Studying the South

Any semester Southern Studies courses might include classes on global South literature, Freedom Summer, the South in film, southern environmental history, southern religious history, memory and the civil rights movement, the civil war, southern travel writing, heritage tourism, Native American identity and citizenship in the South, the blues, the politics of civil liberties and civil rights, and many other topics.  Students have the opportunity to engage in documentary fieldwork, producing films, photography, and oral histories.

The Center’s year-round outreach programs allow students to interact with scholars and people engaged in the arts, humanities, and social justice work. Students are encouraged to join in the work of the Southern Foodways Alliance, the Southern Documentary Project, and Living Blues magazine, as well as volunteer in the community, intern with organizations that investigate and document Southern culture, attend the weekly “South Talks” lectures, and participate in faculty research.

What to do with A Southern Studies Degree

The interdisciplinary nature of the Center draws students with a diverse range of interests who go on to pursue many different fields, both scholarly and in the arts, humanities, social justice, law, the nonprofit world, and business.

In each edition of the Center newsletter The Southern Register, we profile alumni in different fields.