Since I moved back to my home in Appalachia I have observed striking
similarities between local economic development problems and the ones I studied
in LAS, not surprising since Appalachian studies also uses dependency theory. I
run a library of CHILD development for the local Early Intervention Program, and
I have been exposed to research showing that poverty has a direct effect on IQ.
Specifically, children who grow up in an unsafe environment overdevelop their
limbic systems, responsible for survival, at the expense of curiosity and
speech. There are already inner city neighborhoods with an average IQ of 80-85
in young children BUT NOT NECESSARILY THEIR PARENTS - not genetic.
No amount of therapy can save a child from an environment that forces him or
her to be a surviver instead of a thinker, and every year more research comes
out linking child development to economic development. Is there any academic
program that would incorporate both? I want to go back to school for a second
Master's or PhD and I would appreciate recommendations. If I can avoid a
"customized" major I would much prefer to; employers tend not to take them
seriously.