Appalachian Folkways

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HUM 140 -- Appalachian Folkways
Sinclair Community College
Spring Quarter 2000

Instructor: Carol Baugh
Home Phone #: 878-7019
Office Hours: By Appointment
Class Meeting Location: Room 1112
Class Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays--3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Course Description: HUM 140 -- This course is an overview of the many facets of life in the Appalachian region of the United States--including its history, culture, economics, politics, education, and religion.

Course Objectives: The objectives of this course are: 1) to provide students with an understanding of the settlement, history, and present state of Appalachia; 2) to develop an awareness of the challenges and problems the region has faced over time; and 3) to promote an appreciation of the unique culture that makes up Appalachia.

Course Requirements:

1. Attendance: Each student is expected to attend class regularly and participate in class discussions.

2. Exams: There will be three exams. Each exam will consist of fill-in the blank, short answer, and multiple choice questions. The exam dates are April 27, May 23, and June 6.

3. Book Review: Each student is required to write a book review. You may select a book from the list provided (refer to pages 5 & 6) or you may select a book of your choice, in the latter case the book must be approved by the instructor. The book review should follow a standard format, including a bibliographical citation (author, book title, place of publication, publisher, and date).

Book reviews should be 4-pages double-spaced. A typed paper is preferred, however, any hand-written reports must be legible. Book reviews are due June 1, although, you may submit reviews earlier if you wish. Unless there is a valid reason such as illness, late reviews will not be accepted.

A good book review should contain the following points:

A. What is the book about? Provide a brief summary of the book, describing the main theme of the book, major events, their significance and (if there are any) main character(s).

B. What are the major theses? How does the author defend these theses? This should represent the main body of the review.

C. How do you evaluate the book? Do you agree or disagree with the author's arguments and why? Describe what you liked or disliked about the book, including comments on the subject, writing style, organization, and use of sources.

Your final grade for this course will be determined as follows: ????
?

Exam 1 20%

Exam 2 20%

Exam 3???? 20%

Book Review 20%

Attendance and Class Participation 20%

Grading Scale: 90 - 100 = A

79 - 89 = B

68 - 78 = C

57 - 67 = D

56 - = F

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES:

If you must withdraw from a class, you are required to complete a withdrawal form in the Office

of Registration and Student Records (Room 10-231) by the eighth week of the quarter to prevent receiving an "F" for the course.

Students are responsible for informing the instructor of any instructional accommodations and/or special learning needs at the beginning of the quarter. Assistance is available to eligible students through the Office of Disability Services, Room 10-421, telephone number 512-5113.

Required Texts: Appalachia Inside Out (Volume 1 Conflict and Change) and Volume 2 (Culture and Custom), edited by: Robert J. Higgs, Ambrose N. Manning, and Jim Wayne Miller (available at Sinclair's bookstore)

PLEASE NOTE: Each student is required to read 50 pages of their own choosing each week from the assigned chapters. Poems and songs are not to be included in the 50 pages; however, you may read them for your own enjoyment and gratification.

Volume 1 Conflict and Change -- Chapters 1 - 8

Tuesday, March 28 & Introduction to course

Thursday, March 30 What is Appalachia?

Tuesday, April 4 & Chapter 1: Roots, Exploration, and Settlement

Thursday, April 6 Chapter 2: Heroes and Demigods

Chapter 3: War and Revolution
(pages 1 - 122)

Tuesday, April 11 & Film: Matewan

Thursday, April 13

Tuesday, April 18 & Chapter 4: Labor, Wealth, and Commonwealth

Thursday, April 20 Chapter 5: Nature and Progress

Chapter 6: Majority and Minority

(pages 123 - 267)

Tuesday, April 25 & Chapter 7: Feuds and Violence

Thursday, April 27 Chapter 8: Exile, Return, and Sense of Place

(pages 268 - 347)

EXAM 1 (April 27)

Volume 2 Culture and Custom -- Chapters 1 - 8

Tuesday, May 2 & Chapter 1: Family and Community

Thursday, May 4 (pages 349 - 397)

