Division of Social Science
Wide-ranging expertise
The faculty of the FAS Social Science division are experts in politics, economics, society, and the human mind. Their methods are cutting edge, ranging from data-driven statistical analysis to ethnography and fieldwork; from polling and surveys to neuroimaging. Their work leads to new understandings of social and political systems and the nature of human interaction and thought.
The divisional dean of Social Science is Tony Smith.
Social Science departments and programs
The FAS is home to seven social science departments: Anthropology, Economics, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Statistics and Data Science. In addition, several programs are cross-divisional, bridging Social Science and Humanities.
News
AI’s hidden bias: Chatbots can influence opinions without trying
A Yale study led by Daniel Karel, Assistant Professor of Sociology, finds that AI chatbots can subtly influence users’ social and political opinions through unintended latent biases.
Yale’s new Healthcare Affordability Lab melds research and policy
Yale's Zack Cooper—Associate Professor of Public Health, Associate Professor of Economics, and Associate Professor in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies—heads the new Health Care Affordability Lab, launched in March 2026 to leverage academic research to help cut health-care costs.
Health Care Affordability Lab launched as new resource for policymakers addressing crisis in health care costs
“The Health Care Affordability Lab is a bridge between academic scholars and policymakers seeking to slow spending growth without harming quality,” said Zack Cooper, director of the new Lab and an Associate Professor at the Yale School of Public Health and in the Department of Economics.
Public health economist Zack Cooper describes how research can tackle ‘kitchen table’ health policy issues
Cooper—Associate Professor of Public Health, Associate Professor of Economics, and Associate Professor in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies—runs the Health Care Affordability Lab.
At the forefront of economics
Can the field of economics help to achieve greater equality? Rohini Pande, economist and Director of the Yale Economic Growth Center, believes economists should consider notions of justice, not just efficiency. As part of a large study, she and her colleagues, along with researchers from the Inclusion Economics initiative, are currently surveying over 5,000 Indian women to better understand a major gender disparity in mobile phone use in the country and whether government policies might be needed to correct the imbalance.
FAS Social Science contacts
- FAS Dean of Social Science; William K. Lanman, Jr. Professor of Economics and Professor of Management
- FAS Dean's Office
- Economics
- Senior Associate Dean
- FAS Dean's Office
- Associate Dean
- FAS Dean's Office