BA Folklore Concentration

The major concentration in folklore emphasizes the study of creativity and aesthetic expression in everyday life. The study of folklore focuses attention on those expressive realms that communities infuse with cultural meaning and through which they give voice to the issues and concerns they see as central to their being. These realms are often deeply grounded in tradition, yet as community selfdefinitions develop in light of shifting social, political, and economic realities, communitybased artistry likewise evolves. Folklore thus moves beyond the study of the old and timehonored to explore emergent meanings and cultural forms. The primary vehicle for the exploration of contemporary folklore is ethnographic field work, the realworld study of people s lives in everyday settings, grounded in conversation and participatory engagement. Students who major or minor in Folklore explore the variety and significance of vernacular and traditional cultural expression, learn techniques for conducting their own ethnographic field research, and embark upon projects to document and analyze the informal expressive forms from music, narrative, and craft to festival, food, and architecture in which communities manifest their skills and values.