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Throughout this semester in my Honors class (Hum122/His228 Southern Culture/History) I have had a unique opportinity to learn in an environment that is much more open than a standard class. It has been more of a collaborative effort than the typical instructor to student give and take. And this class, specifically being a ‘Learning Community,’ combines these two classes in a way that allows us to take what we learn from both instructors and relate them, sometimes through discussion as well as off campus on field trips.
The field trips we have gone on have been as fun as they have been informational, and being able to apply real life experiences to what we read in our book is another aspect of this class that deviates from the standard in a way that gives us more perspective and insight. Some of the fieldtrips we have had include visiting the Charles B. Aycock birthplace, tasting sweet wood-fired barbeque at Grady’s, and having the Donald Thompson Band serenade us with their funky blues. Each of these has been a treat, and I could not pick which was my favorite. Visiting the CBA birthplace reminded me of early childhood when, annually, I would wonder about the slate boards and strange seats in the school house while sipping warm apple cider. As a child, though, I did not realize what an influence C.B. Aycock had on Wayne County, and even how different my life might be without the changes he made for the school system. Lunch at Grady’s was simply delicious, and after we filled our bellies with arguably the best barbeque in Wayne County (and possibly the state) we had the privilege of touring the little building in which the magic is made. We got to see where they stock pile wood, where the pits are for cooking, the very large freezer for storing meats, as well as a few little odds and ends that keep the place going. And as if that weren’t enough, we also got a brief history of the place from Mrs. Grady herself, but you will have to experience that on your own to get the juicy details. Having the Donald Thompson Band (in the classroom!) was wonderful, and being a guitar player I found this as inspirational as it was fun. The trio (Sunny Boy, Donald, and Chris) all seemed just as happy to be there as we were, and they really gave a lot more than I expected (I went home with a fedora as well as new tricks for my glass slide). I’m sure I speak for us all by saying this semester has been one of my favorites.
Aside from all of the fun we’re having, I feel the need to comment on the classroom side of the class as well. We do still have weekly assignments, journal entries, and midterms just like any other class, but instead of simply gritting our teeth and enduring hours of work to be submitted for a mysterious number we have discussions about articles, parts of our textbook, even our midterms. We watch clips from movies and documentaries, and throughout these accumulative assignments we’re asked to observe, analyze, and share. Sometimes it feels like all six of us are instructors because all of us inevitably bring differing oppinions and are given the freedom to express them. I have learned more in this class than I could have hoped.
I am not originally from Eastern North Carolina and had never heard of Governor Charles B. Aycock. In this class we got the opportunity to go to the birthplace of Charles B. Aycock. There I learned that Governor Aycock started hundreds of schools in North Carolina during his time as governor. Governor Aycock was an activist for equal opportunity education and help North Carolina school systems get a fantastic start.
During the trip we got to go into an old schoolhouse where we were taught the
“silly” rules that students and teachers had to follow during the early twentieth century. Students back then were graded for penmanship and all grades were in the same building. There was a separation of boys and girls in the classroom as well as during recess.
This field trip was very educational and made me, as a college student, appreciate the education that I have as well as the education I will continue to get in the future.
Visual Enrichment
History of the South has been a wonderful and enriching course. I’ve really have enjoyed the incorporation of films into the class times. When talking about the pre-civil war period; the antebellum South, we learned about the South’s particularly strong tie to the land and saw this and the South’s indomitable sense of honor in the movie “Gone with the Wind”. This movie illustrated very well the social culture of the time and showed a glimpse into the family dynamics before and after the civil war, and during reconstruction. Besides the romantic component of the story we see the struggle of people of the upper planter class that went from having every luxury to having nothing but the land they might have just held on to. But through all this they never lose their pride for the South or the land and this ultimately keeps the South alive. This movie really helped me visualize what exactly had happened.
The next movie and section was “The Help” and the civil rights movement. “The Help” was really enjoyable, being the great actresses and the story. Though some say it was sugar coated, I definitely found it to be great representation of the views and stereotypes present leading up to civil rights. It provided valuable insight as to the hardships faced by African Americans within the South. The social class was a very prominent part of the movie with the interactions between the help, the poor “white trash”, and the middle class a key component. It tied in perfectly with our chapter on social class.
The last and latest movie we watched; “The Apostle” in conjunction with our chapter on religion. We also watched two other documentaries that also tied in. The big thing about the religion chapter was the always present Southern honor and the South unwillingness to change created strongly motivated and charismatic teachings that lead to problems concerning evolution and many other controversies. We also learned about many of the inconsistency of the church as we saw in “The Apostle” how corrupt this institution can sometimes be when pride and honor come to suit. All in all the films viewed in this class greatly enrich the learning experience and help bridge ideas together to greater understand the concepts brought to light in this class.
