Regional Studies students shocking fish for stream monitoring

It is through place that we put out roots, wherever birth, chance, fate or our traveling selves set us down. - Eudora Welty

Regionalism is a paradigm for developing a holistic understanding of a place and its people. By geography and commitment, Mars Hill College is a Southern Appalachian educational institution. For more than 140 years it has served the people of the South and the Southern Blue Ridge. As one expression of its commitment, the Regional Studies Program is designed to foster an understanding of the history, culture and environment of the region. Mars Hill College is uniquely situated to explore regionalism as the interdisciplinary study of place.

This program offers a Regional Studies Minor for students interested in learning the skills necessary for the holistic study of a given place. The minor includes courses in the arts, humanities, and sciences. Resources that support this program are coordinated through the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies located in Renfro Library on the Mars Hill College campus.

Overlooking the Toe River Watershed from Mt. Mitchell

Faculty and staff developed this approach to regional study under a National Endowment for the Humanities Focus Grant entitled "Rethinking Regionalism" in 2002/2003. The grant supported a series of seminars on the value of regionalism for teaching and learning. The project included discussions based on current readings, visits by two scholarly consultants, a workshop with community partners, and revisions of the Regional Studies curriculum.

For more information about the Regional Studies Program or the Regional Studies Minor, contact Dr. Joanna T. Pierce, Coordinator of Regional Studies, Campus PO Box 6662, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill NC 28754; 828 689-1145, jtpierce@mhc.edu.