Center for Appalachian Studies

The Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University is located in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains in Boone, North Carolina.

The Center for Appalachian Studies develops, coordinates, and facilitates curricula and programs which deal with the Appalachian region.  Operating within the framework of the University’s basic missions of teaching, research, and service, the Center’s activities seek to encourage individuals drawn from among Appalachian’s students, faculty, and public to invest more of themselves in the region than the simple economic exchanges derived from studying, working and relaxing here, and so add to the human capital available for the region’s development.  Through study of the region’s rich cultural and environmental inheritance, the Center encourages members of the university community to understand more fully the social and cultural implications of the choices they make as permanent or part-time residents and as consumers of the region’s many amenities.  The Center’s programs also broadcast to the larger world a deeper understanding of the special needs of mountain regions both as cultural and environmental settings.  It assists ASU scholars in their teaching and research about the region, so that their professional development parallels their involvements as citizens and as residents.

The Appalachian Studies Program consists of a Master of Arts degree in Appalachian Studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Appalachian Studies.

The Master of Arts degree in Appalachian Studies has three concentrations: Appalachian Culture, Appalachian Music: Roots and Influences, and Sustainable Development. The Graduate Program also offers an On-campus Graduate Certificate in Appalachian Studies, an Online Graduate Certificate in Appalachian Studies, and a Graduate Minor in Appalachian Studies.

The undergraduate program also offers two minors: Appalachian Studies and Appalachian Music: Roots and Influences.

Dr. Patricia D. Beaver, Center Director
beaverpd@appstate.edu

Dr. Katherine Ledford, Program Director
ledfordke@appstate.edu