Directed Studies at Yale University is a selective
humanities study program for
freshmen. It follows the
Great Books of the
Western tradition, and resembles
Princeton University's Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture,
Columbia University's
Core Curriculum,
The University of Notre Dame's Program of Liberal Studies,
Georgetown University's Liberal Arts Seminar, the
University of Chicago's Core Curriculum, the Program in
Structured Liberal Education at
Stanford, the Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program at
Northwestern University and the program of study at
St. John's College.
Directed Studies consists of three year-long courses:
Literature,
Philosophy, and Historical and Political Thought (formerly "History and Politics") Previously,
Art History and
Classics were also available as options. Each class meets once as a lecture and twice in section each week. Lectures are given to the entire Directed Studies program, while sections range from 16-18 students. Section professors range from postdoctoral fellows to tenured faculty. Lectures have been given by prominent scholars such as
Sterling Professors R. Howard Bloch and
Harold Bloom. Several participants have returned to Yale as scholars, including David Possen, Justin Zaremby,
Margaret Litvin, cognitive scientist and philosopher
Tamar Gendler, English professor
S. Shameem Black and political scientist
Roy Tsao.
Students begin reading ancient Greek works, and end the year in the 20th century. In the 2009-2010...
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