Spring 2023 Course
SOST 101-001 – TTh 10:05-11:20AM (Instructor Dr. Matthew Simmons)
SOST 101-002 – MW 2:20-3:35PM (Instructor Dr. Rodney Taylor)
The Literary South
This course will introduce students to important literary texts of the American South,
ranging from European contact through the 21st century. We will also emphasize the
interplay of Southern literary output with and in reaction to important historical
and political trends. Within the Carolina Core, this course meets the Aesthetic and
Interpretative Understanding learning outcome in that students will be able to interpret
the literature of the American South, which will help them understand the human condition
as it is expressed through literary output.
CAROLINA CORE AIU CREDIT
SOST 298-001 – TTh 10:05-11:20am (Instructor Dr. Christine Sixta-Rinehart)
Topics in the American South: Southern Military History
This course covers military activity from 1754 to 1865. Officially starting with The
French and Indian War and ending with the Civil War, this course examines military
history from the South's perspectives. The course will explore the lived experience
of war and the pivotal role of Southern leadership in several United States’ wars.
Focusing on the social military history, this course will explore how southerners
both experienced and led during times of war.
SOST 301-001 - TTh 8:30-9:45AM (Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Gunter)
Intro to Southern Studies: 1580-1900
This course explores the history and culture of the American South from the colonial
period to the advent of the Jim Crow racial hierarchy. Using studies that focus on
the American South produced by scholars representing a variety of academic disciplines,
this course seeks to unpack the fundamental phenomena that shaped the region and facilitated
its “uniqueness.” In particular, this course raises questions about the intellectual,
cultural, social, political, and economic forces that distinguished the region from
other parts of the nation. Paying close attention to overlapping and interrelated
social constructs, this course looks to art, religion, folklore, literature, and historical
narratives and events in order to uncover the origins of “the South” that dominates
the American imagination.
SOST 302-001 – MW 2:20-3:30PM (Instructor Dr. David Marquis)
Intro to Southern Studies: The 20th Century
This course will examine the ideas, political movements, economics, and people that
shaped the South in the 20th century through an interdisciplinary lens.
CAROLINA CORE GLD/GHS CREDIT
SOST 405-001 TTH 10:05-11:20AM (Instructor Birgitta Johnson)
Topics in Southern Studies: Black Sacred Music
*Crosslisted with MUSC544 & AFAM398)
This course provides a socio-cultural history and survey of the Black sacred music
tradition from its sound culture sources in West Africa to its emergence in African
American oral culture. Emphasis will be placed on the philosophical underpinnings
of Black sacred music, the social and political forces that led to the development
the Black Church and various styles of the sacred music developed within this context
in the United States. Also this course will note the often overlooked impact of gospel
music and African American church music traditions on the development of rhythm ‘n’
blues, rock ‘n’ roll, soul, and disco as well as gospel music’s current presence internationally.
Sacred genres under review and discussion will include: the spirituals tradition,
hymns, anthems, gospel hymns, jubilee quartets, male quartets, classic gospel, modern
gospel, contemporary gospel, urban contemporary gospel, holy hip-hop/Christian rap,
and/or praise and worship music/contemporary Christian music (CCM).
SOST 500-001 TTH 2:50-4:05pm (Instructor Dr. Mindi Spencer)
Topics in the American South: Southern Discomfort: Public Health and the American
South
The American South possesses a unique health and disease profile that has contributed
to the idea of Southern distinctiveness. Throughout history, the South has experienced
regional disparities that have largely gone unresolved, even with the public health
revolution. The purpose of this 3-credit course is to investigate these topics through
lecture, film, and guided readings. Each interdisciplinary lecture will cover a different
aspect of health in the South, ranging from an examination of the endemic diseases
of the antebellum period to the current HIV/AIDS crisis. We will also spend time discussing
the ethical implications of the pellagra and
Tuskegee experiments and the lasting impact these experiments had on health-related
research.