Department Acheivements

Community Involvement

Anthropology professor Jim Flanagan taught a one-week intensive course on Irish History and Culture as part of the Augusta Heritage Festival at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, in July.

In an effort to bring anthropology to the community, Anthropology professor Bridget Hayden is putting together a website using oral histories concerning the experiences of Latino residents during Hurricane Katrina. Teachers will then be able to use the material in creating lesson plans.

Graduate student Barbara Hester, along with Anthropology professor Marie Danforth and History professor Deanne Nuwer, are working to create the Mississippi Gulf Coast Historical Consortium. The mission of the consortium will be to coordinate efforts at acquisition, curation, and exhibition of artifacts from prehistory and prehistory in southern Mississippi. Barbara has been in consultation with a number of historical and preservation societies on the coast, and currently is writing grant proposals to obtain funding for the project.

Anthropologist Ed Jackson has continued his public outreach worth with several 2008 events, including volunteering as field supervisor for Mississippi Archaeological Association volunteer excavation in Pearl River County. He also hosted a Mississippi Archaeological Association Summer excavation weekend at Winterville (see discussion of Winterville project above).

Until December 2008, Amy Chasteen Miller served as Associate Director of Southern Miss' new Center for Black Studies. In that capacity, she coordinated student volunteer work in the community and co-hosted a weekly radio show on 92.1 WJMG and 93.1 WGDQ.

The first annual American Humanics United Way Internship was awarded to sociology major Melody Sharp. Melody was awarded a $3000 stipend for her 300-hour internship with the United Way of Southeast Mississippi.