School of Humanities and Arts
The School of Humanities and Arts holds a distinctive place at Rice University as a school with a genuinely global expertise, an innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum, and rich resources that support research, creative expression, and immersive experiential learning experiences.

Enduring Humanities Advantage
Students from across the university, regardless of their career interests, are drawn to the opportunity to work with our inspiring, award-winning faculty in small, dynamic courses that move in and outside of the Rice campus, allowing them to engage with the city and communities of Houston and the world beyond.

We equip students with the principles of our humanities and arts foundations—skills in critical analysis, global fluency, the capacity to think creatively and innovatively, and the ability to communicate effectively across mediums—that prepare them for a lifetime of meaningful, adaptable and impactful work.

Strategic Vision:  Connective Humanities
At Rice, our vision is for a more fully integrated and connective humanities through innovative and interdisciplinary work. This connective ambition includes:

Meaningful engagement of the humanities and arts with the sciences, through our programs in Medical Humanities; Environmental Studies; and Science and Technology Studies; and areas of study including Ethics of Technology and AI; English and Creative Writing; and Media Studies.

Connecting the local to the global through the study of world histories, cultures, and languages in our departments of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Transnational Asian Studies; and in our centers for African and African American Studies; Latin American and Latinx Studies; and Languages and Intercultural Communication.

Significant new investments in the visual arts and creative writing, embodied in Susan and Fayez Sarofim Hall, our stunning new home for the student arts; the recruitment and retention of faculty artists and writers; and the launch of our Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts, which instantly became Rice’s most competitive graduate program.

Connecting our Humanities and Arts classrooms with the City of Houston and the Gulf Coast, with opportunities for experiential learning in the world’s largest medical center, in Houston’s museums and performing arts institutions, with NGOs and industry experts in climate vulnerability and sustainable futures, and in a global city recognized for its diversity and cultural vibrance.

Graduate Programs:

·        Art History

·        English and Creative Writing

·        History

·        Philosophy

·        Religion

English and Creative Writing as well as History, two of our largest departments, made significant strides in U.S. News & World Report’s latest graduate program rankings, with English and Creative Writing surging 15 spots to 26, and History rising from 38 to 34.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Our Elizabeth Lee Moody Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the Humanities and the Arts, generously funded by the Moody Foundation, provides humanities students:

·        $3,500 summer stipends to pursue critical research and innovative creative work

·        Mentorship and professional development opportunities

·        Connection to a community of scholars and artists

Our Rice in Country summer study abroad program, supported by the Elizabeth Lee Moody International Fund in the Humanities and the Arts, offers Rice students of all academic backgrounds and career interests:

·        Six weeks of summer coursework

·        Six course credit hours

·        Homestays

·        Immersive experiential learning

·        Cultural engagement and linguistic growth

Our Humanities Research Center, through the Carlson undergraduate summer research fellowship, provides humanities students

·        $3,500 summer funding to engage in humanistic research 

Our School of Humanities HEDGE summer internship fund offers humanities students:

— Competitive funding to pursue internships and gain experience in law, health, business, journalism and other professions

— Opportunities to engage in real-world problem solving, develop critical thinking skills and be of service in the Houston community and beyond

Through our medical, legal and judicial practicum opportunities:

— Students pursuing our Medical Humanities minor complete a one or two-semester practica, during which they engage in research in the Texas Medical Center or community organizations, giving them experience in a variety of health care settings, research institutes and centers.

— Students in our Spanish Medical Apprenticeship are matched with a clinic serving Spanish-language patients and work in interpretation, patient education and other Spanish-language needs. Students also study research on language access in health services and other topics that connect medicine, health and language.

— Our interdisciplinary Politics, Law and Social Thought minor, which provides compelling preparation for the study of law, offers students semester-long legal and judicial practicum, as well as experiential education opportunities with a judge, attorney or other legal professional to observe the law in action.

DEPARTMENTS, CENTERS AND PROGRAMS

Our departments and interdisciplinary centers and programs offer areas of curricular innovation and a wide range of opportunities for research, internships, study abroad and experiential learning.

DEPARTMENTS

·       Art

·       Art History

·       English and Creative Writing

·       History

·       Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures

·       Philosophy

·       Religion

·       Transnational Asian Studies

CENTERS

·       African and African American Studies

·       Chao Center for Asian Studies

·       Environmental Studies

·       Languages and Intercultural Communication

·       Latin American and Latinx Studies

·       Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality

·       Humanities Research Center

PROGRAMS

·       Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations

·       Cinema and Media Studies

·       Jewish Studies

·       Media Studies

·       Medical Humanities

·       Medieval and Early Modern Studies

·       Museums and Cultural Heritage

·       Politics, Law and Social Thought

·       Science and Technology Studies

·       Theatre

 

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS AND AWARDS

Andrea Bajani

Professor in the Practice and International Writer-in-Residence, Department of English and Creative Writing

2025 winner of Italy’s premiere literary prize — the Premio Strega — for his novel L’Anniversario (The Anniversary)

Douglas Brinkley

Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor of Humanities, Department of History

CNN Presidential Historian, Grammy Award Winner | 2023, 2017

 

W. Caleb McDaniel

Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities and Chair, Department of History

Pulitzer Prize Winner | 2020

For Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America

 

Leslie Hewitt

Associate Professor, Department of Art

Guggenheim Fellowship Winner | 2020

 

Lacy M. Johnson

Bruce and Elizabeth Dunlevie Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Creative Writing, Department of English and Creative Writing

Guggenheim Fellowship Winner | 2020

Kiese Laymon

Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of Creative Writing and English,
Department of English and Creative Writing

MacArthur Fellowship Winner | 2022

Author of Heavy, recognized by New York Times among 100 best books of 21st century

 

Tomás Q. Morín

Associate Professor of Creative Writing, Department of English and Creative Writing

Guggenheim Fellowship Winner | 2022

 

Anthony B. Pinn

Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religion, Department of Religion

Founding Director, Center for African and African American Studies

American Academy of Arts & Sciences Inductee | 2021

 

Kenneth Tam

Assistant Professor, Department of Art

Guggenheim Fellow | 2026