Spend 9 days answering that question as we tour Key West, Florida (aka Cayo Huseo) and explore writers' homes, cultural sites, and historic places!
10 days travel at
$2,600 plus tuition
ENG 397 / SSt 597
3 Credit Hours
Instructed by
Dr. Eric Solomon
Priority Deadline
March 6, 2026
Travel Overview
Go beyond textbooks and lecture halls. Study USA’s travel courses combine academic learning with hands-on, real world experiences. Every class maximizes its unique location with immersive activities.
You’ll earn academic credit, apply what you’re learning directly to your surroundings, and engage in lively class experiences—all guided by Ole Miss faculty.
What You'll Learn
- Tour important cultural and historic sites in Key West, Florida.
- Survey and map the literary and cultural geography of Key West, Florida.
- Explore how creative artists cultivate space, time, and inspiration.
- Examine the conditions of artists’ lives with particular attention paid to place, race, class, gender, and sexuality.
- Ponder how artists and writers build a creative practice that is sustainable.
- Explore and reflect on the ethical call of the “One Human Family” official philosophy of Key West
All activities are tentative and subject to change depending on scheduling, booking availability, and course adjustments.
What You'll Do
Site Visits/Tours and Guest Lectures may include:
- Elizabeth Bishop House
- James Merrill House
- Key West Aquarium
- Tennessee Williams Museum
- La Concha Hotel
- Waterfront Playhouse
- Ernest Hemingway House and Museum
- Key West Historical Society, Customs House Museum
- San Carlos Institute
- Key West Monroe County Library
- Key West Cemetery
- Key West AIDS Memorial
- African Cemetery at Higgs Beach
- Books and Books Key West + The Studios of Key West
- Key West Literary Seminar
- Casa Marina Hotel & Resort
Meet Your Instructor
All Study USA courses are designed and led by Ole Miss faculty. Your instructor(s) will be your first point of contact during your travels and lead you through all the class experiences.
Dr. Eric Solomon
Instructor of English and Southern Studies
eesolomo@olemiss.edu
Dr. Solomon is originally from Leland, Mississippi, birthplace of Kermit the Frog. He earned is doctorate in English from Emory University in Atlanta. While in graduate school, he first traveled to Key West, Florida. Dr. Solomon is a literary and cultural historian, and his forthcoming first book project is a cultrual history of Key West. In working on this book, Dr. Solomon has travelled to the island many times and made numerous contacts with many of the folks who will be joining us as guest speakers and guides for this Study USA course. Key West is a place that grabs you when you first visit, and we'll explore how writers and artists across the twentieth century have responded to the magnetic pull of Key West, Cayo Hueso!
“Spending a week exploring the vibrant literary ecology of Key West will transform your understanding of literature! Literature is more than the books we read; it is all around us! Come walk around the island with me and see literature all around us!”
– Dr. Solomon