For an assignment we interviewed a person that we thought would have experiences relative to living in the South. I chose my grandmother to interview, and received an amazing montage of information from her childhood and throughout her life. She had many interesting and memorable experiences living life on a farm then moving to town as well as remembering a time before electric lights and indoor plumbing. Through integration and wars she has seen so much and it was a blessing to have had her share those with me and to have her voice and memories always with me.
During Charles B. Aycock birthplace’s Christmas program I was able to volunteer there and talk to groups that went through the house about the parlor and how it was traditionally decked for Christmas. I had to talk about the history of the Christmas tree as well as chores women completed before the holidays. I was with another person in the parlor and we worked together to tell the different things. She would tell about traditions such as hanging up stockings by the fireplace and various superstitions that may have been observed during the holidays such as lighting the candles on the tree only on Christmas Eve, or not cleaning out the ashes in the fireplace on Christmas day for fear it would bring bad luck. We also got to enjoy apple cider and a relatively warm night. It was an amazing opportunity to learn some history and volunteer.
http://moodle.waynecc.edu/mod/lightboxgallery/view.php?id=219428
Charles B. Aycock Christmas Program Picture in parlor.
For an assignment in my Southern Culture and Southern History class, I interviewed Ms. Judy Farfour. She was such a delight to interview. I learned so much from Ms. Farfour. She sent me on, what seemed to be, a time warp back to the early 1930’s. She told me about how Goldsboro was during the Depression from what her father had told her as a child. Her father was a Lebanese man who came to Eastern North Carolina in the late 1800’s and stayed in Goldsboro. He owned a store and worked his way up to millionaire status. The Depression came and sent him to being in the poverty level. Ms. Farfour told me about how during World War II she went to the Air Force base and danced with the single GI’s as a form of entertainment. Not only did Ms. Farfour teach me about history, but she taught me some valuable life lessons. She told me about how family-oriented her life was between her parents and her siblings; this was so important to her. Ms. Farfour never married and lived her life as a career lady, which included her getting the opportunity to travel often. She told me about her culture, as well as how Goldsboro has transformed form a small town with a few stores to a booming economic town with many opportunities. I also never knew that the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base did not open until the First World War and would shut down after the war until a certain mayor pushed for the base to become permanent.
On a delicious field trip to Grady’s Barbeque in Dudley, North Carolina, I learned a lot about how Eastern North Carolina Barbeque evolved and is prepared. Mr. and Mrs. Grady were very welcoming and educated our class about how the famous little bbq shack started and grew. This field trip was my first experience eating this kind of barbeque and I was more than impressed. I learned how the barbeque pit originated as well as how it evolved. The barbeque sauce was a great blend as well. This field trip taught me a little more about my culture and why the food we eat is the way that it is.
Our class got to enjoy the delightful sounds of the Donald Thompson band! It was a great experience where I had the opportunity to learn about how jazz originated in the South and how it was molded into the modern music that we listen to today. The band members were so animated and colorful! The band was beyond professional and educated about their origins of their music. We learned about how jazz transformed within the white and black cultures. This was one experience that I will never forget. It was amazing getting to learn about this music that has so much emotion and playfulness as well.
What makes the South’s culture so unique is the fact that the people who live here are very traditional. Traditional can be a curse, as well as, a blessing. Southerners tend to keep traditions alive because we are very resistant to change as a whole people. The South also have deep roots in the land because for so long our culture was very agrarian based. Religion has deep roots here in the South, from the popular Southern Baptists to the evangelical movements that have swept the South. Honor and pride are many traits Southerners hold tight to as well. There are so many things that diversify the South from other states and the list can go on and on. The Southern culture is really something that has to be experience to receive the full effect. The South has suffered through many hardships, most of them I believe are our own faults; but it has become such a beautiful and comforting thing… as well as disturbing when the hatred is exposed.
When our class went to visit the ESL program at WCC we met Maria who gave us wonderful insight into the many types of people who immigrate to the south today and how difficult it is to move from one place to another not knowing the launguage at all. We had been studying race and immagration in the south and how diverse it is today. We really had no idea how many different types of people come from all over the world, from south america to africa to asia there are so many diverse groups reciding in the south its amazing how much it has changed considering how people tend to view the south as less of a melting pot of groups. It was definitely a great learning experience.
The south is so unique in the fact that much its roots have been retained while still evolving to incoorporate new ideals and traditions. The south holds fast to foods with barbeque being a big deal, along with its traditional southern hospitality, tie to the land, and that stubborn southern pride that has gotten us into trouble at times. But the south has been through quite a bit to retain its standing and though it has been a fight all the way the south has opened up some and has gained many new and exciting bits to its culture. The south also as a history like no other; a civil war that spaned four years along with reconstruction that completely turned the south’s economic views around. Through all of this it still held on and though forever changed kept some of the good things that make the south worth living in.