Writing experience into Georgia's seafood heritage

The UGA Domestic Field Study (DFS) programs integrate place-based, active, and faculty-driven experiential learning to provide immersive, off-campus learning experiences. The social and geographic diversity found across the state yield innumerable possibilities for field study programs, though perhaps none as extensive and captivating as the Georgia coast.

“Writing and Community at the Georgia Coast” is a service-learning domestic field study course at UGA exploring the Lowcountry, documenting and celebrating the relationships between people and seafood:

This course was developed through a collaboration between the UGA Office of Instruction and UGA Public Service and Outreach, connecting the Office of Service-Learning, the Domestic Field Study program, and Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. Course instructor Elizabeth Davis spearheaded the initiative following her participation in the first Domestic Field Study Fellows cohort. 

“It’s been incredible. This is what I imagined—learning firsthand what goes on in these communities, what they’re like, what their concerns are,” says Davis, who coordinates the Interdisciplinary Writing Certificate program at UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “Concerns vary from place to place, yet they are all connected by some very strong threads.”  

Davis developed the concept after teaming up with faculty at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. The organization’s long history of working with Georgia’s fishing communities made it an ideal partner for connecting students with people whose lives revolve around safe, sustainable seafood.  

During the first half of the trip, the students stayed at South Carolina’s historic Penn Center, immersing themselves in the cultural tapestry of the Gullah Geechee community and gaining insights into its historical significance along the Georgia coast. 

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Image: Students explore the salt marsh on Jekyll Island, learning about the benefits of this habitat to a variety of marine species.