Faculty

Doug Blandy, professor (art and community service, art and special populations). See Arts and Administration.

Dianne M. Dugaw, professor (British folklore, ballads and folk song, 18th-century literature). See English.

Lisa M. Gilman, assistant professor (folklore, performance studies, gender). See English.

Philip W. Scher, associate professor (Caribbean, politics of culture, transnationalism). See Anthropology.

Sharon R. Sherman, professor (film studies, folklore, popular culture). See English.

Carol T. Silverman, associate professor (performance, eastern Europe, gender). See Anthropology.

Daniel N. Wojcik, associate professor (folklore, alternative religions, film studies). See English.

Participating Faculty

Ina Asim, history

Martha J. Bayless, English

Edwin L. Coleman II, English

Matthew Dennis, history

John Fenn, music

Marion Sherman Goldman, sociology

Lori Hager, arts and administration

Kingston Heath, historic preservation

Kenneth I. Helphand, landscape architecture

Shari M. Huhndorf, English

Kathleen Rowe Karlyn, English

Brian Klopotek, anthropology

Mark Levy, music

Kenneth B. Liberman, sociology

Michael Majdic, media services

Gabriela Martinez, journalism and communication

Anne Dhu McLucas, music

Julianne H. Newton, journalism and communication

Jeffrey Ostler, history

Dorothee Ostmeier, German and Scandinavian

Priscilla P. Ovalle, English

Donald L. Peting, architecture

Ellen Rees, German and Scandinavian

Leland M. Roth, art history

Janice W. Rutherford, arts and administration

Gordon M. Sayre, English

Analisa Taylor, Romance languages

Kartz Ucci, art

Elizabeth A. Wheeler, English

Stephanie Wood, Center for the Study of Women in Society

Stephen R. Wooten, international studies

About the Program

The interdisciplinary Folklore Program offers perspectives on ethnic, regional, occupational, age, gender, and other traditional identities of individuals in specific societies and cultures. Students in the program explore the extent to which tradition continues to enrich and express the dynamics of human behavior throughout the world. Folklore courses examine the historical, cultural, social, and psychological dimensions of such expressive forms of behavior as myth, legend, folktale, music, folk song, dance, art, and architecture; delve into specific cultures; and make cross-cultural comparisons. Theoretical analysis, research methods, and fieldwork techniques, with emphasis on film and video documentation and presentation, are integral parts of the program offerings in folklore.

Resources

Film and Folklore

Among its many approaches to the study of folklore, a major strength of the Folklore Program is its emphasis on the use of film and video. Students who want to use film and video in their study of folklore receive the theoretical and practical training necessary to document and present folklore visually. Tutorial training is available in equipment use, fieldwork methodologies, and editing. Although the program encourages shooting in the field, the School of Journalism and Communication and the off-campus Community Cable Access Center offer studio training.

Folklore Archive

The Randall V. Mills Archive of Northwest Folklore, the largest facility of its kind in the Northwest, is a research repository available to folklore scholars and students. It houses raw field data, student and faculty research projects, and audio and visual materials including audio- and videotapes and more than 7,000 slides. A six-part indexing and cross-referencing system makes the data easily retrievable. Located in 453 Prince Lucien Campbell Hall, the archive is open to the public.

Undergraduate Studies [back to top]

Students may earn a certificate in folklore while completing major and degree requirements in another department or school. A primary goal of the program is to encourage students to become more aware of the culture-based dimensions and applications of their particular major fields. Students of literature, social sciences, education, urban planning, art history, humanities, and Asian or other international studies—to name only a few—find that related folklore courses can enrich their degree programs.

Certificate in Folklore

Students may satisfy requirements for a folklore certificate by completing, with grades of mid-C or better, the folklore core and approved electives listed below:

Students may substitute courses from other departments to fulfill this requirement with the approval of their certificate adviser. Programs from other departments offering folklore-related courses include anthropology, architecture, art history, arts and administration, Asian studies, classics, dance, East Asian languages and literatures, English, ethnic studies, geography, German studies, history, historic preservation, humanities, international studies, journalism and communication, Judaic studies, landscape architecture, linguistics, music, political science, religious studies, Romance languages, Scandinavian studies, sociology, theater arts, and women’s and gender studies.