Film: Dayton's Urban Appalachians: The Silent Minority

Tuesday, May 9 & ??Chapter 2: Religion and Worship

Thursday, May 11 (pages 398 - 439)

Video: "Snake-Handling Church"

Tuesday, May 16 & Chapter 3: Folklore, Mythology, and Superstition

Thursday, May 18 ?? ??Chapter 4: Dialect and Language

(pages 440-482)

Chapter 5: Sports and Play

Chapter 6: Laughter and Humor

(pages 533 - 620)

Tuesday, May 23 & EXAM 2 (May 23)

Thursday, May 25 Film: Appalachian Settlement Schools

Tuesday, May 30 & handouts on Education and Regional Identity

Thursday, June 1 Book Reviews Due (June 1)

Tuesday, June 6 & EXAM 3 (June 6)

Thursday, June 8 Discussion of various books read by students

Course Wrap-Up

List of recommended books for book review:

PLEASE NOTE: After each selection, in parenthesis, I have provided the closest library where that particular book is housed.

Arts & Crafts
Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands by Allen Eaton (Sinclair)
The Handcraft Revival by Garry Barker (Sinclair)
Mountain Homespun by Frances Louisa Goodrich (OhioLink)
Selling Tradition by Jane Becker (OhioLink)
Weaving New Worlds: Southeastern Cherokee Women/Basketry by Sarah H. Hill (Wright State)

Early Settlement
Daniel Boone by John Mack Faragher (Sinclair)
The Trans-Appalachian Frontier by Malcolm Rohrbough (Sinclair)
Appalachian Frontiers by Robert D. Mitchell (Sinclair)

Economics
First American Frontier: Transition to Capitalism by Wilma Dunaway (Wright State)
Miners, Millhands, and Mountaineers by Ron Eller (Sinclair)
Appalachia's Path to Dependency by Paul Salstrom (Sinclair)

Geography
Appalachia, a Regional Geography by Karl Raitz and Richard Ulack (Wright State)
The American Backwoods Frontier by Terry Jordan and Matti Kaups (Sinclair)
Southern Appalachian Country by George Wuerthner (OhioLink)

Culture
The Land of Saddle-Bags by James Watt Raine (Wright State)
Feud: Hatfields, McCoys, and Social Change by Altina L. Waller (Sinclair)
All That is Native and Fine: The Politics of Culture by David Whisnant (UD)
Two Sides to Everything by Shaunna L. Scott (OhioLink)
The Southern Highlander and His Homeland by John C. Campbell (Sinclair)
Appalachian Images in Folk and Popular Culture by W. K. McNeil (Sinclair)
Hillbillyland by J. W. Williamson (Sinclair)

Migration
Too Few Tomorrows by Phillip J. Obermiller and William Philliber (Wright State)
The Invisible Minority: Urban Appalachians by William Philliber and C. McCoy (Wright State)
From Mountain to Metropolis by Kathryn M. Borman and Phillip Obermiller (Sinclair)
The Dollmaker by Harriet S. Arnow (Sinclair)

Politics
Southern Mountain Republicans 1865-1900 by Gordon McKinney (Sinclair)
Power and Powerlessness by John Gaventa (Wright State)
Just Good Politics by Raymond Chafin (OhioLink)
The Americanization of West Virginia by John C. Hennen (OhioLink)

Religion
The Airwaves of Zion: Radio & Religion in Appalachia by Howard Dorgan (UD)
Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History by Deborah V. McCauley (Sinclair)
Taking Up Serpents by David L. Kimbrough (Wright State)
In the Hands of a Happy God by Howard Dorgan (OhioLink)
Faith & Meaning in the Southern Uplands by Loyal Jones (Wright State)
Christianity in Appalachia by Bill J. Leonard (OhioLink)

Food
Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, & Scuppernong Wine by Joseph E. Dabney

Health
Wide Neighborhoods: The Frontier Nursing Service by Mary Breckinridge (Sinclair)

If none of these titles interest you, I can provide you with an excellent bibliography or you may reference to the end of each chapter in our texts.