Southern Studies Minor
Southern Studies Minor
English
Advisors: Will Brantley and Patricia Gaitely
The Southern Studies minor provides a multidimensional examination of a diverse geographical, historical, and cultural region called the South. The minor consists of 18 semester hours taught in five different departments. There are no required core courses. Students may take no more than three courses from any one of the participating departments and must take at least one course from three of the five participating departments. No course taken in the Southern Studies minor can count for credit in a student's major.
Interdisciplinary Minors
Interdisciplinary minors require the student to complete a minimum of 15 to 21 hours from a list of specific courses. Unless otherwise noted, a student may take no more than 6 hours of courses from a single department until he or she surpasses the required minimum number of hours necessary for completing the minor. Exceptions to this rule may be found within the discussions of several of the minors. In most cases, a student is also limited to just 3 hours of credit toward the minor in the same department or discipline in which he or she is taking a major. Students must fulfill all departmental prerequisites for any course within an interdisciplinary minor. In some cases, advisors may approve course substitutions within these program requirements.
Required Courses (18 hours)
Select 18 hours from the following:
ANTH 4140 - Immigrants and Globalization in the American South
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Junior standing; ANTH 2010 or ANTH 3010 or permission of instructor. ANTH 4130 recommended. Explores anthropologically the specific effects of globalizing forces in the southern United States. Relations between global and local communities explored taking into account immigration, particularly of Latinos and Asians; local industry in a time of globalization; power and confrontation between rural and urban worlds; issues of race and ethnicity; and the assimilation of foreign-born professionals into Southern social and cultural systems.
- ENGL 3330 - Southern Literature 3 credit hours
ENGL 3330 - Southern Literature
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. Early and modern Southern writers. Emphasis on the period 1920-present.
ENGL 3335 - Special Topics in Southern Literature and Culture
3 credit hours
Interdisciplinary course which draws upon literature produced in and about the southern regions, with perspectives gleaned from anthropology, history, and sociology; gender and race studies; film, documentary, and media studies; music; and folklore.
- ENGL 3340 - African American Literature 3 credit hours
ENGL 3340 - African American Literature
3 credit hours
(Same as AAS 3340 and AST 3340.) Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. Defines and traces the development and transformations of the African American literary tradition. Emphasis on analysis of historical, literary, philosophical, and cultural contexts.
- ENGL 3760 - Introduction to Folklore 3 credit hours
ENGL 3760 - Introduction to Folklore
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. Contemporary folklife studies emphasizing traditional and new vernacular expression through vocal, performance, and material culture creations as they relate to the diverse communities that practice them.
- ENGL 4760 - Special Topics in Folklore 3 credit hours
ENGL 4760 - Special Topics in Folklore
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better; ENGL 3760 recommended. An intensive study on a selected topic of folklore. Content varies from semester to semester and will reflect the interests and expertise of the instructor.
EST 4760 - Seminar in Environmental Science and Technology
1 credit hour
Prerequisite: Permission of department. Student presentations on capstone projects. Incorporates guest speakers, readings, reflective thought, career and job search, and discussions on environmental issues.
- GEOG 4340 - Historical Geography 3 credit hours
GEOG 4340 - Historical Geography
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: GEOG 2000 or permission of instructor. The changing human geography of the United States during four centuries of settlement and development. Emphasis on changing population patterns as well as patterns of urban and rural settlement. (Spring odd-numbered years)
GS 3040 - Contemporary Migration: Global Trends, Local Implications
3 credit hours
Examines past and present trends in global migration; causes and effects of human movement; the impact migration has on host and home societies; emergence of transnational communities; evolving concepts of race, gender, and class in an era of accelerating globalization; and socioeconomic challenges caused by transnational immigration. Requires off-campus assignments. (Fall odd-numbered years)
- HIST 3050 - Topics in Southern Studies 3 credit hours (various courses are offered under this label—consult with minor advisor)
HIST 3050 - Topics in Southern Studies
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Six hours of HIST 2010, HIST 2020, HIST 2030, HIST 2040, or HIST 2050. Detailed examination of a particular topic important to the region's society, life, and development. May be taken more than once for credit with different topic.
- HIST 4640 - Environmental History 3 credit hours
HIST 4640 - Environmental History
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Six hours of HIST 2010, HIST 2020, HIST 2030, HIST 2040, or HIST 2050. Traces environmental change in America from European contact to the present and from wilderness to suburbia. Explains impact of growth, settlement, and resource exploitation on our national landscape and institutions.
- HIST 4750 - African American Social and Intellectual History 3 credit hours
HIST 4750 - African American Social and Intellectual History
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Six hours of HIST 2010, HIST 2020, HIST 2030, HIST 2040, or HIST 2050. The changing ideology of race and the socioeconomic status of African Americans in the American experience; contributions to the culture and institutions of the United States.
- MUHL 3150 - Musics of the South 3 credit hours
MUHL 3150 - Musics of the South
3 credit hours
A cultural and historical examination of the musical traditions of the southern United States from the colonial era to the present.
- GEOG 4470 - Rural Settlement and Agricultural Landscapes 3 credit hours
GEOG 4470 - Rural Settlement and Agricultural Landscapes
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: GEOG 2000; junior standing. A geographical analysis of forms, structures, and distribution of rural settlements in distinctive parts of the earth based upon their origin, function, and development. Special emphasis in analyzing rural settlements of middle Tennessee.
- GEOG 3120 - Geography of Tennessee and the South 3 credit hours
GEOG 3120 - Geography of Tennessee and the South
3 credit hours
Geography's influence upon Tennessee and the American South's development in local, regional, national, and global contexts. Examines the physical, cultural, political, and economic geographies and their role in shaping the state and the region. (Offered upon sufficient demand)
Mailing Address:
Department of English
Middle Tennessee State University
Box 70
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Main Office: Peck Hall 302
Chair: Dr. Stephen Severn
Email: stephen.severn@mtsu.edu
Telephone: (615) 898-2648
