Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Teaching Appalachia to build bridges across identities: One example from a university in the Appalachian Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Session Abstract or Summary
In a 2013 edited volume, Appalachia in the classroom: Teaching the region, scholars present several ways in which educators can teach the region in their classrooms. In the last several years, Presenter #1 has taught a course entitled The Cultural Rhetorics of Appalachia at a small, liberal arts university in Appalachian Virginia, revising based on suggestions from scholars in Burriss and Gantt (2013). While this course is not just an introduction to Appalachian studies, it does act as such for many of the students. In many ways, Presenter #1 has framed his course in similar terms as Satterwhite (2013), working to help students dispel the myths of Appalachia and challenging them to have a more nuanced understanding of the region and its people. In this presentation, Presenter #1 will outline the pedagogical framing for teaching his students, the majority of whom are not Appalachian and are from urban areas. After Presenter #1 frames the major course objectives and assignments, Presenter #2 will discuss her experiences as a student of the course, learning about the region as the grandchild of Appalachian migrants. Presenter #3 will follow with a discussion of what he learned as a person with no family or historical connections to the region. Additionally, Presenters #2 and #3 will address how the course influences their future military careers. Finally, Presenter #1 will return to discuss the impact that teaching the region has had on his own identity and the way he sees the world outside of his own experience.
Burriss, T. L., & Gantt, P. M. (Eds.). (2013). Appalachia in the classroom: Teaching the region. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press.
Satterwhite, E. (2013). Intro to Appalachian studies: Navigating myths of Appalachian exceptionalism. In T. L. Burriss and P. M. Gantt (Eds.), Appalachia in the classroom: Teaching the region (3-32). Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press.
Presentation #1 Title
Teaching me: The vulnerability in teaching my home
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
In the fall of 2013, Presenter #1 was asked to teach a new course in his department’s curriculum entitled Cultural Rhetorics. Being Appalachian and a scholar of Appalachia, he designed a course around the discourse of the region. In doing so, he quickly recognized the vulnerability of teaching a misunderstood region to students who had no ties, or believed they had no connections, to Appalachia. In this presentation, Presenter #1 discusses what he has learned from and about his students through the course and how teaching his home region has helped him better relate to other misunderstood and misrepresented regions and people throughout the world. He will present how, as Freire put it, he has better understood how “education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students” (2005, p. 72).
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Josh Iddings is assistant professor of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies at The Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA. He teaches courses on Appalachia, Writing, and Linguistics.
Presentation #2 Title
Unknown roots: Finding a part of myself in Appalachia
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Last spring, Presenter #2 took the course The Cultural Rhetorics of Appalachia and aimed to present the enlightening experience she had in terms of connecting with a culture in which she believed she was merely an outsider. During this course three of the major assignments were to write two research essays on a topic of choice, conduct an interview with an Appalachian native outside the class, and analyze the interview in light of class readings. To complete these assignments Presenter #2 researched the impact of mainstream media on Appalachian Stereotypes, the Appalachian dialect as a source of cultural identity, and she interviewed her grandparents for a greater understanding on the life of Appalachian natives in the early to middle 1900’s. Prior to the course, Presenter #2 was unaware of her own Appalachian roots. She knew she had grandparents born and raised in West Virginia, but since they married and left the region in their twenties, she overlooked their Appalachian heritage. Furthermore, by studying Appalachian culture Presenter #2 found a greater importance in understanding surrounding cultures in order to best work with a community of people professionally, a skill that is priceless to a future U.S. Military officer. Through the scholarship and research introduced in this undergraduate course, Presenter #2 has realized the importance of understanding other cultures to better understand people in the professional world and in her personal everyday life.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Emma Quirk is an undergraduate at The Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA, majoring in English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies and minoring in Modern Language and Culture: Arabic. She will commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force in May of 2018.
Presentation #3 Title
Taking a deeper look: Developing a more complex and nuanced view of Appalachia
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Presenter #3 took the course that Presenter #1 offers and intends to show how his perceptions of the region evolved from simple, common stereotypes to a more nuanced view of the region. This presenter researched and analyzed the impact of economics on the cultural diaspora of the region for the first research essay. For the second essay this presenter explored the role of women in the biomedicine revolution in the region. The third assignment was an interview project where he interviewed a woman who grew up in the region as the daughter of a coal miner. The interviewee also discussed how the region impacted her life and how her views on life differed from other people. Presenter #3 is the grandson of an Irish immigrant and firmly believes that it is important to understand the reasons behind the migration out of the region and what can be done to decrease outmigration from the region to increase retention of their best and brightest. This research helped open Presenter #3’s eyes to how stereotypes are driven by the media and popular discourse and how a deeper understanding is needed when dealing with people from all walks of life. This course helped this presenter develop a better ability to relate to and understand other people, a priceless skill in society.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Bryan Kiel is an undergraduate at The Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA, majoring in Biology and minoring in History. He will commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in May of 2018.
Conference Subthemes
Education, Diversity and Inclusion
Teaching me: The vulnerability in teaching my home
In the fall of 2013, Presenter #1 was asked to teach a new course in his department’s curriculum entitled Cultural Rhetorics. Being Appalachian and a scholar of Appalachia, he designed a course around the discourse of the region. In doing so, he quickly recognized the vulnerability of teaching a misunderstood region to students who had no ties, or believed they had no connections, to Appalachia. In this presentation, Presenter #1 discusses what he has learned from and about his students through the course and how teaching his home region has helped him better relate to other misunderstood and misrepresented regions and people throughout the world. He will present how, as Freire put it, he has better understood how “education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students” (2005, p. 72).
