Folk Groups and Genres

Catalog description

We live surrounded by folklore. From the jokes and stories we tell, to the ways we cook and eat, work and dress, even how we interact using digital media, much of what we do in our lives involves tradition. This course will provide students with detailed study of American folklore through an in-depth focus on a specific social group or creative genre. Topics covered may include group-based material such as ethnic folklore; the folklore of age groups; folklore, gender and sexuality; and occupational folklore; as well as units on genre categories such as folk narrative (folktale, legend, myth), verbal genres (proverbs, rhymes, jokes), customary forms (parades, festivals, dancing, games), material culture (dress, folk art, foodways), and musical forms (folk song, folk music). At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to explain key concepts in the study of folklore such as tradition, folk group, genre, performance, and practice, as well as how these concepts can be applied in the analysis and interpretation of culture. Students will also develop practical skills in ethnography, including participant observation, interviewing, audio and video recording, field note taking, fieldwork ethics, and folklore archiving. As part of this course, students will undertake a significant ethnographic research project, culminating in a comprehensive portfolio of field materials and an analytical or interpretive paper.