PIA 1111 - ENVIRONMENT, SOCIETY & POLICY IN GLOBAL APPALACHIA MICRO COURSE

Minimum Credits: 1
Maximum Credits: 1
Long Description The political definition of Appalachia, which spans 13 states from southern New York to Northern Mississippi, dates to the early 1960s, when regional governors encouraged the Kennedy and Johnson administrations to assist their mountain counties, where one in three residents lived in poverty. Since then, much of the study of the region has been inward-looking, prioritizing local and regional perspectives. This micro-course looks outward to examine the region from a global lens. It will encourage students to consider how local events and decisions often have global repercussions, and vice versa. The course will also take a comparative approach and discuss other regions of the world that have developed in a similar trajectory as Appalachia. A comparative approach creates the opportunity to analyze similar regions that have experienced divestment as a result of exploitative industries and communities that have shown resistance to the forces of global extractive capitalism. In Spring 2025, the course will use a global framework to examine and analyze the interconnections between environment, society, and policy in Appalachia. Over the course of three days, information on these topics will be presented to students by multi-disciplinary experts and leaders in their fields. Students will also engage with one another and the instructors through activity sessions which will ask students to apply course concepts to analyze case studies, construct mock policy debates, and identify certain policy problems and stakeholders in the region.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Workshop
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis

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