Humanities courses
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), Tim Barringer (History of Art), R. Howard Bloch (French), Harold Bloom (Humanities), Rüdiger Campe (German), Francesco Casetti (Humanities), Stephen Davis (Religious Studies), Carlos Eire (History, Religious Studies), Benjamin Foster (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), Paul Freedman (History), Kirk Freudenburg (Classics), David Gelernter (Computer Science), Phyllis Granoff (Religious Studies), Emily Greenwood (Classics), Valerie Hansen (History), Carol Jacobs (German), Daniel Kevles (History, American Studies, History of Medicine), Ivan Marcus (History, Religious Studies), Barry McCrea (Comparative Literature), María Rosa Menocal (Humanities), Robert Nelson (History of Art), Richard Prum (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology), Joseph Roach (Theater Studies), William Sledge (School of Medicine), Steven Smith (Political Science), Henry Sussman (German), Gary Tomlinson (Music, Humanities), Jing Tsu (East Asian Languages & Literatures), Anders Winroth (History), Craig Wright (Music)
Associate Professors Murray Biggs (Theater Studies), Moira Fradinger (Comparative Literature), Milette Gaifman (History of Art, Classics), Marci Shore (History), Kirk Wetters (German)
Assistant Professors Joshua Billings (Humanities), Molly Brunson (Slavic Languages & Literatures), David Gabriel (Comparative Literature), Paul North (German), Kishwar Rizvi (History of Art), Yue Zhuo (French)
Senior Lecturers Peter Cole (Humanities) (Visiting), Charles Hill (Humanities), Jane Levin (Humanities), Koichi Shinohara (Religious Studies, East Asian Studies), Norma Thompson (Humanities)
Lecturers Edward Barnaby (Comparative Literature), Amerigo Fabbri (Humanities), Hilary Fink (Slavic Languages & Literatures), Karen Foster (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), Mia Genoni (Humanities), Virginia Jewiss (Humanities), Sadia Saeed (Sociology), Kathryn Slanski (Humanities, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), George Syrimis (Hellenic Studies)
Senior Lector II Risa Sodi (Italian)
Senior Lector Rita Lipson (Slavic Languages & Literatures)
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 many 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 in 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 Humanities seminars numbered 200–298 count as core for the arts in the humanities. All Humanities seminars numbered 299–410 count as core for intellectual history. With the exception of the Franke and Shulman Seminars, all Humanities seminars numbered 411–469 count as core for the West and its encounters.
The Franke Seminars 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 Seminars and the Shulman Seminar each include a series of coordinated public lectures. The seminars are for enrolled students; the lecture series are 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 444, 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 on the Yale 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, at least 1 in each of 3 areas of concentration; 5 addtl electives
Senior requirement Senior essay (HUMS 491)
