About our PhD Program

The interdisciplinary Program in Early Modern Studies has its origin in the late 1970s when it was founded under the name of “Renaissance Studies” by Bart Giamatti, Thomas M. Greene, and Claude V. Palisca. It remained an independent PhD program until the 1990s, when it was converted to a combined degree program under the leadership of Lawrence Manley. This change was transformative, and partnership with affiliate departments in the Humanities remains core to the program’s mission of connecting students and faculty across campus. In 2022, under the leadership of Ayesha Ramachandran, the program was reconceived and expanded still further. The new name “Early Modern Studies” embraces a much broader chronology and geographical diversity and is designed both to reflect, and to continue adapting to, the issues driving a field of longstanding excellence in teaching and scholarship at Yale University.