History and Literature


Despite Decrease in Concentrators, Students and Faculty Alike Defend the Humanities

Of the 18 concentrations in the Arts and Humanities division, 10 have experienced significant decreases in numbers of concentrators, six remained relatively steady, and two saw slight increases between 2015 and 2019.


Students Protest, Pen Open Letter In Response to Professor’s Tenure Denial

Roughly 50 students staged a sit-in at University Hall Monday evening to protest the tenure denial of Romance Languages and Literatures associate professor Lorgia Garcia Peña and to call on Harvard to create a formalized ethnic studies program.


Students Lobby University to Tenure Latinx Studies Professor

More than a dozen students have launched a letter-writing campaign in support of Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literature and History and Literature Lorgia Garcia Peña’s bid for tenure.


Why I Declared: Humanities Edition

Last but certainly not least, Flyby sophomores planning studies in Humanities fields share their declaration process.


Hist & Lit to Offer Ethnic Studies

Undergraduates concentrating in History and Literature will now be able to specialize in an ethnic studies field.


Students Use New Hist and Lit Field to Explore Ethnic Studies

The Modern World field allows students to more easily explore topics such as migration and diaspora at a time when many students have been calling for increased ethnic studies course offerings and an ethnic studies department.


Marketing the Humanities

A number of events over Advising Fortnight fit into the larger trend of job-oriented marketing within the Arts and Humanities as many concentrations seek to attract more students and address their career concerns through an increase in job-focused advising events, alumni interactions, and published materials.


Vampire Vibes: The Dark Side of Modern Culture

Bettina Stoetzer, assistant professor at MIT, lectures on German literature to the audience. Last Friday, an interdisciplinary conference called "Vampire Vibes: The Dark Side of Modern Culture" was held on problematics of identity, deviance, and power in modern history, literature, and media.


History and Literature Changes Concentration Offerings

​In response to changing student interests, the History and Literature department has offered new fields of study and more specific subfields, allowing for greater flexibility in students’ studies.


Dominance of Western Perspectives Troubles the Social Sciences

American and Western European foci and schools of thought continue to dominate social science fields at Harvard, frustrating some students and faculty even as other perspectives and methods grow.


The Humanities at Work

The universe of higher education often bemoans a "crisis" in the humanities, with supposedly dwindling numbers and few job prospects. At Harvard, humanities concentrators face a crisis of choice, attempting to balance their passions with factors like stability and employment. For Harvard graduates, the question is not so much whether you’ll get a job with a humanities degree—it’s where.


Hist and Lit Concentrators Near Thesis Completion

Hist. and Lit. concentrators will celebrate submitting senior theses on Friday with champagne, cookies, and camaraderie.


New Civil War Course Finds its Footing Among Various Disciplines, Venues

In a partnership between the A.R.T. and the History and Literature Department, "Staging the Civil War" navigates literary, theater, and archival sources to bring a new perspective to the Civil War.


Gillett Assumes Role as Lowell Interim Dean

Rachel A. Gillett, an assistant director of studies for the Committee on Degrees in History and Literature, became interim House dean on Nov. 3 after the current dean took a maternity leave.


How Wonder Woman Got into Harvard

Jill Lepore, David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History, delivers a lecture titled "How Wonder Woman Got into Harvard" at the Knafel Center on Thursday night. Lepore's lecture accompanied the recent release of her newest book, titled "The Secret History of Wonder Woman".


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