Fingers strumming blues guitar close up

Clarksdale, MS

Anthropology of the Blues

ANTH 337 / AAS 337

Dates: Virtual: May 13-17, 2024; Travel: May 19-24, 2024
Credit Hours: 3
Instructors: Scott Barretta, Instructor in Sociology and Anthropology
Cost: $1325
Application Deadline: March 1, 2024

*Itinerary subject to change.

Registration Open Dec. 1st Continue Application Printable Flyer

  • Be based in Clarksdale with day trips to significant Blues locations such as Greenwood, Indianola, Cleveland, and Tutwiler.
  • Explore the Blues as a genre with a glorious past that continues to evolve today.
  • Use the Blues as a reflection of wider societal values and political conditions.
  • Study the organizational, technological, and economic forces that have shaped the Blues as a commodity.
  • Examine how the Blues reflects broader attitudes about religion, politics, and sexuality.
  • Visit sites such as the BB King Museum, Delta Blues Museum, and The GRAMMY Museum Mississippi

Student will meet virtually May 13-17. Students will be traveling May 19-24 and based in Clarksdale with day trips to other locations.

Students will participate in a week of virtual classes. During the travel portion of the course, students will be based in Clarksdale and transported though the Mississippi Delta to various sites.

All travel for this course after departing Oxford is included. Students will travel via van as a class to sites in the Mississippi Delta.

Everyone and students of all majors are welcome. Anyone with taste in music.

Study USA program fee is $1325. Included in the program fee are housing, group ground transportation, site admissions, and select group meals. Excluded from the program fee are most meals and personal spending money.

Study USA Scholarships

Deadline: Coincides with program deadline

Outreach Study USA Scholarship
The Outreach Study USA Scholarship supports student participation in Study USA courses. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $750 and are designed to help offset the additional expenses associated with academic travel.

Carolyn Ellis Staton Study USA Scholarship
The Carolyn Ellis Staton Study USA Scholarship was established to increase access to unique experiential learning programs. These scholarships will help to make engaging educational travel opportunities more accessible to students with financial need. Scholarship awards range from $250 to $750 and are designed to help offset the additional expenses associated with academic travel.