Humanities
Humanities
courses
Humanities
program home page
Director of undergraduate studies: Norma Thompson, Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St., 432-1313, norma.thompson@yale.edu; director: R. Howard Bloch, 53 Wall St., 432-0670, howard.bloch@yale.edu
FACULTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAM OF HUMANITIES
Professors
Jeffrey Alexander (Sociology), Dudley Andrew (Film Studies, Comparative Literature), R. Howard Bloch (French), Harold Bloom (Humanities), David Bromwich (English), Carlos Eire (History, Religious Studies), Benjamin Foster (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), Paul Freedman (History), Beatrice Gruendler (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), Karsten Harries (Philosophy), Stanley Insler (Linguistics), Carol Jacobs (German), Ivan Marcus (History, Religious Studies), Millicent Marcus (Italian), María Rosa Menocal (Humanities), Rainer Nägele (German), Leon Plantinga (Emeritus) (Music), Haun Saussy (Comparative Literature), William Sledge (School of Medicine), Frank Snowden (History, History of Medicine), William Summers (Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry), Henry Sussman (German), Ivan Szelenyi (Sociology, Political Science), Francesca Trivellato (History), Frank Turner (History), Harvey Weiss (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, Anthropology), Anders Winroth (History)
Associate Professors
Ala Alryyes (Comparative Literature, English), Murray Biggs (English), Anne Dunlop (History of Art), Hilary Fink (Slavic Languages & Literatures), Bryan Garsten (Political Science), Corinne Pache (Classics)
Assistant Professors
Alexander Beecroft (Humanities, Comparative Literature), Angela Capodivacca (Italian), Shannon Craigo-Snell (Religious Studies), John Fisher (Classics), El Mokhtar Ghambou (English), Jonathan Gilmore (Philosophy), David Lummus (Italian), Karuna Mantena (Political Science), Diana Paulin (English, African American Studies), Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen (Architecture), Youval Rotman (History), Marci Shore (History), Elliott Visconsi (English), Kirk Wetters (German)
Senior Lecturers
Peter Cole (Judaic Studies), Jane Levin (Humanities), Norma Thompson (Humanities)
Lecturers
Edward Barnaby (Comparative Literature), Francesco Casetti (Film Studies), Karen Foster (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), Veronika Grimm (Classics, History), Charles Hill (International & Area Studies), Virginia Jewiss (Humanities), Timothy Robinson (Classics), Hizky Shoham (Humanities, Religious Studies), Kathryn Slanski (Humanities, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), George Syrimis (Hellenic Studies), Justin Zaremby (Political Science)
Senior Lector II
Risa Sodi (Italian)
The interdisciplinary program in Humanities is designed to contribute to an integrated understanding of the Western cultural tradition. Selected works of European literature, music, philosophy, and visual arts are studied in relation to each other and to the history of ideas and political institutions. The varied program of study offers a wide range of options for students in all years interested in interdisciplinary and broad-based work in the humanities, from special seminars for freshmen to the Franke and Shulman Seminars for senior majors. Most courses are open to nonmajors.
The major in Humanities offers three areas of concentration: the arts in the humanities, intellectual history, and the West and its encounters. The major is intended to emphasize breadth and interdisciplinary effort without sacrificing depth. It brings together traditional disciplines in the humanities such as history, literature, history of art, philosophy, and history of music in a manner that is both broadly based and intensively rigorous.
Prerequisite. There is a prerequisite in ancient civilization, which can be satisfied by Directed Studies or by two courses in classical civilization or in ancient Near Eastern civilization.
Requirements of the major. In addition to the prerequisite, thirteen term courses are required for the major, including two core seminars in one of the areas of concentration; any five Humanities electives (including Franke and Shulman Seminars), with at least one in each of the three areas of concentration; five additional electives selected to complement the student's area of concentration, with approval of the director of undergraduate studies; and the senior essay, normally written in the spring term of the senior year. Majors in Humanities are strongly encouraged to enroll in at least one term course on literature in a foreign language. Students are expected to declare their intent to major in Humanities in a meeting with the director of undergraduate studies before their junior year.
Core courses. Two core seminars must be selected from one area of specialization: the arts in the humanities, intellectual history, or the West and its encounters. All seminars listed under these subheads in the printed YCPS are core seminars.
The Franke Seminar and the Shulman Seminar. Sponsored by the Whitney Humanities Center and designed to speak across disciplinary lines to broad public and intellectual issues, the Franke Seminar and the Shulman Seminar each include a series of coordinated public lectures. The seminars are for enrolled students; the lecture series is open to the Yale and local communities. Humanities majors may enroll in a Franke or a Shulman Seminar with permission of the director of undergraduate studies and the instructor.
Summer program in Rome. Humanities majors who take the spring-term course HUMS 396b, The City of Rome, and develop individual research topics to be pursued in Rome may apply for enrollment in a two-credit summer course offered by Yale Summer Session. Museums, archaeological sites, churches, piazzas, libraries, and the city itself are part of the classroom for the summer course, which addresses key issues relevant to all three areas of concentration in the Humanities major. Further information is available on the Humanities program Web site and the Summer Session Web site.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR
Prerequisite: Directed Studies, or 2 courses in classical civ or ancient Near Eastern civ
Number of courses: 13 term courses beyond prereq (incl senior essay)
Distribution of courses: 2 core sems in 1 area of concentration; 5 Humanities electives, with at least 1 in each of the 3 areas of concentration; 5 addtl electives
Senior requirement: Senior essay (HUMS 491a or b)
