Introduction to Folklore Genres

Cross listed with Anthro 1150-01

This course will introduce you to the study of folklore, defined as the traditional expressive culture of a community, including its myths, legends, folktales, customs, rituals, and material culture. We will explore the diversity of folklore around the world and across time and consider the ways in which folklore reflects and shapes the values, beliefs, and identity of a community. We will also discuss the role of folklore in contemporary society and consider the ethical and cultural issues involved in the study and representation of folklore.

Folklore is a term that we use to refer to the unofficial and informal aspects of culture, aspects that each of us performs every day of our lives. This is a course that will teach you the difference between a folk tale and a fairy tale, why Mythbusters is a joke name, the importance of that one recipe in your family that is a closely guarded secret, and how you learned to act at the dining room table. This course will teach the basics and fundamentals of folklore as an academic discipline. It will also teach you what folklore is in terms of its subject interests. Folklore refers to a definable thing (a vast number of things, actually) but it also describes a tool for looking at the world and understanding the ways in which it works.