Do Appalachian Voices Get a Say? Examining Identity and Culture in The Appalachian Mountains

Introduction

Just poor Appalachian farm folk
With nothing more than high hopes
We hitched our station wagon to a star
But our dreams all fell in on us
'Cause there was no land of promise
And it's a struggle keepin' sight of who you are

-Dolly Parton, "Appalachian Memories," 1983

Has someone ever treated you with contempt or disdain simply because of where you came from? Have you ever felt like those "poor Appalachian farm folk," searching and failing to find the "land of promise?" Have people considered you unintelligent because of your accent and background? 

Every culture and community carries a story worth sharing with the world. Personal testimonies, verbal histories, literary resources, pictures, and music reveal how culture shapes identity. The Appalachian Mountains are particularly rich in their exploration of these themes. 

This WebQuest is meant to be a tool to help you research. You will gain an understanding of Appalachian experiences, both positive and negative, and investigate how this people group challenges the world's long-held assumptions. At the end, you will summarize your findings in a presentation. Our goal is to shy away from stereotypical thinking; we must remember that human nature is complex. 

Ask yourself: How can understanding the Appalachian experience enable me to empathize with cultures outside of my own and better recognize diversity?

Remember to approach these themes with an open mind, dignity, and respect. 

Task

You will design a multimedia assignment. This can be a technological presentation, poster, verbal recording, or an essay. The title will be "How Lived Experiences Shape Culture."

You will work in pairs of two. Please see the instructions below.

  1. Look up information on Appalachian culture, history, identity, family, and community. Make sure your sources are credible. You can use your local library or scholarly articles online.
  2. Now find another point of view via a personal testimony (narrative), verbal history, eyewitness account, or another similar resource.
  3. Explain how this information establishes and communicates Appalachian culture, traditions, difficulties, and aspirations. 
  4. Make sure not to assume that everyone within Appalachian culture shares the same experience. No single individual can speak for the whole community. Compare different points of view.
  5. Now create your final project that will enable your audience to comprehend both commonalities and differences in the Appalachian community. 

The final project will incorporate facts from three sources at minimum. Additionally, you will have a comparison and written reflection that shows how your assumptions were challenged. 

Process

Part 1: Read about Appalachian voices

Read the following:

  • Appalachian Regional Commission: Learn about the ARC's economic, financial, and geographical capacities to help rural Appalachia.
  • West Virginia Encyclopedia: Study WV's history, culture, and people through categories including agriculture, arts and literature, business and industry, and more.

Write down two or three statistics that tell us about the region. Record a couple of examples that challenge your assumptions.

Part 2: Expand your point of view

Decide on a cultural community that might be in a different area than Appalachia. I recommend researching an indigenous people group or an immigrant community. Refer to the following:

This is where you will locate your personal testimony, oral interview, physical object, or literary resource.

Part 3: Make an intuitive comparison

Answer the following prompts:

  • Which lived experiences spoke to you in the sources?
  • How can you compare similar ideas you noticed?
  • How did the research and perspectives contrast?
  • How did the material challenge your assumptions?
  • Did you change your mind about anything? Is there a stereotype that this information helped you break?
  • How does the individual shape the whole community? Conversely, how does the community inform the individual?
  • Can the community speak for the individual? Conversely, can the individual speak for the community?

Part 4: Design your project

You may choose from the following:

  • A six- to eight-slide PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation
  • A tangible poster; this can be a tri-fold or a single, sturdy visual
  • A three- to five-minute voice recording

You must submit a six-hundred- to eight-hundred-word essay response in addition to the presentation. Include a references list in APA format with your essay.

Part 5: Collaborate and grow

Have a discussion with your project partner. Practice active listening. Ask questions about their lived experience. Identify something you learned from your partner. If you would like, share a personal anecdote from your upbringing.

Evaluation

Your project is worth 100 points. While the grades will be individually inputted, you are required to share the presentation space with your partner. As much as you can, split the presentation equally.

Criterion

Credible, helpful research that uses at least three different sources; 25 points

Intuitive, respectful cultural comparison; 25 points

Appealing, organized project visual; 20 points

Dignified elucidation on communal and cultural points of view; 15 points

Engaging essay response that meets word count; 15 points

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, you and your partner have found how Appalachian voices give structure to identity and culture. Empathizing with and listening to other points of view extends our imagination. You are on your way to becoming a more intuitive and reflective reader and active participant of your own community. 

As you finish this project, ask yourself, "What challenges did I overcome? What cultural assumptions or stereotypes did I reframe? How can I now better approach the topic of diversity?"

Credits

References

Appalachian Regional Commission. (n.d.). Appalachian Regional Commission. https://www.arc.gov/

Library of Congress. (n.d.). American Folklife Center. https://www.loc.gov/folklife/

Library of Congress. (n.d.). Library of Congress digital collections. https://www.loc.gov/collections/

Parton, Dolly. (1983). Appalachian Memories [Song]. On Burlap & Satin. RCA Records.

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. (n.d.). Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. https://folklife.si.edu/

West Virginia Humanities Council. (n.d.). e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/

Teacher Page

Chisholm (1998) discusses six themes of culturally helpful technology. This WebPage has incorporated all six.

  1. Cultural awareness: The students will incorporate different cultural points of view. They will reflect on how both the individual and community shape stories and heritage. Instead of focusing on stereotypes, students will focus on diversity within Appalachian areas.
  2. Cultural relevance: Since we attend American Military University with headquarters located in Charles Town, WV, this lesson connects our academics with the local community. 
  3. Culturally supportive environment: I paired students up so that they will discuss their own backgrounds and help each other grow in empathy and active listening skills. They will collaborate respectfully and learn from each other. This type of lesson cultivates a spirit of inquiry for the learner rather than judgment or ignorance.
  4. Equitable access: The online resources I provided are accessible to all, and if students do not have access to the Internet, I will print out the materials and give them a tangible copy. The online articles themselves do not require a special login or subscription to access.
  5. Instructional flexibility: Students get to choose their own mode of presentation. This accommodates for varying styles of learning. 
  6. Instructional integration: The students are employing use of technology by examining credible online sources, engaging in creativity via PowerPoint or Google Slides, and comparing their points of view. 

In summary, my lesson heightens cultural knowledge of Appalachia. I asked students to challenge their own assumptions and stereotypes, compare and contrast their research, and look at both the individual and the community at large. The hope is that my WebQuest cultivates empathy, intuition, respect, digital literacy, and collaboration. 

References

Chisholm, I. M. (1998). Six elements for technology integration in multicultural classrooms. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14759399800200033