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
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.
Marlène Daut, Haitian American author and Yale professor, wins 2025 Haiti Book Prize
The award recognizes her continued contributions to Haitian studies and efforts to center Haitian voices in historical scholarship.
Historian Joanne Freeman discusses American history with Jon Stewart
In this podcast episode, Freeman, the Alan Boles, Class of 1929 Professor of History, speaks with Jon Stewart about the term ‘heritage American’ and explores how American identity has been defined and contested throughout the nation's history.
Bill Rankin's history of mapmaking featured in the Guardian
Rankin, Associate Professor of History, recently published "Radical Cartography," which explores how mapmaking shapes our view of the world.
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