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Hawaiian Studies (BA)

Hours - 47 Credit Hours
Effective Sep. 2017
Last Revision 5/19/2023
Faculty Unit Assignment: Faculty of Culture, Language, Arts & Performing Arts
Sponsoring Program: Hawaiian Studies
Holokai Category: Arts & Humanities

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Program Requirements


Hawaiian Studies Required Courses — 32 Credits

Course Number Title Semesters Offered Credit Hours Prerequisites
HWST 101 Introduction to Hawaiian Studies F, W, S 3.0
HWST 275 Mo'olelo: Hawaiian Histories W 3.0 HWST 101
HWST 301 Contemporary Hawaii F 3.0 HWST 101
HAWN 201 Ke Kahua o ka ‘Olelo- Kau Mua- The Foundation Part I F 4.0 HAWN 102 or HAWN 107
HAWN 202 Ke Kahua o ka ‘Olelo- Kau Hope- The Foundation Part II W 4.0 HAWN 201
HAWN 301 Ho’okukulu ‘Olelo- Kau Mua - The Building Part I F 3.0 HAWN 202 or HAWN 225
HAWN 302 Ho’okukulu ‘ Olelo-Kau Hope -The Building Part II W 3.0 HAWN 301
HWST 312 Malama ‘Aina-Land Responsibility F, W, S 3.0


Arts —One of the following courses

Course Number Title Semesters Offered Credit Hours Prerequisites
HWST 285R Hawaiian Material and Literary Topics Variable 3.0
HWST 380 Malama Waʻa – Sea Responsibility Variable 3.0 HWST 101, 312 or permission of instructor


Capstone — One of the following courses

Course Number Title Semesters Offered Credit Hours Prerequisites
HWST 399R Internship in Hawaiian Studies F, W, S 3.0 Permission of instructor
HWST 490 Senior Seminar F, W, S 3.0 HWST 301


Electives — 15 Credits

Not previously used above.

Course Number Title Semesters Offered Credit Hours Prerequisites
ANTH 210 Contemporary Pacific F 3.0
BIOL 204/L Pacific Natural History/Lab
*Lab and lecture to be taken concurrently
S 4.0 BIOL 113
GEOG 471 Geography of the Pacific W 3.0
HAWN 225 Ho’oikaika Kama’ ilio -Traditional Oratorical Styles S 3.0 HAWN 102
HAWN 335 Ho’oikaika Kakau - Strength in the Language S 3.0 HAWN 302
HAWN 401 Ho’opa’a Kauhuhu-Kau Mua -The Ridge Pole Part I F 3.0 HAWN 302 or 335
HAWN 402 Ho’opa’a Kauhuhu-Kau Hope -The Ridge Pole Part II W 3.0 HAWN 401
HWST 285R Hawaiian Material and Literary Topics Variable 3.0
HWST 380 Malama Wa'a – Sea Responsibility Variable 3.0 HWST 101, 312 or permission of instructor
HWST 390R Special Topics in Hawaiian Studies Variable 3.0
HWST 461 Pana Hawai'i: Legendary Places of Hawai'i S 3.0 HAWN 201
HIST 365 Hawaiian History I-Pre-Western Contact to Kamehameha V F 3.0
HIST 366 Hawaiian History II-Elected Monarchs, Overthrow, Restoration W 3.0
HUM 301 Cultures of Oceania F 3.0
POSC 322 Oceanic Governments and Politics W 3.0
POSC 386 Pacific Regionalism and Conflict F 3.0
REL 345 Church History in the Pacific Variable 2.0


Additional Program Requirements

No grade lower than a C- is allowed within the major requirements.


Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completing a major in Hawaiian studies, students will:

  • Kuleana: Students will cultivate a sense of kuleana (rights/responsibilities and stewardship) as they practice Hawaiian values and develop as servant leaders by sustaining relationships with the land and local and global community.
  • ‘Ike: Students will develop cultural competency by engaging with traditional and contemporary Hawaiian knowledge, values, and practices (Examples: perform existing, as well as create new artistic works & expressions).
  • No‘ono‘o: Students will engage in critical inquiry and analysis (Examples: study and assessment of various kinds and sources of information, conduct and present research, and discussion and debate).
  • ‘Ōlelo: Students will communicate effectively through the written and spoken word in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i and English (Examples: composition of ha‘i‘ōlelo (speeches) and performance of hula, mele, and oli (dance, song, chant) as well as written research and oral presentation).

Program Descriptions

Hōʻihi, Ho‘onaʻauao, Ho‘omau
Honor, Educate, Perpetuate

Our mission is to show honor and respect to kānaka maoli (Hawaiian people past, present, and future) by teaching and perpetuating Hawaiian ways of knowing and being in a manner that will bless all people. The Hawaiian Studies curriculum offers a broad range of courses designed to engage students in the Hawaiian culture by emphasizing traditional knowledge, values, and practices and how they are lived in the present and perpetuated into the future. In additional to academic training in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language), mo‘olelo (oral traditions and histories), as well as contemporary Hawaiian scholarship, students will physically engage in hands-on learning through mālama ‘āina (caring for the land) at Kahuaola our cultural garden, mālama wa‘a (learning to maintain and sail Iosepa, our double hulled voyaging canoe) as well as learning and performing ‘ike hana no‘eau (artistic skills). The capstone experience for our students will allow them to further Hawaiian knowledge through research or to gain vital skills and offer service to the broader community through our internship program.