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Apr 20, 2025
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[PRELIMINARY] Course Catalog 2025-2026
Public Humanities Integrative Concentration
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The integrative concentration consists of a minimum of 5.5 full courses (or the equivalent), 2 demonstrated skill competencies, 1 experiential component, and 1 learning portfolio.
Note: Students must earn minimum grades of C- or P for all courses that apply toward the integrative concentration.
The public humanities integrative concentration will engage students in both learning and doing. In coursework across the humanities disciplines, students will learn to theorize and critically interrogate the ways in which the humanities offer tools to engage with communities and address contemporary issues. Through experiential learning requirements, they will practice public humanities by doing the work of translating humanities scholarship for diverse publics, working with community organizations on public projects, and creating humanities resources such as oral history archives and digital projects.
 Visit the concentration’s web page for more information.
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Note(s) on Requirements
- If a student wishes to count a course that is not listed below toward the concentration, they can petition the concentration chair(s) for approval to apply the completed or in-progress course toward their concentration.
- In planning their schedules, students should be aware that some of the courses listed below have prerequisites.
Detailed Integrative Concentration Requirements
Public Humanities Integrative Concentration Course Lists
Community-Based Learning Courses
Return to the summary of requirements. The community engaged courses will offer students hands-on experience in working with communities on public humanities projects. Students in these courses will practice engaging the public in conversation and reflection on issues and ideas related to humanities scholarship. Classes that meet this criteria will typically be specifically designated as Community-Based Learning (CBL) courses in the catalog. Theory and Methods Courses
Return to the summary of requirements. Theory and Methods courses either theorize or historicize how humanities scholarship has been put to work in the world or critically interrogate how knowledge production in humanities disciplines or humanistic institutions (museums, archives, etc.) has been shaped by power relations and practices such as colonialism, racism, and sexism. - AAST 126 - Archives ReImagined
- AAST 241 - Rhythms of Resistance: Carnival, Dance, and the Fight for Social Justice ⇒ cross-listed with DANC 241
- ANTH 460 - Museum Anthropology
- ARTH 270 - Africa, Europe, and the Art of Colonization
- ARTH 329 - Cultural Property? Art, Heritage, Ownership ⇒ cross-listed with EAST 329
- ARTH 370 - Slavery and the Problem of the Visual
- CAST 212 - Queer(ing) Media ⇒ cross-listed with GSFS 212
- CAST 309 - Performing America ⇒ cross-listed with GSFS 309
- CAST 313 - Archives and Affects ⇒ cross-listed with GSFS 313
- CAST 339 - Indigenous Activism, Environmental Justice, and the State ⇒ cross-listed with EVSS 339
- CIME 211 - What is Media?
- CIME 226 - Intro to Audio Documentary and Drama
- CIME 249 - Journalistic Skills as Life Skills
- CIME 330 - Fascism, Media, and Public Memory ⇒ cross-listed with WRCM 330
- DANC 241 - Rhythms of Resistance: Carnival, Dance, and the Fight for Social Justice ⇒ cross-listed with AAST 241
- EAST 329 - Cultural Property? Art, Heritage, Ownership ⇒ cross-listed with ARTH 329
- ENGL 290 - Shakespeare and Social Justice
- ENGL 293 - Acquired Taste: Literature and Colonial American Foodways
- ENGL 299 - What is Literature: Introduction to the Advanced Study of Literature
- EVSS 339 - Indigenous Activism, Environmental Justice, and the State ⇒ cross-listed with CAST 339
- GSFS 212 - Queer(ing) Media ⇒ cross-listed with CAST 212
- GSFS 309 - Performing America ⇒ cross-listed with CAST 309
- GSFS 313 - Archives and Affects ⇒ cross-listed with CAST 313
- HIST 207 - Cinema, Memory, and Politics in Egypt