At least two terms before graduation, students who want to apply for a folklore certificate must consult a folklore adviser to obtain authorization and course work approval.

For additional information about the certificate in folklore, telephone (541) 346-1505.

Graduate Study in Folklore [back to top]

To earn a master of arts (M.A.) or master of science (M.S.) degree in Interdisciplinary Studies: Individualized Program: Folklore, students create a plan of study that combines folklore and two additional areas of interest. Students often select English or anthropology as the second area, and the third area from such disciplines as history, music, art, journalism, or geography. A thesis or terminal project is required for completion of the degree. Students working toward an M.A. degree must demonstrate competence in a second language.

The Department of English’s Ph.D. program offers a structured emphasis in folklore.

Admission Requirements

1. An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.30 (B+)

2. A minimum score of 500 on the verbal section of the general test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), and a score of 4 or better on the analytical writing section (GRE-AW)

3. For nonnative speakers: a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a minimum score of 250 on the computer-based test

Application procedures are listed on the program website.

Folklore Courses (FLR) [back to top]

198 Workshop: [Topic] (1–2R)

199 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)

399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)

401 Research: [Topic] (1–6R)

403 Thesis (1–6R)

404 Internship: [Topic] (1–6R)

405 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–6R)

406 Field Studies: [Topic] (1–6R)

407/507 Seminar: [Topic] (1–5R)

408/508 Workshop: [Topic] (1–5R)

409 Practicum: [Topic] (1–6R)

410/510 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1–5R)

411/511 Folklore and Religion (4) Explores the role of folklore in people’s religious lives with particular emphasis on narrative, beliefs, rituals, celebrations, pilgrimage, and ecstatic states. Wojcik.

412/512 Folklore of Subcultures (4) Examines recent research on subcultures, especially the relation of folklore to subcultural identity and communication, and the ways folklore may challenge or reinforce dominant ideologies. Wojcik.

413/513 Folk Art and Material Culture (4) Survey of the research by folklorists on contemporary folk art, material culture, and the aesthetic impulse in everyday life. Wojcik.

483/583 Folklore and Mythology of the British Isles (4) Basic folk traditions in the British Isles (e.g., ballads, folktales, legends, myths) and their treatment in the written literature of major British authors. Dugaw.

485/585 Film and Folklore (4) The developmental use of film by folklorists. Folklore genres, theories, and fieldwork methods as related to filmmakers’ techniques. Analysis includes documentary and ethnodocumentary films. Gilman, Sherman.

491/591 Anglo-American Ballad and Folk Song (4) Study of popular ballads in the Anglo-American tradition—styles, origins, forms, content, and dissemination. History and influence of popular media. Dugaw.

503 Thesis (1–6R)

601 Research: [Topic] (1–6R)

602 Supervised College Teaching (1–16R)

604 Internship: [Topic] (1–6R)

605 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–6R)

606 Field Studies: [Topic] (1–6R)

607 Seminar: [Topic] (1–6R)

608 Workshop: [Topic] (1–6R)

609 Terminal Project (1–6R)

610 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1–5R)

681 History and Theory of Folklore Research (5) Examines nature of scholarly inquiry, research questions, and techniques. Historic orientation with emphasis on ideological development of folkloristics from its beginnings to the present. Dugaw, Gilman, Sherman, Wojcik.

Additional Courses

Consult the program’s tip sheet each term for special offerings that fulfill degree requirements.

Other undergraduate and graduate courses with related subject matter—including approved Reading and Conference (405, 605), Seminar (407/507, 607), and Experimental Course (410/510, 610)—may be applied to folklore certificate programs by arrangement with the instructors and the folklore director. For a list of these courses, visit the program website.