Undergraduate Program

Appalachian Studies Minor

Graduate Certificate

APST Courses

Other Courses:

• ANTH
• ENGL
• GEOG
• HIST
• SOCY

Fall 2008 Courses

ARSC Home

From the 2007-2008 RU Undergraduate Catalog

APPALACHIAN STUDIES

Grace Toney Edwards*, Chairperson

Faculty
Melinda B. Wagner*, R. Parks Lanier Jr.*, Richard Straw*,

Jo Ann Asbury, Ricky L. Cox, Theresa Burriss*,  and Ruth Derrick.

*Graduate Faculty

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

The Appalachian Studies Program provides students with an understanding of the heritage, environment, and culture of the Appalachian region. Appalachian life of the past and present is stressed. Students who plan to live and work within the Appalachian region will find the Appalachian Studies minor a valuable addition to their major fields of study. The academic program is supported by the Appalachian Regional Studies Center, located in Buchanan House, where faculty and support personnel are available to assist student research. The center houses an archive of original field projects, a collection of journals, books, and other print materials, and a collection of audio and video recordings. The academic program is also supplemented by cultural activities such as folklife programs, concerts, and literary readings that are sponsored by the Appalachian Events Committee, a student/faculty/staff group operating under the aegis of Student Life.

APPALACHIAN STUDIES MINOR
(18 semester hours)

The minor in Appalachian Studies includes required courses on various aspects of the Appalachian region and field research courses which guide the student into firsthand experience in Appalachia. Elective courses from a variety of disciplines give the student a broader understanding of Appalachia.

The program is administered through the interdisciplinary Appalachian Studies Program. Students who wish to minor in Appalachian Studies must consult with the chair or one of the members of the Appalachian Studies faculty for advising.

The minor in Appalachian Studies consists of 18 semester hours, as follows:

Required Courses - 15
APST 200. Introducing Appalachia. - 3
ANTH 411. Appalachian Cultures. - 3
ENGL 447. Appalachian Literature. - 3
HIST 310. Appalachian History. - 3
APST 460. Seminar in Appalachian Studies. - 3
Field Research Course - 3

Three semester hours to be chosen from among the following courses; student’s field research project must center on an Appalachian topic:

ANTH 480. Practicing Ethnographic Methods. - 4
GEOG 490. Field Research Methods. - 3
ENGL 446. Appalachian Folklore. - 3

or from among the following courses, but only when the topic includes Field Research in Appalachia:

ANTH 495. Anthropology Seminar. - 4
ART 427. Special Topics in Art History. - 3
ENGL 314. Topics in Literature. - 3
ENGL 490. Summer Workshop: Appalachian Culture and Writing. - 3
GEOG 203. Appalachian Geography. - 3
GEOG 480. Seminar. - 3
HIST 405. Selected Topics in Appalachian History. - 3
POSC 490. Seminar. - 3
APST 480. Appalachian Studies Internship. - 3-15
APST 490. Summer Workshop: Appalachia in the Cinema. - 3
APST 495. Topical Seminar in Appalachian Studies. - 3

APPALACHIAN STUDIES CERTIFICATE

Radford University’s geographical placement in Southwest Virginia has provided an optimal location for an interdisciplinary undergraduate program in Appalachian Studies since 1981. Building on that history, the graduate certificate in Appalachian Studies draws from existing courses in the initial phase of the certificate offering. The Certificate in Appalachian Studies is based in the Appalachian Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences. The English Department and ultimately other departments that are developing graduate-level courses with Appalachian content support it.

Community college instructors and K-12 public school teachers have indicated a desire for course work at the graduate level in Appalachian Studies in order to teach Appalachian Studies courses in their own institutions. Others request such classes for personal reasons. The master’s program in English at Radford University regularly attracts students wishing to focus on Appalachian topics, as do occasionally, master’s programs in other disciplines. The certificate in Appalachian Studies, then, may stand alone as a curricular unit, or it may become a corollary to a master’s degree in a related field.

The certificate in Appalachian Studies consists of 18 graduate credit hours and officially began accepting students in the summer session, 2005. Individuals wishing to enroll in the Appalachian Studies Certificate should consult with the Certificate Coordinator, Dr. Grace Toney Edwards, to plan their individual sequence of courses.

Courses Include:

The Annual Highland Summer Conference: A two week summer institute English 590 – Appalachian Writing and Culture (3 s.h.)
Students may enroll twice (2 summers), as the course content changes.

RU graduate Evening Courses, taught fall and spring semesters.
ENGL 648: Studies in Oral and Written Literature of Appalachia (3 s.h.)
Students may enroll twice , as long as the content differs

APST 560: Seminar in Appalachian Issues (3 s.h.)
Students may enroll twice, as long as the content differs.

Appalachian Studies Directed Study, in an area of specific interest APST 598: Directed Study in Appalachian Topic (3 s.h.)

Contact:
Dr. Grace Toney Edwards
Chair of the Appalachian Studies Program and
Director of the Appalachian Regional Studies Center
Phone: 540-831-5366
E-mail: gedwards@radford.edu

APST 200-02 W 6:30-9:30 - Derrick (WH 124)

 This course introduces the Appalachian Mountain region through a survey of its geography, history, cultures, lifestyles, and the arts. Readings, discussions, and multi-media presentations on the above topics will be supplemented by library and field research. The class is designed to create an overall awareness and appreciation of life in Appalachia.

Study of the mountain verbal lore of tales, ballads, and saying; nonverbal or partially verbal lore of customs, games and rituals; material lore of structure, designs and landscapes. Field collections and written analyses required. This course may be used to meet requirements for the minor in Appalachian Studies.

APST 495/595 - Research in Appalachia - Contributions to Community through Educational Outreach

APST 495/595  W  6:30-9:30  Burriss  (DA 142)

Students will learn various qualitative research methods to apply in a rural Appalachian high school. With the primary goal of sustaining Appalachian community, students will determine a viable project that meets this goal and that will contribute to the school and community in meaningful, measureable ways.

ENGL 648 - Classics in Appalachian Literature

ENGL 648 T 6:30-9:30  Edwards (RU 025)