Bachelor of Arts, Humanities Major
The mission of the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) is to strengthen your critical and creative thinking by offering a broad range of social, political, and cultural programs of study. A liberal arts education from Athabasca University is designed to broaden your perspective on local and global affairs, encourage community and social involvement, and prepare you for lifelong learning and occupational diversity.
The Bachelor of Arts (4-year) provides students with a broad, flexible education that allows them to develop, understand, and disseminate knowledge, to think critically, and to build on these abilities. In addition, the four-year degree fully prepares students for most graduate programs. Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) with a Major are expected to have gained sufficient analytical and critical thinking skills to be able to engage in independent research in their chosen major. Athabasca University does not offer an Honours BA.
Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (3-year) program who wish to transfer to the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program must complete a new Undergraduate General Application Form. Previous education will be reassessed and students will be notified of the results.
Humanities Major
As a student of Athabasca University's interdisciplinary Humanities program, you will study how we have expressed our humanity on culture, literature, art, and philosophy. Students will draw on the knowledge and skills from across AU's range of humanities disciplines—for example; history, literature, and philosophy. Students learn the methods used by different humanities' disciplines to investigate human expression, and how to adapt elements of that expression in new ways. Students majoring in Humanities will also obtain basic reading knowledge of second language.
Planning your program
Our online program plans can assist you in selecting the courses needed to fulfill your program requirements.
Counselling Services offers an assessment website, "Mapping Your Future: Your Career and Athabasca University."
Athabasca University has developed program learning outcomes that describe the career options that may be available to you upon graduating.
Program requirements
Students complete the program regulations in effect at the time of their enrolment.
Although you may change majors, a major must be selected when you enrol in the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program.
You are strongly encouraged to register in ENGL 255 early in your program. The English writing skills requirement is waived for students enrolling in the second undergraduate degree.
Program structure
Total credits in the program | 120 |
Minimum credits required | |
---|---|
At the senior (300 or 400) level (including 18 credits at the 400 level) | 75 |
In the major (compulsory) * may be higher depending on the specific requirements of the major | 45* |
Minimum senior-level credits in major (including a minimum of 12 credits at the 400 level) | 30 |
Arts (Humanities and social sciences) | 96 |
| 18 18 |
Science | 6 |
Residency requirement. A minimum of 30 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University. | 30 |
Graduation with Distinction or Great Distinction. At least 24 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in order to be considered. | 24 |
Minor (optional) | |
Minimum credits in the minor (including a minimum of 15 credits at the 300 and 400 level) | 30 |
Students may not apply a course to both the major and the minor. | |
Maximum credits allowed | |
In any one discipline | 60 |
Applied studies | 18 |
At the preparatory level | 6 |
At junior level in any one discipline | 15 |
Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition credits | 9 |
Additional Humanities Major requirements
Requirements in addition to the general program requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) with Major:
- 45 credits in designated major courses including a minimum of 30 senior (300 and 400) level credits (a minimum of 12, 400-level credits).
- Within these 45 credits students must also complete 6 credits in a single language other than English (for example, FREN or SPAN) at the junior-level (200) or higher. Students may count these 6 credits towards the 21 credits required in the list of designated elective courses below.
- A minimum of 24 credits selected from the following interdisciplinary core courses including a minimum of 6 senior (300 or 400) level credits.
Electives
At least 21 additional credits from among the core courses or from among the following electives:
(The 6 language credits in regulation 2 above, may be counted towards these electives.)
ANTH 320 | Ancient Cities and Civilizations | (3) |
CMNS 301 | Communication Theory and Analysis | (3) |
CMNS 302 | Communication in History | (3) |
CMNS 420 | Topics in Communication: Children and Media | (3) |
CMNS 423 | The Television Age | (3) |
CMNS 425 | Film and Genre | (3) |
ENGL | All ENGL courses, except preparatory (100-level) courses | |
FREN 363 | Le roman français du XXe siècle | (3) |
FREN 374 | Litterature québécoise | (6) |
HIST | All HIST courses | |
INST 368 | Indigenous Peoples in Canada to 1830 | (3) |
INST 369 | Indigenous Peoples in Canada Since 1830 | (3) |
INST 370 | The Métis | (3) |
MUSI 267 | Sound and Sense: Listening to Music | (3) |
PHIL 252 | Critical Thinking | (3) |
POLI 307 | Political Ideologies | (3) |
WGST 200 | Feminist Research and Women’s Lives | (3) |
WGST 201 | An Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | (3) |
WGST 401 | Contemporary Feminist Theory | (3) |
Recommendations
Students enrolled in the second undergraduate degree program are advised to select courses within the major that fulfill the Social Science requirements. Failure to do so could result in the student being required to complete more than 45 credits in order to fulfill all of the regulations.
Students who have any doubt about their essay writing, critical thinking, or library research skills are strongly advised to take one or more of the following courses at the outset of their university studies:
Second undergraduate degree
Students are not permitted to obtain a second undergraduate degree in the same field or related field as their first undergraduate degree. Students who have completed a previous undergraduate degree must enter the second undergraduate Bachelor of Arts (4-year) degree and follow these regulations. The English writing skills requirement is waived for students enrolling in the second undergraduate degree.
Helpful links and resources:
Updated March 15, 2023 by Office of the Registrar (calendar@athabascau.ca)