Celebrating our latest Southern Studies thesis defender Written By Rebecca Lauck Cleary As an international graduate student, Elliot Grime wanted to learn about the culture of the South and better understand the region. For the past two years, he has taken documentary courses enabling him to get first-hand experience interacting with people, places, and the …
Category: Graduates
From Pastry Chef to Student: Kelly Spivey Studies Baking and Gender in the South
Her research and writing focuses on baking, gender, labor, and race Written by Rebecca Lauck Cleary Kelly Spivey learned about adaptability and instinct from cooking in restaurants, and decided to exchange her rolling pin for stack of textbooks. She turned those skills into a backdrop for her academic studies as a graduate student in the …
Tyler Keith earns M.F.A. degree
Written By Rebecca Lauck Cleary As a musician, Tyler Keith’s love of music was bound to be a part of his graduate studies. During his time in the Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Expression program, he looked at the intersection of gospel and blues in the North Mississippi Hill Country and how locality is …
Agriculture and Labor: Carlynn Crosby Examines Potato Farming in Florida
Written by Rebecca Lauck Cleary You might not immediately think of potatoes when you think of Florida, but it turns out the crop has deep roots there. On June 4, Carlynn Crosby successfully defended her thesis “Potato Capital: Agriculture, Labor, and the (Un)Making of Hastings,” which shed light on the labor practices of Florida potato …
Finding vision everywhere: Zaire Love earns M.F.A. degree
Written By Rebecca Lauck Cleary How can someone you’ve never met be an inspiration? Just ask Zaire Love, who defended her thesis April 29 for her M.F.A. in Documentary Expression degree. For her, the death of a musician in California influenced her work on a personal level in Mississippi Rapper, entrepreneur, and activist Nipsey Hussle …
From M.A. to M.F.A.: Hooper Schultz completes his time at the Center
Written By Rebecca Lauck Cleary After graduating with his M.A. in Southern Studies in 2019, Hooper Schultz decided to remain at the University of Mississippi for another year and earn his M.F.A. in Documentary Expression. On April 28, he defended his thesis and fulfilled that goal. Schultz is a historian whose work has focused mainly …
James G. Thomas Jr. Wraps Up M.F.A. Oral History Project on Lebanese Mississippians
Thomas successfully defended his thesis on April 20 Written By Rebecca Lauck Cleary James G. Thomas Jr. began his research on the history of Lebanese communities in the Mississippi Delta in 2006, when he was working on his master’s degree in Southern Studies. That effort turned into his master’s thesis, and now he has completed …
Hilary Word tackles post-soul supernatural and futuristic worlds
Second M.A. student defends her thesis remotely Written By Rebecca Lauck Cleary Southern Studies master’s student Hilary Word has been considering the supernatural and futuristic worlds through the lens of literature for years. Word’s thesis “Post-Soul Speculation: An Exploration of Afro-Southern Speculative Fiction,” looks at the genre of fiction that encompasses works where the setting …
Olivia Terenzio Provides Transnational Perspective on the Relationships between Food, Nation, and Racial Formation
Congratulations to the first remote thesis defender Written by Rebecca Lauck Cleary Rice and beans are staple foods for many cultures around the world. The combination makes up a complete protein, and is delicious and nutritious. Olivia Terenzio became interested in the subject of rice and beans after spending a few months in Brazil in …