Local+History+Topics


 * Research Papers**
 * English 111**
 * Ms. Peters**

Each of you will be required to select a partner and to research either a historical or social topic on which you can do primary research (at least one interview with someone who has been involved with or who is an expert on your topic). You will then create a multi-genre web containing at least eight different genre pieces, complete with links, to showcase both your research and your writing. You should have at least five sources, including your interview; you may have more than five sources, but you should limit them to not more than ten.

Do not select careers for this paper, as some of you may want to job shadow someone next semester as a part of your senior project and you will not be allowed to do the same topic at that time.

1. The Depression in Southwest Virginia (you need a specific topic here) 2. FDR’s “New Deal” programs as they impacted this area (CCC, WPA, etc.) 3. Any war from WWII to the present war and the impact that war has had on local soldiers and their families 4. The founding of Clinch Valley College 5. The development of the community college system, esp. MECC 6. Any of LBJ’s “Great Society”/ “War on Poverty” programs in our area and their impact (Head Start, Job Corps) 7. Mining disasters in this area and their impact (Choose a specific disaster) 8. Educational issues in Southwest Virginia (such as the impact of SOL testing on local schools or the impact of technology on local schools, the impact of poverty on learning, the impact of local school resource officers) 9. The economic impact of a particular company on Southwest Virginia (Sykes, Crutchfield, Mullican) 10. Country/Bluegrass music (Ralph Stanley, Jim and Jessee McReynolds, The Crooked Road, The Carter Fold, VA/KY Opry, the Country Cabin, the Lays building downtown) 11. Religious issues (Choose a specific issue, such as the role of women as pastors, the changing face of religion in Southwest Virginia) 12. The role of LENOWISCO in the area 13. The GIS project (through the Clerk’s Office at the courthouse) 14. //The Trail of the Lonesome Pine// outdoor drama 15. The impact of the coal industry on the area (Alpha Corp., strikes, stripmining) 16. The impact of the Wise County Redevelopment and Housing Authority has impacted the area (See Charles McConnell or Monty Salyer or both) 17. The development and impact of the Wise County Christian School 18. The development and impact of YouthRace on Wise County’s youth 19. The development and impact of the Neighborhood Watch program in Wise County communities 20. Wise County’s “Dead Beat Dad” program 21. The development and impact of Lonesome Pine Airport 22. The impact of the rail system on Southwest Virginia 23. The development and impact of the Appalachian School of Law 24. The development and impact of the Appalachian School of Pharmacy 25. The Pioneer Center for Business Opportunity (Duffield) 26. The Lonesome Pine Techonology Center 27. The Southwest Virginia Museum 28. The novels of Adriana Trigiani and their depiction of this area 29. Issues concerning the elderly in Southwest Virginia (MEOC, plans for the PACE Center) 30. Plans for Virginia’s first bachelor program in software engineering 31. Drug problems as they impact this area 32. The impact of poverty in Wise County 33. The effect of the region’s “brain drain” over the last 15-20 years (“Return to Roots”) 34. Virginia’s “Race to GED” Program as it impacts this area 35. Economic outlook for Southwest Virginia over next 10 years (Talk to Carl Snodgrass, Jack Kennedy) 36. The work and impact of the Lonesome Pine Office on Youth 37. The opportunities for and the economic impact of tourism in Southwest Virginia (Chamber of Commerce) 38. Environmental or conservation issues that impact Southwest Virginia (The Powell River Project, mountain top removal, flooding and flood control, the biodiversity of the Clinch River) 39. The development and role of the media in Southwest Virginia (Journalism: the //Coalfield Progress//, the //Dickenson Star//, the //Post//, the //Clinch Valley Times//; **or** Radio and TV: WNVA, WISE-FM, WAXM, WSBN-TV, Local Access Programming) 40. Crime in Wise County (choose something specific) 41. The development and role of the public library system in Wise County 42. The problems of one-parent families in Southwest Virginia 43. Famous Southwest Virginians (not all of these—just one individual or one sport, etc.—George C. Scott, Carroll Dale, the Jones brothers, Tracy Stallard, Gov. Linwood Holton, Leanza Cornett, 44. Racing in Wise County—Lonesome Pine Raceway, Travis Tiller, Danny O’Quinn 45. The Napoleon Hill Foundation 46. The life and contributions of C. Bascom Slemp to this region 47. RAM—Remote Area Medical project 48. Health issues related to the local environment (Black Lung, high incidence of cancer) 49. History of the Wise Inn and prospects for its restoration 50. The development and impact of the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development 51. Loss of agriculture in the area—apple orchards, tobacco farming, the decline of the family farm 52. Making of movies in the area—//Coal Miner’s Daughter, The River// 53. Compare/contrast the perception of “Appalachia” held by natives of the area versus those from out of the area. 54. Future prospects for the coal industry in this area 55. The migration from the Appalachian region to the industrial areas of the North
 * Possible topic areas** (many of them will need to be narrowed down to a specific, manageable topic.)