Lots of HL90s to consider! Rachel Kirby’s “The South: Histories of a U.S. Region” is back, Monday 12:45-2:45. There’s Dolly Parton, Disney, and a field trip!
What inspired you to teach this class? Tell us a bit about it!
I’m both from the South and my research focuses on the South, so I’m really excited to teach a class focusing on the region – and in New England, no less!
I’m continually struck by the tendency for the South to be discussed as distinct from the nation, rather than as an integral part of national trends, politics, and discourses. We’re going to confront this head on, looking at various instances in which the boundaries of the South become slippery. I’ve structured the class so that each week focuses on a different South, highlighting the fact that the South is not static or monolithic. That said, I know that my syllabus doesn’t cover everything (I initially had a list of over 30 “Souths” that I had to cut down significantly!), so the final project will ask students to identify and examine an additional “South.” For me, studying the South is automatically interdisciplinary. It’s a region with vibrant art, culture, music, and stories, and I’m looking forward to exploring it together.
We heard this class has a field trip. Can you tell us about that?
Of course! Early in the semester, we’ll be visiting the Royall House and Slave Quarters Museum in Medford. So often we think about plantations as specifically southern, but that is just not the case. As a group, we’ll be given a tour of the house and quarters, where we’ll learn about the history of enslavement in Harvard’s own backyard. I hope that this trip helps us better understand the daily life of people who were enslaved, interrogate regional divisions, and look for connections between the course materials and the world around us.
What topics or texts are you excited to share with students?
I’m always excited to talk about Disney. The Walt Disney Company has been such a huge influence in American culture over the last 100 years, so there is no shortage of material to discuss! We’re going to look at a few different ways that Disney has engaged with ideas of the South, and I’m hoping it’ll be generative and, perhaps, surprising.
I’m also making a few shifts from last year’s syllabus, so stay tuned!
Why should a student take this class?
We’re going to talk about Dolly Parton – need I say more?!
On a more serious note, the South provides us with the opportunity to discuss many crucial elements of United States history, culture, and politics that continue to shape the country today. While focusing on the South, this class will offer students frameworks that they can apply to examinations of other regions. And this course will cover a large variety of topics and source types, so there should be something for everyone!
How can students learn more?
You can see sample weeks on Canvas or send an email.
Harvard History & Literature 
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