| History and Cultural Studies | |
| Type | Degree program |
|---|---|
| Degree | B.A. |
| Credits | 120 |
| Department | Department of Literature |
| Division | Arts & Humanities |
| Concentration | Museum Studies |
| Institution | Oakridge College |
| Category | Academics & Programs |
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Total Credits Required: 120
The B.A. in History and Cultural Studies is a 120-credit program designed for students who want a broader and more advanced course of study in historical research, cultural analysis, public memory, social interpretation, archives, and the study of communities across time. This program is intended for students who want to move beyond introductory history and humanities coursework and develop the academic discipline needed for advanced historical study, cultural interpretation, public-facing humanities work, archival research, or continued graduate-level study.
The program combines general education with advanced departmental coursework, approved electives or concentration study, and a senior-level research or public humanities requirement. Students complete foundational studies in communication, cultural understanding, historical awareness, and liberal study alongside focused coursework in history, cultural studies, research methods, historiography, archival interpretation, public memory, folklore, community identity, and the ways people record, preserve, and argue over the past.
Together, these requirements are intended to prepare students for further study or professional pathways that depend on research ability, historical judgment, cultural awareness, careful documentation, clear writing, and the ability to interpret human experience within larger social and historical contexts.
Program Structure
- General Education Requirements: 36 credits
- Department Core Requirements: 42 credits
- History and Cultural Studies Concentration or Approved Electives: 30 credits
- Senior Thesis, Research Project, or Public Humanities Capstone: 12 credits
General Education Requirements
Students complete a broad foundation in communication, cultural understanding, historical awareness, critical thinking, and liberal study. This portion of the program gives students the academic breadth expected of a bachelor’s-level graduate while supporting the reading, writing, research, and interpretive judgment required in advanced historical and cultural study.
Department Core Requirements
The core of the program provides advanced study in history, cultural studies, research methods, historiography, archival interpretation, folklore, public memory, cultural identity, and the interpretation of communities across time. These courses establish the academic foundation of the degree.
The core requirements are intended to help students understand history as more than a record of dates, events, and famous names. Students are expected to study the past as something preserved, contested, interpreted, and used by communities. They learn to read sources carefully, evaluate evidence, recognize cultural context, and explain how memory, power, place, and identity shape the way people understand their own histories.
History and Cultural Studies Concentration or Approved Electives
Students complete an upper-level block of approved electives or an approved concentration within the department. This allows the degree to remain broad enough for Oakridge’s liberal arts structure while still giving students a defined direction within historical and cultural study.
Possible areas of emphasis may include American history, regional history, public history, cultural studies, folklore, archival interpretation, historical preservation, community memory, social history, oral history, local history, museum-related humanities work, or cultural heritage studies.
This elective structure allows students to shape the degree toward different academic, public-facing, or professional interests while remaining within the broader framework of History and Cultural Studies.
Senior Thesis, Research Project, or Public Humanities Capstone
In the final portion of the degree, students complete a senior-level culminating requirement. This may take the form of a senior thesis, historical research project, archival interpretation project, oral history project, public humanities presentation, cultural studies portfolio, local history project, or faculty-approved capstone.
This requirement is intended to bring together the historical, cultural, archival, and interpretive elements of the degree. Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to research, organize, analyze, and present a sustained historical or cultural argument in a structured academic or public-facing setting.
Graduation Requirements
- Completion of at least 120 credit hours
- Successful completion of all required departmental coursework
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0
- A grade of C or higher in all core program requirements
- Completion of the senior thesis, research project, or public humanities capstone
Program Overview
The B.A. in History and Cultural Studies is intended for students who want a bachelor’s-level education grounded in historical research, cultural interpretation, public memory, and the study of human communities across time. The program prepares students for further study in history, cultural studies, public humanities, archival work, museum-related fields, education, writing, community research, or other pathways that depend on strong research and interpretive skills.
Within Oakridge’s Department of Literature, this degree provides the department’s primary advanced pathway for historical and cultural study. It connects history, culture, memory, research, archives, and public interpretation into a single program while remaining true to Oakridge’s broader liberal arts character.
OOC / Behind-the-scenes notes
OOC Notes: This is a general RP description of the program. RP Students taking the major are not required to fulfill these requirements. Different RP-related educational expectations might be presented to you when you begin your education.