Study Away

AAS 449D – The Gullah Experience Course (Spring 2027)

Africana Studies is pleased to offer The Gullah Experience course for the Spring 2027 semester. We are seeking 6 students to enroll in the course and travel to the Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor in the southern United States for an immersive and experiential cultural learning trip March 22, 2027, to March 27, 2027.

Generally, our course will provide an overview of the historical, social, economic, and political narrative of the African American experience. Each week will be a different learning module with a different topic related to Gullah history and culture. Students will scaffold those topics and build a base of knowledge that will demonstrate the significant impact of Gullah culture on both African American and African Diasporic Studies. In the middle of the semester, we will travel to the Sea Islands for experiential learning opportunities. When we return, we will use the knowledge from the previous course materials and trip to engage more deeply with Gullah history and culture.

Course Trip includes:

• A tour of the historic Penn Center and St. Helena Island, South Carolina
• Visits to the Gullah communities of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Sapelo Island, St. Simons Island, and Harris Neck, Georgia
• A historic tour of Savannah
• Learn about Gullah/Geechee arts and culture at the Geechee Kunda Center in Riceboro, Georgia

For more information, please contact Dr. Judy Strathearn at: [email protected]

The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor was created to call attention to the historic and cultural contributions of the Gullah Geechee people. The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved and bought to the lower Atlantic states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia to work on the coastal rice, Sea Island cotton and indigo plantations. Because their enslavement was on isolated coastal plantations, sea and barrier islands, they were able to retain many of their indigenous African traditions. These traditions are reflected in their foodways, arts and crafts, and spiritual traditions. They also created a new language, Gullah, a creole language spoken nowhere else in the world.

Travel (airfare, lodging) and other trip related costs will be covered mostly by the Department of Africana Studies; each student will need to commit $500 toward the trip costs.

Student Participation Requirement: In order to be considered for this trip students must be current (at the time of application) Africana Studies majors or minors.

Students interested in participating in this experience must complete this application in order to be considered.

If you are selected by our committee to participate, this experience will provide you with opportunities to engage with one another through a series of pre-conference workshops hosted by MSU Denver faculty and staff, participate in this immersive learning experience as a cohort, and be asked to share your experience and knowledge gained post-trip in creative ways. The goals of this experience are the following:

• Personal & professional growth and development
• Student engagement
• Cultural engagement
• Career readiness skill development

What do we need from you? Simply complete this application to indicate your interest and commitment to attending the trip. Our committee will then review your submission and finalize attendees by Monday, November 2, 2026.

The deadline to submit this application is Monday, October 26th at 11:59 pm