- HIST 435 - Museums: A Social, Political, and Institutional History
- HIST 493 - Repairing the Past: Readings in Historical Justice
- MUSY 206 - Decolonizing Ethnomusicology
- MUSY 333 - The Racial Politics of Classical Music
- MUSY 360 - Jazz and Media Studies Through the Neumann Archive
Public Humanities Elective Courses
Return to the summary of requirements. Public humanities elective courses help students learn how to translate humanities scholarship for a public audience through their assignments or instruction. Students in these classes might be asked to do outward-facing writing for the general public, to curate physical or virtual exhibits, to produce podcasts or videos based on humanities research, or to use digital tools to communicate humanistic knowledge. - AAST 225 - Social Justice in Dance ⇒ cross-listed with DANC 225
- ARTH 294 - The Arts of Conquest and Resistance in 16th and 17th century Europe and Latin America ⇒ cross-listed with HISP 294
- CAST 223 - Surviving America: Introduction to Native Studies ⇒ cross-listed with EVSS 223
- CAST 256 - Immigration in U.S. History ⇒ cross-listed with HIST 256
- CAST 260 - Asian American History ⇒ cross-listed with HIST 260
- CAST 302 - American Agricultures ⇒ cross-listed with EVSS 302
- CIME 295 - Cinematic Storytelling Workshop ⇒ cross-listed with CRWR 295
- CIME 309 - Chinese Popular Cinema and Public Intellectualism ⇒ cross-listed with EAST 309
- CIME 320 - Documentary Production
- CLAS 308 - Ancient Greek and Roman Science
- CMPL 279 - Poetry and Political Activism ⇒ cross-listed with JWST 279
- CMPL 308 - Visuality, Materiality, and Renaissance Literature ⇒ cross-listed with ENGL 308
- CMPL 377 - Migrant Subjects and the Postcolonial Novel ⇒ cross-listed with ENGL 376
- CRWR 295 - Cinematic Storytelling Workshop ⇒ cross-listed with CIME 295
- CRWR 307 - The Art of Podcasting
- DANC 240 - Arts Management I ⇒ cross-listed with THEA 240
- DANC 340 - Arts Management II ⇒ cross-listed with THEA 340
- EAST 309 - Chinese Popular Cinema and Public Intellectualism ⇒ cross-listed with CIME 309
- ENGL 308 - Visuality, Materiality, and Renaissance Literature ⇒ cross-listed with CMPL 308
- ENGL 376 - Migrant Subjects and the Postcolonial Novel ⇒ cross-listed with CMPL 377
- EVSS 219 - Climate Change
- EVSS 223 - Surviving America: Introduction to Native Studies ⇒ cross-listed with CAST 223
- EVSS 302 - American Agricultures ⇒ cross-listed with CAST 302
- GSFS 135 - Introduction to Religion: Devotion and Performance in South Asia ⇒ cross-listed with RELG 135
- HISP 294 - The Arts of Conquest and Resistance in 16th and 17th century Europe and Latin America ⇒ cross-listed with ARTH 294
- HISP 341 - Inquisitorial Practices: Heretics, Torture & Fear
- HISP 417 - Saints, Sinners and Other Cursed Women
- HIST 208 - Of Miracles and Microscopes: A History of Science from 1200-1800
- HIST 227 - The History and Practice of Whiteness in the United States
- HIST 256 - Immigration in U.S. History ⇒ cross-listed with CAST 256
- HIST 260 - Asian American History ⇒ cross-listed with CAST 260
- HIST 412 - Lords, Peasants, and Pigs on Trial: popular and elite culture in early modern Europe
- JWST 279 - Poetry and Political Activism ⇒ cross-listed with CMPL 279
- MUSY 100 - Introduction to Ethnomusicology
- MUSY 103 - Music as Social Life
- MUSY 104 - A Playlist for Indigenous Survival
- PROF 170 - Introduction to Music Criticism
- RELG 103 - Religion and Violence
- RELG 135 - Introduction to Religion: Devotion and Performance in South Asia ⇒ cross-listed with GSFS 135
- RELG 209 - The Bible in American Politics
- SOCI 387 - Serving the Public: Labor & Place in Cafes, Bars, & Restaurants
- THEA 240 - Arts Management I ⇒ cross-listed with DANC 240
- THEA 340 - Arts Management II ⇒ cross-listed with DANC 340
- WRCM 215 - The Personal and/as The Political: Memoir and Social Commentary
Demonstrated Skill Competencies
