Southern Appalachian Studies
Website: Southern Appalachian Studies
The University of the South is situated on an Appalachian plateau that includes vibrant communities outside the gates. The minor in Southern Appalachian studies brings together the efforts of faculty, staff, students, and community partners toward building a transformative education in the region's past, present, and future. It is fundamentally grounded in the Southern highlands and devoted to exploring the factors that have shaped life and imagination here, the trends that continue to mark the area, and prospects that will influence Appalachian identity and development in the years to come.
In this minor, you'll be able to focus on a specific issue in Appalachia or explore a variety of general trends in the region. And you'll gain insights from individuals committed to helping you better understand the region, its people, their challenges, and the rich heritage of the highlands.
Requirements for the Minor in Southern Appalachian Studies
The minor requires successful completion of the following:
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Requirements | ||
| PSYC 230 | Child, Family, and Community Development in Rural Appalachia | 4 |
| Select 16 additional semester hours from the following electives in Southern Appalachian Studies (attribute SAST): 1 | 16 | |
| Cultural Resource Practicum | ||
| Southern Cultures | ||
| Human Health and the Environment (Lab) | ||
| Literature of the American South | ||
| Walking the Land | ||
| Foundations of Food and Agriculture | ||
| Community Development and Place in Rural Appalachia | ||
| Environmental Land-Use Policy | ||
| Introduction to Public History | ||
| History of Southern Appalachia | ||
| The Many Faces of Sewanee | ||
| "Ramblin' Blues": The Back Roads of Southern Music | ||
| Bioethics | ||
| The Politics of Poverty and Inequality | ||
| The Politics of the American South | ||
| Child, Family, and Community Development in Rural Appalachia | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 20 | |
- 1
No more than two of these courses may be at the 100 level.
Southern Appalachian Studies Courses
SAST 220 Place, Memory, and Identity (4)
This course explores critical intersections of memory, identity, and place from a multidisciplinary perspective. Students engage a series of concepts and skills regarding place--abstractly and concretely--as they relate to efforts by individuals, communities, and societies to gain meaning from the past for the present.
SAST 325 Food, Agriculture, and Social Justice in Southern Appalachia and Beyond (4)
This course explores how producing, preparing, and consuming meals become expressions of individuality, social unity, and cultural identity that create intimate relationships not only among people but also between people and the natural world. Historical foundations and current systems of food production are examined with specific consideration given to the ways in which differential production and access to food have created disparities in health and nutrition as well as how the Food Justice movement seeks to address these inequities through restructuring and transforming the current systems of production.
SAST 399 Special Topics (4)
This course focuses on a topic in Southern Appalachian Studies that is not fully covered in existing courses. Content will vary from semester to semester. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic differs.
SAST 444 Independent Study (2 or 4)
An opportunity for students to explore a topic of interest in an independent or directed manner. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic differs but, may only count once toward the Minor in Southern Appalachian Studies. Prerequisite: Instructor prerequisite override required.