Humanities Program

Marshall University Graduate College

  

    Graduate Certificate

  in

  Appalachian Studies

 

 

Appalachia

 

As defined in legislation, Appalachia is a region of 200,000 square miles following the contour of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. West Virginia is the only state to lie entirely within the region.  Parts of twelve other states are included: New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.

 

Home to 23 million people, the region has about 42 percent rural population. The economy has long depended on coal, timber, gas, and related manufacturing.

 

Marshall University has committed faculty and resources to Appalachian Studies.  In addition to faculty and library resources, the University houses the Appalachian Studies Journal. The Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Gender in Appalachia (CSEGA) is located on the Huntington campus.

 

The graduate certificate in Appalachian Studies allows students and professionals to focus on the region in which they live and work.  The interdisciplinary approach ensures that issues and subjects are covered from different perspectives. Individuals may select courses to meet personal educational goals.  Lifelong learners are invited to select individual courses for information and enrichment.

 

 

Appalachian Studies Certificate

(18 hours)

 

·         Interdisciplinary Core Classes  (6 hours)

CULS 611  Appalachian Studies: Themes and Voices

Orients students to the significant political, social, and cultural issues and research in Appalachian studies. 

CULS 612  Time and Place in Appalachia

Examines the importance of geography, topography, and geology to the history and development of the Appalachian region.

 

·         Electives (6-9 hours)

Examples of traditional Classes (3 hrs. credit):

o        Appalachian Cultures

o        Appalachian Archaeology

o        Geography of Appalachia

o        West Virginia History

o        First Peoples of Appalachia

o        Mountain Made: Material Culture in Appalachia, 1700-2000

o        Images of Appalachia in Literature, Folklore, and Film

o        Religious Traditions in Appalachia

o        Ethnic History of West Virginia

o        Coal Mine Life, Work and Culture

o        Sociology of Appalachia

o        Appalachian Writers –20th C.

Samples of Workshops (1 hr. credit)

o        Oral History

o        Research Methods for Appalachian Studies

o        Appalachian Writers: Denise Giardina

·         Capstone Experience (3 hours)

HUMN 680  Independent Research Seminar

This research colloquium affords students the opportunity to complete independent research or field work under the guidance of faculty mentors teaching in the certificate program.  Seminar meetings allow students to share research and examine issues arising from the research.  The completed research is shared in a public symposium.

 

Enrollment Information

 

·         B.A. or B.S. degree from an accredited undergraduate institution 

·         Application to Marshall University Graduate College and to the certificate program 

      Note: Students who wish to pursue degree and certificate programs concurrently should complete the application to the degree program. 

·         Transfer credit: 6 hours maximum

·         Graduate courses in Appalachian studies taken at Marshall University within the last two years may be counted toward the certificate.

     

                                                                    For further information about the certificate, contact the Humanities Program,

            Marshall University Graduate College

            (1-800-642-9842, ext. 1923 or 304-746-1923)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coal Tipple