POLS 3060 - Politics of Appalachia

• Students will be able to assess the impact of economic, political & social forces on the development of physical & social capital.
• Students will be able to evaluate the major theories of development and underdevelopment as they apply to Appalachia.
• Students will be able to evaluate the weaknesses and assets of distressed areas, with special attention to physical and social infrastructure, & human resources.
• Students will be able to identify the major public programs that have been designed to address local development.
• Students will be able to articulate insights about one’s own cultural rules and biases in comparison to Appalachian cultures.
• Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of Appalachian cultures in relation to their history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practice.
• Students will be able to interpret intercultural experience from their own and the worldviews of Appalachian communities and to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of members of Appalachian communities.
• Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of cultural differences with Appalachian communities in verbal and non-verbal communication and to negotiate a shared understanding based on those differences.
• Students will be able to ask complex questions of Appalachian cultures and to articulate answers to these questions that reflect multiple cultural perspectives.
• Students will be able to initiate and develop interactions with culturally different others while suspending judgment in valuing their interactions with culturally different others.