More than a century ago, John C. Campbell observed that “Appalachia is a land about which more things are known that are not true than any part of this country.” Sadly, Campbell’s assertion is still disappointingly accurate – particularly among residents of geographical Appalachia who do not fit prevailing regional stereotypes – i.e. people like us!

As a continuation of the fall class, this course will focus exclusively on depictions of Appalachia in documentaries and movies. Some of the films we will watch won considerable acclaim (even a few academy awards). Others never gained much attention, were forgotten almost as soon as they appeared, and are rarely known today except among regional specialists. Among the topics we will address: the impacts of World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II on the Appalachian region; the effects of outmigration; strip-mining; the causes and consequences of a Regional Awakening that exploded in the 1970s and continues today; several prominent contributors to that Awakening; new insights into the history of east Tennessee as a sub-region of Appalachia; and Dolly Parton and JD Vance as prominent Appalachians today. We will conclude the course by viewing two recent documentaries from within the region and a third that offers an outside view.