"Folklore comprises the unrecorded traditions of a people; it includes both the form and content of these traditions and their manner of communication from person to person."

"Folklore is the traditional, unofficial, noninstitutional part of culture."

"Generally speaking, then, folklore may be defined as those materials in culture that circulate traditionally among members of any group in different versions, whether in oral form or by means of customary example, as well as the processes of traditional performance and communication."

"Folklore is what folklorists study."

Jan Brunvand, The Study of American Folklore

Introduction to Folklore presents a general overview of the study of folklore and folklife. This course requires that you ask what folklore is, why we should study it, whether or not it will persist, what others have had to say about it, what folklore accomplishes for the communities that produce and consume it, who its audience is, when and how it comes about, and, generally speaking, why it matters. Those questions will not be exhaustively answered by the end of the semester, but your attempts to address them should reflect serious and thoughtful scholarly work.

As a course fulfilling the social or political history requirement of the social science and history area of CORE distributive studies, this class will place an emphasis on the multidisciplinary approach required to study the field. As we will discover over the course of the semester, folklore is an inherently complex category of cultural practices, and as the four definitions offered above should indicate, even providing a clear definition of the field is difficult. All of those examples are from the first chapter of the course textbook, and the problem of defining folklore is hardly resolved as the text (or the course) progresses.

Because folklore takes so many forms in so many media, we will rely on several means of collecting, analyzing, and presenting the narratives, materials, and customs of the folk. Additionally, you will be given the opportunity to explore your own folklores; that work should both complement and complicate your notion of folklore and your understanding of culture.

Over the course of the semester, you will be expected to respond critically to the many competing definitions of folklore, but the emphasis of your work will be an application of theory. We will devote significant class time to establishing a useful sense of folklore so that you will be better equipped to discuss the examples you will be required to collect from the field; our classroom discussion of folklore in the abstract must be complemented by application of those ideas to real-world folklores.

Additionally, we will address the status of the folk in contemporary American culture -- it is tempting to insist that there is somehow less folklore in our postmodern world. Your work should be informed by that notion.

• Read. It is absolutely necessary that you read all material on time.
• Participate. Good class participation means thoughtful discussion (which should also stimulate strong ideas for your written work), so please devote some time to identifying issues that you think deserve attention in class. Do not hesitate to respond to my questions or your peers' comments, and do not be afraid to ask questions of your own.
• I encourage you to take advantage of my office hours and to send along questions via email. Please understand that the moments immediately before and after class are among the worst to have a conversation with me. If you have an important question or something you need to let me know about (an impending absence, concerns about an assignment, etc.) please pass that along in writing or during office hours.
• Attend. You are expected to be present for our meetings. Class participation cannot be "made up" with other assignments, and our discussions will be impossible to reproduce. If you do miss a class meeting, you are responsible for contacting a peer in order to determine what you've missed. You are also expected to arrive on time.
• Turn off your phones. Don't talk while others are speaking. Respect your colleagues.

On October 17, you will submit a 2-3 page campus folklore collection. On either October 15 or 17, you will present that collection to the class.

On October 24 there will be a midterm examination.

On November 3, you will submit a 1 page formal proposal for your final collecting project. This proposal must be supported by preliminary research.

The final project for this course, due at the beginning of the last regular class meeting (12 Dec), is a collecting project for which you will be required to do a substantial amount of fieldwork, record and interpret your findings, and present that research and analysis in the form of a 7-8 page paper. Additionally, you will present your work to the class at the end of the semester.

On December 20, there will be a final examination.

Occasionally, you will be asked to complete informal assignments, including short response papers, homework, and quizzes. While these exercises will not receive "letter" grades, they will be considered part of your Class Participation grade.

All written assignments should include the university's Honor Pledge, handwritten and accompanied by your signature. The pledge is as follows: "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized (or unacknowledged) assistance on this assignment/examination."