Appalachian Studies Commons^™

"God, Mother And Island Creek": The Story Of Holden Central School And The Emergence Of Nurturing Paternalism, Harley D. Walden

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The story of the community of Holden, West Virginia (Logan County), Island Creek Coal Company, and its model school (Holden Central School) offers a counternarrative to the dominant deficit-oriented narratives concerning Appalachian education. In particular, the progressive nature of Island Creek Coal Company led it to create a model coal camp community and a school that educated their employees’ children. The school operated from 1922 until 1970, when the combined elementary and junior high school closed its doors forever. Island Creek Coal Company both designed, supplied, and oversaw the daily operations of a benevolent community with all the modern amenities …

"The Whole Building Is A Classroom": An Oral History Of A School's Role In The Culture Of The Community, Valerie Free Jones

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Edward Lee and Lulu McClain gave the gift of a new high school to the rural Appalachian community of Greenfield, Ohio, in 1915. Inspired in part by John Dewey’s Progressive theories of education, the school became the center of the community, both literally and figuratively, providing the best, most modern education for its students. The school was particularly unique in its focus on the arts, with its spaces carefully crafted and developed; its halls and classrooms filled with over 200 pieces of classic and original art, including murals, sculpture, and other works; and its curriculum inspired by art-based ideas of …

Joe Sartor: Morehead Mind Games, Kentucky Folk Art Center, Joe Sartor

Kentucky Folk Art Center Exhibition Catalogs

2017 Kentucky Folk Art Center exhibition catalog of artist Joe Sartor.

Morehead State - Report: Player's Dad Says Woods Head-Butted His, Lexington Herald-Leader

Morehead State College Histories

No abstract provided.

Higher Education - Morehead Faculty Senate Votes To Censure President, Linda Blackford

Morehead State College Histories

No abstract provided.

Education Budget Cuts - Morehead State To Furlough Faculty And Staff For 5 Days, Linda Blackford

Morehead State College Histories

No abstract provided.

The Devil Made Us Do It: Depictions Of Satan In Kentucky Folk Art, Kentucky Folk Art Center

Kentucky Folk Art Center Exhibition Catalogs

2016 Kentucky Folk Art Center exhibition catalog of artwork depicting Satan.

Mark Francis: Time & Chance, Mark Francis, Kentucky Folk Art Center

Kentucky Folk Art Center Exhibition Catalogs

2016 Kentucky Folk Art Center exhibition catalog of artist Mark Francis.

Urban Appalachian Festival Proposal, Sarah Holbrook, Courtney Johnston, Ian Buchanan, Cody Stanley, Alex Umble

Senior Year Experience Student Projects

We at COAL think that Appalachian culture has been marginalized by American urban centers and being an Appalachian American comes with many negative stereotypes. This is especially felt right here in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. We want to make an impact in the community in a way that lessens stereotypes towards Appalachian Americans and help the city of Columbus be more inclusive towards Appalachian culture.

We propose to do this by organizing an Appalachian cultural festival that will both address the specific needs of Franklinton and celebrate its Appalachian roots. The specific issues we wish to address include …

Now & Then (Volume 32, Issue 02, 2016), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 32, Issue 02, published in 2016. The theme of this issue is the Future of Appalachia. This issue considers the future of Appalachia at a moment of transition, pairing reflections on change with an awareness of the region's past and present conditions. As the paper magazine is ending, contributors reflect on economic uncertainty, environmental pressures, and shifting cultural forms, while also identifying opportunities for renewal and growth. The future is framed not as a fixed outcome but as something shaped by choices related to land use, industry, health, and community life, often …

Now & Then (Volume 32, Issue 01, 2016), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 32, Issue 01, published in 2016. The theme of this issue is Cultivating Appalachia. This issue captures cultivation in Appalachia through reflections that focus on land, tradition, and community life as ongoing practices shaped by care, labor, and memory. Contributors describe relationships to place through stewardship, creative work, and the transmission of knowledge across generations, while also addressing change and uncertainty in rural life. Across the issue, preservation and adaptation appear in tension as communities negotiate continuity and transformation. Together, the pieces present cultivation as a recurring lens for understanding how people …

