Course Description

Folklore — the oral traditions of a people — informs the arts, politics, and many other areas of human endeavor. Its study is truly interdisciplinary, involving anthropology, history, literature, music, sociology, and the arts. This course will introduce students to a wide range of oral, customary and material folklore genres, and to folkloristics, the study of folklore.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
– Understand the definitions, categories and subcategories of folklore;
– Identify and classify an example of folklore using the terminology and classifications of folklore study (also called “folkloristics”);
– Use the various indices and scholarly journals in the field of folklore study;
– Critically examine popular conceptions regarding folklore and folklore study’s own assumptions during its long history;
– Engage in focused discussion of folklore and folklore scholarship;
– Make connections between folklore and other fields, including ethnic and nationalism studies;
– Use a variety of scholarly research sources, including primary materials collected by folklorists, to formulate a thesis and support it in a folklore research paper.

*Course content subject to change