Welcome
Mission
Created to foster the study of the American South, the Institute for Southern Studies serves as a link to the very rich research resources at the University of South Carolina as well as providing access to other important research facilities throughout the state. It brings together outstanding faculty specializing in the study of the South from a wide variety of disciplines for research, teaching, special seminars and public programs.
The Institute provides students with a variety of valuable, challenging courses and research projects, and the opportunity to earn a Minor in Southern Studies. Its public programs on campus, throughout the state and through public media extend its educational mission across the region and the nation. Through its scholarly publications the Institute fosters the continuing exploration of all aspects of this important region.
Selected Resources
Names in South Carolina
A compendium of South Carolina place names and their histories, compiled from 1955 to 1979. From the preface: "One of the primary purposes of Names in South Carolina is to provide an authentic record of the origins of our state's names. Such information will prove valuable to sociologists, historians, and linguists in writing their special studies. We are . . . attempting through the years to make a composite collection of the place names in South Carolina." Edited by Claude Henry Neuffer and Irene Neuffer.
The South Carolina Encyclopedia
The South Carolina Encyclopedia is "an authoritative and entertaining one-volume compilation of essays on topics ranging from politics to the arts, from Hilton Head to Caesars Head, and from the Lords Proprietors to Hootie and the Blowfish." Edited primarily by Walter Edgar, together with many associate editors from fellow southern colleges. More available under Exploring the South
What's Happening in Southern Studies
For the 2012 Philip Grose Lecture, Emory University historian Joseph Crespino will give a lecture on his new biography of the late Senator Strom Thurmond. The lecture, sponsored by Southern Studies, the History Center, and South Carolina Political Collections, will be Tuesday, 18 September 2012 at...
Lillian Smith Book Award winner Pam Durban will read from and discuss her newest book The Tree of Forgetfulness at 6 p.m. on Monday, 29 October 2012 in the Carolina Room of the Inn at USC (1619 Pendleton Street). This event is free and open to the public.
The College of Arts & Sciences cordially invites you attend a series of conversations about the Civil War, specifically the year 1863. Hosted by Claude Henry Neuffer Professor Emeritus Walter Edgar, the conversations will feature guests from a variety of academic disciplines. Each event...
On Thursday, 28 February, Melissa Sawyer, Executive Director of the Youth Empowerment Project of New Orleans, will talk about her non-profit's remarkable success with working with at-risk youth. Her talk will be held in the Carolina Room of the Inn at USC (1619 Pendleton Street) at 5:30 p.m. and is...
The Institute for Southern Studies invites applications for the 2013 Ellison Fellowship. The Ellison Fellowship, with a stipend of $2500, will be awarded to a graduate student engaged in research related to the American South. Please note that students must be enrolled in summer school to be...