Now & Then (Volume 31, Issue 02, 2016), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 31, Issue 02, published in 2016. The theme of this issue is Justice in Appalachia. Framed by questions of justice and accountability, this issue brings together writing that addresses legal, environmental, social, and cultural struggles across Appalachia. Drawing on both historical memory and contemporary events, it documents labor conflicts, resource extraction, and public health crises alongside efforts to organize, protest, and seek reform. Contributors present personal narratives and community based accounts that examine issues of identity, including LGBTQ and Melungeon experiences, as well as movements for racial justice and intergenerational activism. The …

The Process Of Musical Acquisition For Traditional String Musicians In The Homeschool Environment, Keith R. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how three accomplished traditional string musicians learned music in their homeschool environments. Data were derived from formal interviews of the three musicians. The research framework for this qualitative study is based upon the socio-educational model of second language learning motivation developed by R. C. Gardner (1959, 1985, 2004, 2010) and applied to the study of instrumental music learning motivation by P. D. MacIntyre (2012). Structured interview questions, triangulated by additional informal dialogues, field observations, externally documented sources, and collaboration with an expert review panel were the data collection activities utilized in the research. Five overarching themes …

Dewey Meets Bluegrass: Progressive Educational Theory In The Establishment Of Traditional Music Programs In Higher Education, John C. Goad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study focuses on connections between the Progressive era educational theories of John Dewey and present-day bluegrass and traditional music programs in higher education in order to explore a pedagogical basis for such programs. The research specifically examines Dewey’s beliefs in experiential learning, individualization, and vocational education and their current applications in traditional music education. The study included two major components: historical research into Dewey’s writings and primary and secondary sources regarding traditional music education in the United States, and interviews of faculty members in college and university bluegrass and traditional music programs. The thesis of this study is that …

Minnie Adkins: Against The Grain, Minnie Adkins, Kentucky Folk Art Center

Kentucky Folk Art Center Exhibition Catalogs

2015 Kentucky Folk Art Center exhibition catalog of artist Minnie Adkins.

Now & Then (Volume 31, Issue 01, 2015), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 31, Issue 01, published in 2015. The theme of this issue is The Best of 30 Years, Part II. This issue continues the retrospective series by revisiting works from 2000 to 2014, drawing together writing that reflects the changing conditions of Appalachian life in the early twenty first century. The collection moves across topics such as environmental conflict, outmigration, cultural representation, family and faith, and the realities of economic hardship, often grounded in personal narrative and lived experience. Several pieces address the tension between tradition and change, including the preservation of local …

Now & Then (Volume 30, Issue 02, 2015), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 30, Issue 02, published in 2015. The theme of this issue is The Best of 30 Years, Part I. This issue presents the first part of a retrospective collection, drawing from selected works published between 1984 and 1999 to revisit major themes in Appalachian studies. It brings together essays, interviews, and narratives that reflect on topics such as health, place, and cultural tradition, community leadership, labor activism, media, religion, and humor, illustrating the breadth of concerns that have shaped the magazine's earlier volumes. The selections emphasize lived experience, storytelling, and regional identity, …

The Effects Of A New Method Of Instruction On The Perceptions Of Appalachian English, Michelle L. Compton

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

This paper evaluates whether students’ perceptions of Appalachian English improve through a method of instruction that uses dialect literature in the classroom. Most existing methods of instruction tend to portray dialects as wrong, incorrect, or in some way less rule-governed than Standardized English, despite the numerous studies that have demonstrated otherwise (e.g., Labov 1969, Wolfram 1986). The data from this study derives from two groups of students enrolled in introductory composition and communication at the University of Kentucky. Each group is given a pre-test to determine attitudes toward Appalachian English and Standardized English. An experimental group is then exposed to …

Missed Opportunities In The Mountains: The University Of Kentucky's Action Program In Eastern Kentucky In The 1960s, Bradley L. Goan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This dissertation explores the University of Kentucky’s efforts to develop and implement an “action program” in eastern Kentucky in the 1960s. By the late 1950s, Kentucky’s political, business, and academic leaders had identified eastern Kentucky as the state’s problem area, and they sought strategies to bring the region into the economic and cultural mainstream. This generation of post-war leaders had an uncompromising faith in the power of knowledge, technology, and planning, and University leaders saw their action program as a university-wide effort to address what most would argue was Kentucky’s ugliest problem. This study begins with an examination of the …

Rowan Student Discovers Star, Paducah Sun

Morehead State College Histories

An article published in the Paducah Sun from November 5, 2014 on Sunny Ernst's discovery of a pulsar. Ernst was a Morehead State early college student.

