July 11, 2018
PORTSMOUTH, Ohio – Shawnee State University will be offering a new 15-credit hour certificate program in Digital Appalachian Studies beginning fall semester 2018.
SSU kicked off the announcement of the new program at the 2018 Visualizing Appalachia Symposium and awarded keynote speaker Roger May an honorary certificate in the Digital Appalachian Studies from SSU.
The program is an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of the Appalachian region, focusing on the idea of “Appalachia” in American and world consciousness and its treatment in the social sciences, media, literature and the arts. With its inclusion of service and project-based learning, combining technological training and collaborative research, the certificate is built on the traditional foundations of liberal arts. The curriculum aims to develop the skills and first-hand experience that businesses, government offices and non-profit organizations are looking for in today’s applicants.
“Students earning this certificate will acquire the skills, experience and knowledge that will contribute to successful careers and citizenship in or near the Appalachian region. They will also be able to present their current or future employers a university-level credential and exhibit a digital portfolio of their collaborative projects,” said Andrew Feight, Professor of American History in SSU’s Department of Social Sciences.
Feight has been teaching at SSU since fall 2001 and is originally from Sandy Springs, Georgia. He came to SSU after earning his Ph.D. in American History from the University of Kentucky. Feight currently serves as the coordinator for the History B.A. program and for the Digital Appalachian Studies Program. In 2013, Feight launched the Scioto Historical, a free, open-source educational app and website project that examines the history of Portsmouth and southern Ohio (http://sciotohistorical.org/). Together with his wife, Dr. Janet Feight, Associate Professor of English & Humanities at SSU, they edited “Forbidden Twin: An Appalachian Miscellany,” an open-source education resource that focuses on the Twin Creek and Buena Vista region of the Shawnee State Forest (https://forbiddentwin.org/).
The Introduction to Appalachian Studies will taught by Professor Andrew Feight, along with Michael Barnhart, Fine, Digital and Performing Arts; Thomas Bunting, Social Sciences; Scott Douthat, Social Sciences; Sean Dunne, Social Sciences; Tony Dzik, Social Sciences; Janet Feight, English & Humanities; Mich Nyawalo, English & Humanities; James Reneau, Business Administration; Mark Romesser, Fine, Digital and Performing Arts; Wayne Stump, Fine, Digital and Performing Arts; and Virginia Young, Social Sciences.
The program during the fall and spring semesters will be offered in the evening in two-seven week sessions, allowing students to complete two courses (6 credit hours) per semester one course at a time to ensure a pathway to completion in one academic year.
For more information about the new program, please contact Professor Feight at afeight@shawnee.edu or call 740-351-3143.
CUTLINE: Roger May, Keynote Speaker at SSU’s Visualizing Appalachia Symposium, with his honorary certificate in Digital Appalachian Studies from Shawnee State University.