value of feathers and why it transcends time and space.
Documenting the U.S. struggle for ‘something better,’ from postwar to present
Laura Wexler, Charles H. Farnam Professor of American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, wrote and edited “Magnum America: The United States,” an extraordinary new collection of more than 600 photos of the United States since World War II.
Yale launches Center for Civic Thought to promote thoughtful discourse
The nonpartisan center – directed by Bryan Garsten, Professor of Humanities and Political Science – will encourage students to engage in civic thinking that integrates various forms of knowledge and informs their practical judgments as citizens.
Help defend Yale’s teaching, research, and scholarship
Each of us must make the case for what universities contribute and for what is at stake if we fall behind as a nation in education, research, and scholarship.
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.