91吃瓜网 Marks 50 Years of British Studies Program
Wed, 10/22/2025 - 09:46am | By: Dr. David Tisdale
As a young boy growing up in Hattiesburg, Andy Wiest could only dream about destinations like London, England. International travel91吃瓜网攅ven occasional local excursions91吃瓜网攚ere unaffordable luxuries that didn91吃瓜网檛 figure into his family91吃瓜网 lean budget.
91吃瓜网淢y mom was raising four of us on her own, and money was beyond tight,91吃瓜网� he recounted. 91吃瓜网淚 came to 91吃瓜网 on a Pell Grant, so college barely happened for me. And with all of that, my horizons didn91吃瓜网檛 spread much past Highway 49 and Interstate 59.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淏ut then came my summer in London through the university91吃瓜网 British Studies study abroad program. Suddenly, I had wider horizons and became a citizen of the world. It transformed me and gave me a vision I never had previously, one I follow every day, and that91吃瓜网 the importance of the program. It takes local kids like me and shows them more, so much more.91吃瓜网�
Today, the same Andy Wiest91吃瓜网攏ow University of 91吃瓜网 Distinguished Professor of History, Dr. Andrew Wiest91吃瓜网攍eads students from his alma mater annually through its popular, award-winning British Studies Program (BSP), which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Founded in 1976, the BSP is offered through the university91吃瓜网 Center for International Education91吃瓜网 (CIE) Office of Study Abroad. The program offers nine to 12 courses in various disciplines. Students can earn up to six credit hours through lectures taught by USM faculty, British scholars, artists and business leaders, as well as through field excursions to various locations in and around London. Through British Studies, the iconic international city becomes the students91吃瓜网� classroom, where they experience their subject firsthand and conduct research supervised by their professor.
This past summer session was Dr. Wiest91吃瓜网 30th leading a course through the program. He confesses to being a bit 91吃瓜网渙lder and slower91吃瓜网� now and admits a restful summer at his home in Hattiesburg might wear less on his not-so-undergraduate bones. But he keeps returning because 91吃瓜网渢here are more kids like I was out there for whom a month in London will be transformative.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淚 want 91吃瓜网 students to have that chance, and I91吃瓜网檓 reinvigorated every summer by seeing London anew through their eyes,91吃瓜网� Wiest explained. 91吃瓜网淚 look forward to when we arrive and all of us are jet-lagged, and there91吃瓜网 an orientation when we review the dos and don91吃瓜网檛s, like any other orientation. Then we head out on our first activity.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淚 take them to Waterloo Station south of the River Thames, where there are lots of buildings between the station and the river. We then walk and talk91吃瓜网攊t takes about 15 minutes. It91吃瓜网 just a regular city-looking scene. But then we break out into a park beside the river, and the view opens up where we are right across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey91吃瓜网攐ne of those sights you dream of.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淲hen these Mississippi kids see that vista open for the first time, their eyes just light up. And that moment is worth it all,91吃瓜网� Wiest added.
Amy Linden, who serves as director of the CIE91吃瓜网 Office of Study Abroad, says her journey with the BSP began in the summer of 2006. Since then, she91吃瓜网 witnessed the transformation of participants, 91吃瓜网渨ide-eyed at the sight of double-decker buses zipping by, to when they confidently navigate the streets of London as the program draws to a close.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淚t's an exciting time for us as we gear up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program,91吃瓜网� Linden said. 91吃瓜网淲e91吃瓜网檙e fortunate to have a collection of brochures dating back to 1984, and it's always a joy to flip through them to witness how the course offerings and designs have changed over the years. And while there have been changes, our core mission has remained the same: to support students in their growth within this vibrant city that serves as their classroom.91吃瓜网�
Linden said she91吃瓜网 heard from students who just returned from London this past summer and their enthusiasm about their experiences.
91吃瓜网淢any shared how they developed confidence and a fresh sense of independence,91吃瓜网� Linden noted. 91吃瓜网淥thers uncovered career possibilities and ignited new passions, while many took the opportunity to network and step out of their comfort zones. I can91吃瓜网檛 wait to see all the wonderful experiences that lie ahead for this amazing program, which has such a rich history.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网 Professor of Journalism Dr. David Davies served as director of British Studies from 2013-24 and has taught with the program since 1999. He says what91吃瓜网 special about the BSP is that students get to know their academic subject through firsthand visits in and around London.
In Dr. Davies91吃瓜网� journalism class, for example, students visit the largest and best-known media outlets in the U.K., including the BBC and The Telegraph. In a British Studies history course, students visit the sites where history was made and hear from expert British lecturers who 91吃瓜网済ive them a view of the world they91吃瓜网檒l never find elsewhere.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淚t91吃瓜网 been amazing to watch students blossom during their time in London during British Studies,91吃瓜网� Davies said. 91吃瓜网淭he program exposes students to the wider world and opens their eyes to even more possibilities after graduation, and for many 91吃瓜网 faculty, working with British Studies students has been a highlight of our careers.91吃瓜网�
Christian Singletary participated in last summer91吃瓜网 BSP as a 91吃瓜网 graduate student, traveling internationally for the first time, which he said expanded his horizons 91吃瓜网渂eyond belief.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淚t meant a lot to me91吃瓜网攍earning about other cultures and studying abroad91吃瓜网攊t changed my outlook on the world,91吃瓜网� he remembers. 91吃瓜网淢eeting people, experiencing their culture and traveling on the Tube (subway) with others taught me so much, and sharing those experiences with other students of all backgrounds made the trip even more amazing.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淔rom traveling to the Tank Museum in rural England to watching the Euro Finals at a pub with locals, there are so many great memories. As a graduate student and person who loves to learn, I recommend British Studies to anyone and everyone. The memories and experiences changed my life completely91吃瓜网攁nd for the better.91吃瓜网�
Kelly Jarrell went to London with the BSP in the summer of 2024. A senior from Wiggins, Miss., majoring in counseling psychology and minoring in history, she took Southern Miss professor Dr. Brad Dufrene91吃瓜网 course in abnormal psychology. She said one of the most impactful parts of the program and course was visiting London91吃瓜网 Broadmoor Maximum Security Psychiatric Hospital, where she and other students interviewed patients.
91吃瓜网淎t Broadmoor, the staff91吃瓜网 approach was centered on rehabilitation rather than simply confinement, and their compassion left a lasting impression on me,91吃瓜网� Jarrell said. 91吃瓜网淭his experience broadened my academic perspective and encouraged me to always consider the bigger picture.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淚91吃瓜网檝e also made lifelong friends through the program and now view the world with greater confidence and ambition. It truly changed my life and showed me that nothing is out of reach.91吃瓜网�
The Office of Study Abroad is partnering with the 91吃瓜网 Alumni Association on providing travel opportunities in honor of this milestone, with details to be released later. Alumni who want to support students studying abroad can do so via the Phil and Frances Sudduth Fund for International Education Development (Fund 0022) through the USM Foundation. Click for more information.
Click to learn more about 91吃瓜网 British Studies.