Broadening Our Horizons: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Student Collaboration at Francis Marion University

This article presents an interdisciplinary collaboration in the Pee Dee region in South Carolina. It describes a concerted effort by faculty and students at Francis Marion University (FMU) to study the history of race and racism both on the campus and beyond. The FMU campus was once two plantations, where people of African descent were enslaved from 1830 to 1865. The "old African American" cemetery on campus is highlighted as a case study of the ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration. Additionally, the Universities Studying Slavery consortium and FMU's decision to join the initiative are discussed. Finally, the authors pontificate on the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations to serve marginalized communities in the Pee Dee.