Program Overview

Introduction to the Bachelor of Arts in Southern Studies

The Center for the Study of Southern Culture in the College of Liberal Arts offers the Bachelor of Arts in Southern Studies. This interdisciplinary major seeks to understand the American South in all 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.

Program Details

• The major includes courses in disciplines that are critical to many professional schools, such as law school, and for many career paths.
• Students must be accepted by competitive application to the B.A. in Southern Studies.
• Southern Studies is an approved Academic Common Market program at the University of Mississippi, offering resident tuition rates for non-resident students from certain approved Southern states who are admitted to the program.
• The Center offers an Accelerated Master's degree, whereby students can earn the B.A. and M.A. in Southern Studies in 5 instead of 6 years, saving time and money.

Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Southern Studies

• Required Credit Hours: 120
• Program Type: Major
• Program Location: Oxford
• School: College of Liberal Arts
• Duration: 4 Years
• Degree Requirements: Find out about credit hour and curriculum requirements from the academic catalog.
• General Education Requirements: Students in the College of Liberal Arts earning the B.A. degree have a common set of 48-50 hours of general education, including:
  • First Year Writing I, II
  • English Literature Survey
  • Modern or Ancient Language
  • History
  • Additional Humanities
  • Fine or Performing Arts Appreciation
  • Mathematics
  • Social Sciences
  • Natural Sciences

Course Requirements

• B.A. in Southern Studies students complete 10 courses (30 credit hours) related to the study of the American South, including:
  • 4 courses (12 credit hours) at the 300-level or higher.
  • S St 101: Introduction to Southern Studies I
  • S St 401: Southern Studies Seminar
  • Two courses (6 credit hours) from:
    • S St 103: Southern Mythologies and Popular Culture
    • S St 104: The South and Race
    • S St 105: Introduction to the South and Food
    • S St 106: Introduction to Southern Documentary
    • S St 107: Intro to Gender & Sexuality in the South
    • S St 108: Music and Southern Society
    • S St 109: Rights and Southern Activism
    • S St 110: Slavery and the University
    • S St 118: Introductory Topics in Southern Music
  • Six courses (18 credit hours) from the lists below in at least two different departments:
    • African American Studies
    • Art
    • Economics
    • English
    • Gender Studies
    • History
    • Journalism
    • Music
    • Political Science
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Southern Studies
    • Writing and Rhetoric

Minor in Southern Studies

• The minor in Southern Studies consists of 6 courses (18 credit hours) related to Southern Studies.
• S St 101: Introduction to Southern Studies I
• S St 401: Southern Studies Seminar
• One course from:
  • S St 103: Southern Mythologies and Popular Culture
  • S St 104: The South and Race
  • S St 105: Introduction to the South and Food
  • S St 106: Introduction to Southern Documentary
  • S St 107: Intro to Gender & Sexuality in the South
  • S St 108: Music and Southern Society
  • S St 109: Rights and Southern Activism
  • S St 110: Slavery and the University
  • S St 118: Introductory Topics Southern Music
• 3 courses (9 credit hours) from the lists of African American Studies, Art, Economics, English, Gender Studies, History, Journalism, Music, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, Southern Studies, and Writing and Rhetoric.

Accelerated Master's Degree in Southern Studies

• The Accelerated B.A. and M.A. program offers undergraduates the opportunity to begin earning credit towards a graduate degree while they complete the final requirements for their undergraduate degree.
• Undergraduate Southern Studies students can apply to the Accelerated Master's Degree program after completing 90 credit hours with a GPA of 3.0.

Career Opportunities

• Southern Studies majors receive training in research, interpretation, and communication skills that can be custom-fitted for a wide array of occupations.
• They develop flexibility of mind, work well with a diverse group of people, and exercise the critical thinking skills necessary to survive and thrive in a 21st-century environment all skills highly desired by employers.
• 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.