Center for the Study of Southern Culture
WHAT WE DO
The Center for the Study of Southern Culture seeks to investigate, document, interpret, and teach about the American South through academic inquiry and publications, documentary studies of film, photography, and oral history, and public outreach programs.
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Interdisciplinary Study of the South
Center scholars and students investigate and document the South as a region of cultural, historical, geographic, and demographic complexity.
Academic Programs
Undergraduate Studies
Southern Studies majors seek to understand the American South in all of its complexity by investigating challenging topics such as the historical meaning of being a Southerner, what it means to be a Southerner in the 21st century, the relationship of the South to America’s national identity, and the role of the South in an increasingly global world. The Center offers a Bachelor of Arts and minor in Southern Studies.
Documentary Studies
Documentary Studies has been an integral part of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture since its founding. Students who want to study documentary storytelling can do so in both the M.A. Documentary Track and the M.F.A. in Documentary Expression programs.
Graduate Studies
The Southern Studies Master of Arts program attracts students with a range of scholarly interests and has three possible tracks: thesis, documentary, and internship. The Center also offers a Master of Fine Arts degree in Documentary Expression—a program that combines coursework in Southern Studies and interdisciplinary fields with advanced training in photography, film, and audio production.
Why Southern Studies?
Meet Our Student Ambassadors
Kaitlin Orsega
Why did you choose to attend UM?
See Kaitlin’s Answer
Keely Butler
Why is your department a special place?
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Leah Sumner
Why is your department a special place?
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Merritt Tompkins
What do you hope to do after you graduate?
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Sophia Jaqubino
What would you tell a high school student about your major? What is most important for them to know if they're interested in pursuing that field of study?
See Sophia ’s AnswerEvents
Latest
Highlighting the latest news, research, and events related to Southern studies. Featuring faculty insights, student achievements, and community collaborations. Stay updated on thought-provoking discussions, publications, and cultural happenings shaping the study of the American South.
Arts & Culture / Events
OXFORD, Miss. – This spring, the already impressive number of talented writers in Oxford will multiply as more than 20 of the nation's leading and emerging authors, poets, scholars and artists gather for the Oxford Conference for the Book.
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Faculty News / Publications / Staff News
Visit Our News Archive
Find older news stories about the Center for the Study of Southern Culture in our news archive.
Support the Center
How your gift helps
Gifts to the Center for the Study of Southern Culture benefit teaching, publications, and outreach at the first interdisciplinary research center dedicated to investigating, documenting, interpreting, and teaching about the American South. See a highlighted list below of what contributions to the Center make possible:
- assistantships and research support for students in the M.A. in Southern Studies and the M.F.A. in Documentary Expression programs
- collaborations with the Southern Foodways Alliance, a Center institute
- state-wide partnerships to tell Mississippi stories
- radio programs like Highway 61
- outreach events, such as the Oxford Conference for the Book and the SouthTalks speaker series
See a more comprehensive list of donor-funded initiatives here.