Return to the summary of requirements. Concentrators are required to demonstrate competency in at least two of the skills or practices that are commonly employed in the field of Public Humanities. Students may acquire experience with these skills through an academic course, a Winter Term project, or an internship experience. Concentrators will consult with one of the curricular committee co-chairs about their plans to develop specific skills and will demonstrate and document their competency in their required digital learning portfolio. Example areas of competency are: - Communicating with Diverse Publics/Public Speaking
- Curation and Exhibition Building
- Digital Humanities Tools such as Omeka, Scalar, ArcGIS, StoryMaps
- Grant Writing
- Interviews and Oral History Methodology
- Museum Interpretation (i.e., label writing or programming that serves to support interpretation)
- Project Management
- Public Programming for Community Audiences
- Sonic Storytelling (Podcasting, etc.)
- Translation: Translating Humanities Scholarship for a Public Audience
- Video Storytelling
- Writing Across Platforms (Social Media)
Experiential Component
Return to the summary of requirements. Students are required to pursue an internship, work experience, or an approved Winter Term project in the field of public humanities. Internship and work opportunities, which can take place on-campus or off-campus, will provide students important practical experience in the area and enable them to explore different career pathways in the field. All hands-on experiences must be full-time for a minimum duration of 4 weeks (or one Winter Term). Students are encouraged to pursue an internship through joining a relevant career community in such areas as Arts and Creative Professions; Education; Music Leadership; and Nonprofit and the Public Sector. Many museums, cultural, and advocacy organizations offer internships that would be suitable for concentrators. Campus or local opportunities may include: Faculty involved in the concentration are also working with different public humanities organizations to craft internships that would be suitable for concentrators. Reflection Point, an organization that uses short stories to encourage small groups to discuss challenging civic issues, is interested in partnering with Oberlin on student experiential opportunities. The Fenton History Center in upstate New York and the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum in Fremont, Ohio are also eager to have Oberlin students as public humanities interns. Learning Portfolio
Return to the summary of requirements. Concentrators are required to maintain a digital learning portfolio that will include signature course work, evidence of competency in two public humanities skills, and documentation of their experiential learning opportunity. Students will begin their portfolio as soon as they begin the concentration and will use it to chronicle and reflect upon their interests in the field and the synergy between their course work, their engaged practice with communities, and their internship or other experiential learning. Students will also document and showcase their public humanities work and their skill competencies in their learning portfolio. Portfolios will be reviewed by two members of the concentration advisory group upon completion of the integrative concentration requirements. Public Humanities Integrative Concentration Advisory Group
Sebastiaan Faber, Professor of Hispanic Studies; co-chair
Jennifer A. Fraser, Professor of Ethnomusicology; co-chair Corey L. Barnes, Robert S. Danforth Associate Professor of Religion
Laura J. Baudot, Associate Professor of English and Senior Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; ex officio
KJ Cerankowski, Associate Professor of Comparative American Studies and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies
Thomas Dawkins, Director of the Bonner Center; ex officio
Hsiu-Chuang Deppman, Professor of East Asian Studies
David M. Gutherz, Lecturer of Cinema and Media
Anjanette Hall, Assistant Professor of Theater
Kathryn A. Metz, Director of Musical Studies and Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Administrative Coordinator
Charles F. Peterson, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Director of the Lemle Center
Geoffrey B. Pingree, Professor of Cinema and Media and English
Matthew F. Rarey, Associate Professor of African and Black Atlantic Art History |
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