School of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Pioneers. At MIT, they crowd the corridors. Many are on their way to and from the classrooms, studios, computer labs, and practice rooms of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. This atmosphere, charged with the energy of new ideas, attracts many of the world's finest faculty, students, and researchers. They realize that today's challenges are global and interdisciplinary, and they know that SHASS will give them the knowledge and skills to pioneer world-changing solutions.

At SHASS, students learn to view ideas with historical perspective, test them for viability, understand them from a global vantage point, and talk and write about them with insight. SHASS, in fact, is the common denominator of an MIT student's undergraduate education, providing a foundation of knowledge that enhances life-long learning in every field.

Tech Talk interviews Dean Deborah Fitzgerald on the role of SHASS at MIT, international education, and more.

Kai von Fintel, Professor of Linguistics, is named Associate Dean of SHASS. Making the announcement, Dean Fitzgerald cites his intellectual acuity, institutional experience, and personal warmth.

Heather Paxson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, wins the 2008 Levitan Prize in the Humanities for her innovative research about the world of American artisanal cheese.

Keeril Makan, Assistant Professor of Music, receives The Rome Prize.

Junot Díaz, Associate Professor of Writing and Humanistic Studies, receives the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle 2007 Award.

New York Times cites SHASS-based Jameel Poverty Action Lab for making economics relevant again.

Listen to David Macaulay's lecture on MIT World: "Finding Ideas, Making Books, and Visualizing Our World."

Funding opportunities available through the Kelly/Douglas Humanities Fund

SHASS Infinite Mile Awards

Dean's Office

SOUNDINGS, the SHASS newsletter

Giving to SHASS

Previous news links

Massachusetts Institute of Technology