Morehead Raises Tuition 4.9 Percent - President Given Hefty Raise, Extension, Linda Blackford

Morehead State College Histories

No abstract provided.

Morehead To Start Own High School For Gifted Students, Lexington Herald-Leader

Morehead State College Histories

No abstract provided.

Chester Cornett: Beyond The Narrow Sky, Chester Cornett, Kentucky Folk Art Center

Kentucky Folk Art Center Exhibition Catalogs

2014 Kentucky Folk Art Center exhibition catalog of artist Chester Cornett.

Now & Then (Volume 29, Issue 02, 2014), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 29, Issue 02, published in 2014. The theme of this issue is Music in Appalachia. This issue reflects on the role music has in shaping personal identity, community life, and regional tradition. It brings together historical accounts and contemporary reflections that connect early folk practices, recorded sessions, and festival traditions with present day performance and reinterpretation. Attention is given to the movement of music between rural and urban spaces, the blending of influences across racial and cultural lines, and the persistence of locally rooted styles alongside global connections. Personal narratives emphasize music …

Now & Then (Volume 30, Issue 01, 2014), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 30, Issue 01, published in 2014. The theme of this issue is Civil Wars in Appalachia. It uses the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War to examine conflict, division, and reconciliation within the region. It presents historical accounts and personal narratives that document the impact of the war on families and communities, including loss, displacement, and long lasting social divisions. The issue also connects nineteenth century conflict to ongoing disputes over land, resources, and authority, illustrating how struggles over ownership and identity have persisted in different forms. Attention is given to military …

The Relationship Between Intercultural Communication Experience And College Persistence Among First Generation Appalachian Students, Meredith A. Garrison

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This study seeks to explore the relationship between intercultural communication experiences and college persistence in first-generation college students from the Central Appalachian region. Because Appalachia has a rich and unique culture, which is often misunderstood, the literature review seeks to establish a basis for studying this relationship as a way to understand the multi-dimensional nature of low-educational attainment in the Appalachian region, particularly Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Using a survey-based quantitative method this study examines Appalachian first generation students attending college as an intercultural communication process through the frame of acculturation theory. Specifically, the study seeks information …

Lyda Judson Hanifan, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Lyda J. Hanifan was one of the original staff members of the West Virginia Department of Education, and internationally celebrated as the first author to formulate the concept of social capital.

David Lucas, David Lucas, Kentucky Folk Art Center

Kentucky Folk Art Center Exhibition Catalogs

2013 Kentucky Folk Art Center exhibition catalog for artist David Lucas.

Now & Then (Volume 29, Issue 01, 2013), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 29, Issue 01, published in 2013. The theme of this issue is Appalachian Industry. This issue traces the region's varied forms of labor from agriculture and craft production to manufacturing, resource extraction, and emerging local economies. It presents personal narratives and historical accounts that connect work to identity, emphasizing how industry has shaped daily life, family structures, and community values. Attention is given to wartime production, scientific research, and industrial expansion, as well as to smaller scale and evolving enterprises such as craft markets, food production, and tourism. The issue also considers …

Now & Then (Volume 28, Issue 02, 2013), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 28, Issue 02, published in 2013. The theme of this issue is Global Appalachia. This issue brings together the region's connections to international cultures, histories, and exchanges. Through comparative studies, personal narratives, and cultural accounts, it considers parallels between Appalachia and regions such as Rwanda, China, Alaska, and Europe, illustrating shared experiences of landscape, resource use, and misrepresentation. The issue also documents the presence of global influences within Appalachia, including immigrant communities, cross cultural relationships, artistic exchange, and the worldwide movement of Appalachian traditions. Attention is given to how global perspectives shape …