Education

Come Home ... Appalachian Courses for Everyone at Southern State Community College

Sharing the heritage of Appalachia gives everyone a part to play. Young folks who can remember their grandparent’s ‘weird ways’ and older people who remember the ‘good ole days’ and how they lived them can all contribute to discussions of the culture and literature of our Appalachian region.

Southern State Community College will offer two courses that give students the opportunity to explore their Appalachian roots, heritage, and literature. Appalachian Culture, Soci 130, looks at economics, culture, tradition, industry, migration, and values of the people of Appalachia. Appalachian English, Engl 103, examines many of the same aspects of our culture by looking at poetry, folktales, music, and short stories. Each course is 3 credit hours or can be audited for no credit.

Although these classes can be teamed together for a better look at our local culture, they also can stand independently. People who have taken these classes have been pleased with what they have discovered about their heritage and what there is to be proud of. When one former student heard a poem by an Appalachian writer, her comment was “She’s talkin’ about my grandma’s house!”   Another former student discovered by exploring her own family roots that there was much in her family to be proud of.

Through researching special interests, many students in these courses have found family treasures that are significant. One young man, as he did his presentation about his family heritage, admitted that for years his grandmother had wanted him to look at family scrapbooks and listen to her. He finally did!

Students have discovered that if you ask the right questions in your community, you get really interesting answers about heritage, music and family. “It was just like coming home for the first time”, said one student about her return to her family for a funeral service. She said she had never realized how important all of the traditions were before.

Contact Southern State Community College at 800–628–7722 to register for classes, or for more information email alewis@sscc.edu