Duke University

In this podcast, Tim Tyson and Tom Rankin discuss the origins of the course "The South in Black in White". They feel that this course will enlighten the history and literary content of the South.

The "Front Porch" approach of the course will allow Southern storytellers to express their own rich cultures. It will show strengthens and weaknesses while displaying who the South really is and were the South wants to go.

The course is to be held at the Hayti Heritage, which holds a rich history in itself. Topic discussed in the course will consist of: race relations in Durham, the Duke lacrosse situation and the role of public education.

I think it is important to embrace the historical value of the South, no matter how grim it may be. Many associate the South with a number of slurs, but I look at the South as a rich heritage. If you look at all historical facts you will find a little grimness to them all. It's not just white and it's not just black. It's about the South and what the South has overcame and was it to come.

Synopsis of course content from Duke University.

“The South in Black and White” is a lecture and discussion course. We will focus on the history and culture of the 20th century South, a region of the heart, the mind, and the United States where democracy has been envisioned and embattled with global consequences. We will constitute a kind of front porch on Southern history, where we will join those whom Zora Neale Hurston called “the big picture talkers” and hear their stories. Each week there will be music, poetry, film clips, and opportunities for discussion. There will be music, poetry, documents and stories every day. We will explore a history as rich and complicated, painful and delightful as the South itself.