Book Studies Minor

The minor consists of a minimum of 4 full courses (or the equivalent) and 1 approved experiential component or 5th full course.

Note: Students must earn minimum grades of C- or P for all courses that apply toward the minor.

Book studies has emerged in the 21^st century as an exciting and inherently interdisciplinary field of study. It encompasses the social and cultural history of texts and their transmission as well as artisanal and artistic approaches to the written word as represented by book artists, illustrators, graphic designers, binders, fine press printers, and others engaged in studying the relationships between text and image. The “book” in book studies is multiform, extending beyond the printed codex to embrace all formats, from cuneiform tablets to papyrus scrolls to ‘zines to electronic media. The study of the book–as a material, cultural, sociological, religious, and artistic artifact–reaches all corners of the globe and extends into all eras and attends to both canonical and divergent voices. Book history and book arts are mutually reinforcing as conceptual and aesthetic modes of engaging with textual transmission.

Tracing technologies of reading and writing throughout history, across the globe, and in a variety of media, book studies thus provides a rich context in which to understand the cultural significance of current forms of communication and information storage, from social media to data mining to rare archival documents. It fosters skills of critical thinking while placing equal emphasis on thinking practically about employment opportunities by preparing students for careers in new media, art and design, academia, education, conservation, publishing in various media, archives, curatorship, historical societies, artisanal crafts, and librarianship.

Visit the minor’s web page for more information.

Summary of Requirements

One Full Foundation Course
Two Full History and Theory Courses
One Full Practice Course or One Approved Experiential Component
One Additional Full History and Theory or Practice Course

Note(s) on Requirements

Students must take courses in at least two departments, as indicated by course prefix.
If a student wishes to count a course that is not listed below toward the minor, they can petition the minor chair(s) for approval to apply the completed or in-progress course toward their major.
In planning their schedules, students should be aware that some of the courses listed below have prerequisites.

Curriculum Overview

Our goal is to provide pathways for students interested in books as communication, material culture, and artistic media on a global scale. Bridging theory and practice, history and contemporary culture, the intellectual and the artistic, and Western and non-Western, the book studies minor encourages connections across the Oberlin curriculum and allows students to tailor a wide variety of courses to their particular interests.

Book studies at Oberlin pursues two core approaches: 1) history and theory, and 2) practice. By means of these two approaches, the program enables students to experience how making and creating go hand in hand with thinking and analyzing.

The four foundation courses provide a grounding in thinking about the material culture of the book (broadly construed) within three different disciplines and time periods. Thus, whether studying the medieval manuscripts (ARTH 211 ), European Renaissance printed books (CMPL/ENGL 308 ), early modern Japanese ehon (picture books and maps) (EAST 220 ), or taking a general survey of book history as a field (ARTH 204 ) the student will gain a solid introduction to book historical theories and methods. Students may opt to take more than one foundation course.

Declaring the Minor

Upon declaring a book studies minor, students will identify an advisor from the curricular committee. In consultation with the advisor, they will write an intellectual coherence statement, outlining their intended course of study and their understanding of how the courses undertaken will relate to one another. This statement will be submitted to the curricular committee and periodically revisited by the student in consultation with the advisor.

Students wishing to complete the book studies minor should complete the interdivisional or Arts and Sciences minor declaration/change form. The form requires the signature of the curricular committee chair.

Chair
Wendy Beth Hyman, Donald R. Longman Professor of English

See the full list of Book Studies Curricular Committee members.

Detailed Minor Requirements

Book Studies Minor Course Lists

Note: By petition, a Winter Term project or summer internship may also fulfill this requirement. For example, Winter Term Letterpress or Winter Term Papermaking may apply.

AAST 173 - Introduction to Sequential Illustration: Serial Comic Strips ⇒ cross-listed with ARST 173
ARST 111 - Introduction to 2D Design
ARST 160 - Intro to Print through Text and Image
ARST 161 - Introduction to Screenprinting
ARST 162 - Introduction to Relief and Intaglio: From Drawing to Print
ARST 163 - Introduction to Monotype and Lithography: The Painterly Print
ARST 172 - Introduction to Narrative Art Seminar
ARST 173 - Introduction to Sequential Illustration: Serial Comic Strips ⇒ cross-listed with AAST 173
ARST 260 - Intermediate Print Projects
ARST 860 - Introduction to Risograph Printing
ENGL 253 - Pens and Needles: Gender and Media in Early America ⇒ cross-listed with GSFS 253
GSFS 253 - Pens and Needles: Gender and Media in Early America ⇒ cross-listed with ENGL 253

Approved Experiential Component

Return to the summary of requirements.

With prior approval, a Winter Term project or summer internship may take the place of a fifth course.

Book Studies Curricular Committee

Wendy Beth Hyman, Donald R. Longman Professor of English; chair

Valerie Hotchkiss, Azariah S. Root Director of Libraries; ex officio
Erik W. Inglis, Mildred C. Jay Professor of Art History
Andrew Macomber, Assistant Professor of East Asian Religions
James R. O’Leary, Associate Professor of Musicology
Ann Sherif, Professor of Japanese
Edward Vermue, Special Collections and Preservation Librarian; ex officio