Participation Type
Poster
Session Title
So what’s an Appalachian? Immersion of non-Appalachian college students into Appalachian culture by service and education
Session Abstract or Summary
This poster session shares the results of an undergraduate immersion course upon student knowledge of Appalachian culture in addition to the impact perceived by those receiving services as a result of the immersion process. While others have used experiential learning in courses focused on Appalachian communities (e.g., Tonn, Ezzell, & Ogle, 2017), the course presented here has been offered over 25 years at a Midwestern liberal arts college. The class encompasses collaborative learning on multidimensional levels by partnering with the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). The indigenous culture and its people are the primary instructors, and students learn about history, culture, and religion as they co-labor with persons in their homes and communities in shared service in several counties in Eastern Kentucky (Trokan, 2005). The actual immersion experience is bracketed by three pre-trip and two post-trip intensive classroom sessions of three hours each.
Conventional content analysis is used to derive themes of student learning outcomes in terms of knowledge of Appalachian culture and social issues found in the counties in which students served. A thematic presentation of student comments from multi-year course evaluations will be given. Semi-structured survey interview responses from students (post course completion) will be analyzed for themes. Lastly, semi-structured survey interview responses from CAP employees will be analyzed for themes related to perceived impact of services provided by students in this course to persons in Appalachian regions. Helping non-Appalachian college students understand Appalachian culture and social issues the region faces is a hoped for outcome from this course.
References:
Tonn, B., Ezzell, T., & Ogle, E. (2010). Experiential learning and sustainable economic development in Appalachian communities: A teaching note. Journal of Appalachian Studies, Vol. 16, No. 1 & 2, pp. 144–155.
Trokan, J. (December, 2005). Incarnational immersion-based learning in cultural contexts: A charity model. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 124 – 151.
Presentation #1 Title
So what’s an Appalachian? Immersion of non-Appalachian college students into Appalachian culture by service and education
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This poster session shares the results of an undergraduate immersion course upon student knowledge of Appalachian culture in addition to the impact perceived by those receiving services as a result of the immersion process. While others have used experiential learning in courses focused on Appalachian communities (e.g., Tonn, Ezzell, & Ogle, 2017), the course presented here has been offered over 25 years at a Midwestern liberal arts college. The class encompasses collaborative learning on multidimensional levels by partnering with the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). The indigenous culture and its people are the primary instructors, and students learn about history, culture, and religion as they co-labor with persons in their homes and communities in shared service in several counties in Eastern Kentucky (Trokan, 2005). The actual immersion experience is bracketed by three pre-trip and two post-trip intensive classroom sessions of three hours each.
Conventional content analysis is used to derive themes of student learning outcomes in terms of knowledge of Appalachian culture and social issues found in the counties in which students served. A thematic presentation of student comments from multi-year course evaluations will be given. Semi-structured survey interview responses from students (post course completion) will be analyzed for themes. Lastly, semi-structured survey interview responses from CAP employees will be analyzed for themes related to perceived impact of services provided by students in this course to persons in Appalachian regions. Helping non-Appalachian college students understand Appalachian culture and social issues the region faces is a hoped for outcome from this course.
References:
Tonn, B., Ezzell, T., & Ogle, E. (2010). Experiential learning and sustainable economic development in Appalachian communities: A teaching note. Journal of Appalachian Studies, Vol. 16, No. 1 & 2, pp. 144–155.
Trokan, J. (December, 2005). Incarnational immersion-based learning in cultural contexts: A charity model. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 124 – 151.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
David Scharfenberger, MSW (University of Louisville), Adjunct instructor at Mount St. Joseph University since 1989; Co-taught Theology and Anthropology Course in Appalachia since 2002 at Mount; Community organizer in low-income and working class Appalachian, African American, and German-Irish communities in the Greater Cincinnati area for over 40 years.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Dr. Singleton has taught social work and sociology students for 18 years. She has participated in the Mount St. Joseph University annual immersion trip to Eastern Kentucky. As an Appalachian herself, she is interested in how others view Appalachian culture.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
John Trokan, D.Min., is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Mount St. Joseph University. He has co-taught an ‘Appalachian Culture and Spirituality’ immersion course for the past twenty five years in Eastern Kentucky.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Karl Zuelke, PhD, is the Director of the Writing Center and the Math & Science Center at Mount St. Joseph University. He has participated numerous years in the Mount St. Joseph University immersion trip to Eastern Kentucky.
Conference Subthemes
Education
So what’s an Appalachian? Immersion of non-Appalachian college students into Appalachian culture by service and education
This poster session shares the results of an undergraduate immersion course upon student knowledge of Appalachian culture in addition to the impact perceived by those receiving services as a result of the immersion process. While others have used experiential learning in courses focused on Appalachian communities (e.g., Tonn, Ezzell, & Ogle, 2017), the course presented here has been offered over 25 years at a Midwestern liberal arts college. The class encompasses collaborative learning on multidimensional levels by partnering with the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). The indigenous culture and its people are the primary instructors, and students learn about history, culture, and religion as they co-labor with persons in their homes and communities in shared service in several counties in Eastern Kentucky (Trokan, 2005). The actual immersion experience is bracketed by three pre-trip and two post-trip intensive classroom sessions of three hours each.
Conventional content analysis is used to derive themes of student learning outcomes in terms of knowledge of Appalachian culture and social issues found in the counties in which students served. A thematic presentation of student comments from multi-year course evaluations will be given. Semi-structured survey interview responses from students (post course completion) will be analyzed for themes. Lastly, semi-structured survey interview responses from CAP employees will be analyzed for themes related to perceived impact of services provided by students in this course to persons in Appalachian regions. Helping non-Appalachian college students understand Appalachian culture and social issues the region faces is a hoped for outcome from this course.
References:
Tonn, B., Ezzell, T., & Ogle, E. (2010). Experiential learning and sustainable economic development in Appalachian communities: A teaching note. Journal of Appalachian Studies, Vol. 16, No. 1 & 2, pp. 144–155.
Trokan, J. (December, 2005). Incarnational immersion-based learning in cultural contexts: A charity model. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 124 – 151.
