Study (v.) 1. To apply oneself to the acquisition of knowledge. 2. To take under consideration; to think about. 3. To have any interest in or concern for. Often used in negative constructions: I ain’t studying you = I’m not paying attention to you, I don’t care about you; I ain’t gonna study war no more = I will not practice warfare any more. [According to the Dictionary of American Regional English, this usage has occurred often in the South.]
Lots of us at the College of Charleston are studying the South. We care about the region. We’re paying close attention to what it has been and what it may become. Our study takes us beyond simplistic stereotypes–both positive and negative–and allows us to explore the region in all its complexity and diversity.
Our courses and research projects analyze the stories Southerners tell about themselves and the stories that others tell about the South. We’re concerned about Southern ecosystems, about the region’s persistent poverty and systemic racism, its industries and infrastructure. We’re paying attention to what this region shares with other parts of the world that scholars are calling “the global south.”
We’re digging deep into Southern literature, history, politics, religious traditions; we’re studying Southern art and architecture, drama, film, newspapers and magazines, musical traditions; we’re analyzing Southern racial and ethnic identities, gender and sexuality, families and community rituals, tourism, foodways, and more.
There’s lots of studying to do around here.
Peacock studying the roofline, Middleton Gardens
The Program in Southern Studies resides in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
