Palmetto Ridge has launched a new Certificate in Gullah Geechee Studies, an 18-credit program exploring the history, language, foodways, music, and arts of the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of enslaved West and Central Africans who have lived along the Southeast coast for centuries.
What makes the program unique is who teaches it. Each course pairs a Palmetto Ridge faculty member with community elders who serve as paid co-teachers, including sweetgrass basket makers, praise house singers, fishermen, and storytellers whose families have lived along Cooper’s Run for generations.
For too long, our culture was studied by people from somewhere else. This program puts our elders at the front of the room, where they belong.
— Prof. Elijah Gadsden, History & Gullah Geechee Studies
What students will learn
Courses include Gullah Language and Oral Tradition, Lowcountry Foodways, Land and Heirs’ Property, and Sacred Music of the Sea Islands. Students complete a community project, such as recording oral histories or documenting family land records, that is archived in the Heritage Center at Old Main.
The certificate is open to degree-seeking students and community members, and several courses are available online through RidgeLearn. Nearly 60 students enrolled in the first term, ranging in age from 18 to 81.
I am learning my grandmother’s words in a college classroom. I never imagined that.
— Lorraine Jenkins, certificate student