 | |
| Department of Literature | |
| Type | Educational, School/Academy |
|---|---|
| Leader | Vacant |
| Leader title | Department Chair—Literature, History, and Cultural Studies |
| Affiliations | Oakridge College |
The Department of Literature, History, and Cultural Studies, or The Department of Literature for short, prepares students for academic, interpretive, and public-facing work connected to literature, writing, history, cultural memory, humanities study, and the broader liberal arts. For everyday use, the department is commonly referred to as the Department of Literature.
The Department of Literature believes humanities education should do more than teach students to read old books or memorize historical facts. It should help them understand how language, memory, culture, place, and human experience shape the way communities understand themselves.
At Oakridge, we approach literature and history as living forms of interpretation. The department reflects the college’s broader commitment to place, stewardship, public memory, and serious academic inquiry. In Briarmont, where local history survives through archives, buildings, folklore, family stories, public records, and contested memory, the humanities are understood as part of the larger work of preserving and interpreting community life.
Whether you are preparing for literary study, historical research, writing, cultural analysis, archival work, liberal arts study, or public-facing humanities projects, the Department of Literature offers a course of study that balances academic foundation with interpretive skill. Here, students build the habits of close reading, clear writing, careful research, historical awareness, and responsible cultural understanding.
We serve students who want to read, write, research, interpret, preserve, question, and understand the human record. If you are seeking an education rooted in language, history, culture, memory, and the serious work of making meaning, you will find your place here.
Programs of Study
The Department of Literature offers a focused selection of humanities and liberal arts programs designed to support literary study, writing, historical research, cultural interpretation, and broad academic development. Its course offerings are organized to serve students seeking general liberal arts preparation as well as those pursuing more focused study in literature, writing, history, and cultural studies.
Programs offered by the Department of Literature include:
- A.A. in Liberal Arts
- A.A. in Literature and Writing
- B.A. in Literature
- B.A. in History and Cultural Studies
- B.A. in Liberal Arts
Together, these programs give the department a clear humanities identity within Oakridge’s Arts & Humanities division. The associate programs provide foundations in broad liberal arts study, literature, and writing, while the bachelor’s programs allow students to pursue advanced work in literary study, historical interpretation, cultural analysis, or interdisciplinary liberal studies. This gives the Department of Literature enough breadth to support Oakridge’s general academic mission while preserving its focus on language, history, culture, and human understanding.
Ranks & Positions
The department is led by its Department Chair and staffed through the standard Oakridge faculty ladder — Tenured Professor, Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Instructor, Adjunct Faculty, and Teaching Assistant.
The department belongs to the Arts & Humanities division and reports to the Dean of Arts & Humanities.