Exchange Program with William and Mary

In the fall of 1994, the Southern Studies Program and the American Studies Department of the College of William and Mary inaugurated an exchange program. Under the direction of Bill Ferris and Charles Wilson at the University of Mississippi and Bob Gross at William and Mary, the exchange was designed to capitalize on the complementary strengths of both institutions in order to provide increased opportunities for students and faculty on both campuses. The traditional strengths of the curriculum at the University have included history, literature, and folklore of the 19th- and 20th-century Deep South. Combined with the resources of Colonial Williamsburg, American Studies at William and Mary has focused on colonial history and material culture of the Upper South.

During the first semester of the exchange, two students from the University, Jennifer Bryant and Patrick McIntyre, took classes at William and Mary. Bryant, who received an M.A. degree in 1995, said of her experience there: "The semester I spent at William and Mary provided me with the opportunity to take classes that were not available at Ole Miss. The coursework there focused on the material culture, archaeology, and decorative arts of the Upper South and specifically that of the colonial period--a region and era often bypassed at the University of Mississippi simply because of its physical location. When learning about the history and culture of a region, your best classroom is the surrounding environment. William and Mary offered a chance to learn about a different South, one that is just as interesting and important as the classroom at Ole Miss."

While Bryant and McIntyre studied in Williamsburg during the 1994-95 academic year, Susan V. Donaldson, professor of English at William and Mary, joined the Southern Studies and English faculty at the University of Mississippi. In addition to lecturing on the connections between Southern art and literature, she taught a course on "Women in the South" and a graduate seminar comparing the work of William Faulkner and Eudora Welty. Joe Rainer, a doctoral candidate in American Studies at William and Mary, was also at the University of Mississippi in 1994-95. He team taught an introductory undergraduate course in Southern Studies with Ted Ownby and Tom Rankin as well as offering a seminar on Southern outsiders.

Since its initial success the exchange program has hosted one other student, Katherine Herndon, and is seeking others interested in studying at William and Mary. Students who are enrolled at the University of Mississippi continue to pay that institution's tuition, while their transcript reflects their tenure at William and Mary. Charles Wilson encourages students to investigate the exchange further because it "provides a perfect complement to the academic program in Southern Studies. It gives our students access to an outstanding faculty and resources for studies in material culture, early American history, women's studies, and other areas." For more information, contact Charles Wilson at the Center.

Susan Glisson