The Department of English commits to establishing an equitable and inclusive environment where all members feel safe, supported, and valued. We believe that a diversity of experience, positionality, and perspective is of central importance to excellence in literary studies. We believe that all students, faculty, and staff deserve to pursue their work free from any form of harassment. As educators, intellectuals, writers, students, and staff, we ask ourselves: ‘How can we ensure that all members of the Department may thrive and succeed, especially those who have been historically underrepresented at Yale?’
Many of our courses highlight questions of race and resistance, and focus on the ways that creative writers, performers, critics, and readers have shaped histories of social justice and empowerment over the centuries. Through our contributions to the First-Year Scholars at Yale program, we play a central role in the University’s mission to prepare incoming first-generation and low-income students for academic life at Yale; we are currently advocating for expanded support for this program to allow all eligible students to participate. Each year some of our most talented English Department lecturers teach in this and the Warrior-Scholars Project. Many members of our department are involved in the broader community of New Haven, such as the Yale Prison Education Initiative, the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, and other community efforts.
You can contact the DEI at dei.english@yale.edu