Forms of Folklore

Required Books

Jan Brunvand, The Study of American Folklore, 4th ed. Utah State University Press. 1998. (SAF)

Elliott Oring, ed. Folk Groups and Folklore Genres, An Introduction, Utah State University Press, 1986. (FGFG,I)

Elliott Oring, ed. Folk Groups and Folklore Genres, A Reader, Utah State University Press, 1986. (FGFG,R)

Jack Zipes, ed. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, Bantam, 1987.

Reader I and Reader II, from Dept. of English, available late in week of Feb. 7

Course Objectives

1. An introduction and survey of the field of folkloristics, from the standpoint of folk genres. We will interrogate the study of folklore through genres as we try to understand the ways folk groups in many places and times use traditional, innovative, shared, expressive means to accomplish many kinds of personal, social, aesthetic, religious, and political goals.
   
2. To inspire students to notice and enjoy, question and resist, through analysis and interpretation, the values and meanings they enact with their own folklore and that of others.
   
3. To encourage students to read widely in folklore using the perspectives and questions encountered in the readings.
   
4. To examine and question how folkloristics, as a discipline, and the lore itself, treats issues of gender, race, ethnicity, class, region, body type, abilities, and the like. We will thus be concerned with looking at the biases, assumptions, and values of the folklorists, the performers, and the traditions.
   
5. To immerse students in a folklore collective project that requires them to establish rapport with a consultant, record folklore, transcribe it, analyze it, and try to annotate it with other versions of folklore already collected.

Course Requirements

1. Regular attendance and careful preparation of readings, 15%
   Any unauthorized absences over three will result in a lowered grade. Authorized absences are for serious illness, family emergencies. For every absence beyond five, the grade will be lowered significantly; for absences beyond seven, the student cannot pass the course except with outstanding grades in all other categories. Those who are very well-prepared for class, attend with fewer than three absences, and who participate actively and productively will receive A's. B's will be for students who are well-prepared but may not be as active in class discussion. C's will be for ill-prepared and non-attending students; lower than C for more than 5 absences.
   
2. Prep Papers, 40%
   Every week students will write one prep paper among the possible assignments; those who have done the papers will help lead the discussion. Prep papers should be 2-4 pages, printed, double spaced, one-inch margins, page no's. All prep papers should include references to one or more of the readings for the day as they apply theories, methods, ideas, in the essays to their own analysis. The prep may be a critique of the readings through analyzing a particular item chosen by the student, or an extension of the readings. The preps will be given grades of 1 (poor), 2 (fine), and 3 (excellent), and the entire portfolio of them should be handed back in at the close of the course to receive an overall grade. The grade will take into account the no. of preps done, the consistency of work or progress, their intellectual engagement with the readings, their engagement with new examples, and their contributions to the class discussion during the semester.
   
3. Folklore collection project, 45%
   A substantial folklore collection will be due during the reading period, but installments of the work on the collection will be due during the semester with interim deadlines. One such installment will count 10% of the collection project. Fifteen-minute presentations from the collections will be presented at a special marathon Folklore Saturday near the end of the semester and this presentation and participation in the event will count another 10% of the collection project. The collection will consist of transcripts of folklore events performed live. The collection will include the collector's attention to performer, style, context, function, meanings, and folk criticism. The collection will also include annotations, where possible, to already collected or studied similar items of folklore. The collections should be a minimum of 30 pages of material (and may be more). The collections will adhere to a format to be distributed to the students. The final collection will count for 80% of the collection project grade.

Deadlines

All deadlines are final and any late work will receive lower grades, increasing 1/3 of a grade for each day late unless the student has received an extension. Extensions will be granted only by permission before the due date, and only for the following reasons:

1. serious work crunch with other exams, papers due the same day; you must show me your other syllabi and assignments due.
2. serious illness, requiring proof.
3. family crisis, requiring student absence.

Schedule

Date	Topic	Assignment	Due on this date
M Feb 7	Intro: What is folklore?	SAF , "The Field of Folklore" pp. 3-21.
W Feb 9	Intro: What is folkloristics?	SAF , "The Study of Folklore" 22-47. FGFG, I , "On the Concepts of Folklore" pp. 1-22.
F Feb 11	Intro: Who are the folk?	SAF , "Folk Groups: Bearers of American Folk Tradition" pp. 48-70. FGFG, I , "Ethnic Groups and Ethnic Folklore" pp. 23-44. Recommended: FGFG, I , "Occupational Lore" pp. 71-89. FGFG, I "Children's Folklore" pp. 91-120.	Prep Paper: A description of folk group I am part of: a summary of its genres, sites where lore is shared, and an analysis of an item I perform that is part of the lore of this group. Refer specifically to at least two of the readings for your definitions of your folk group, genres, or methods of analysis.
M Feb 14	Folk Speech	SAF, "Folk Speech and Naming" pp. 73-83 FGFG, R, Basso, "'Wise Words of the Western Apache" Reader I, Fernandes, "The Mission of Metaphor." Reserve: Study Joanna Hearne's collection of "The Secret Language of the Spoozer's".	Prep Paper: Analysis of an item of folk speech (a metaphor, a folk term, a folk expression, slang, euphemism, or dysphemism )you used or heard this week. Use theories or definitions that you derive from the readings and cite at least two of them.
W Feb 16	Riddles	SAF, "Riddles and Other Verbal Puzzles" pp. 113-129. FGFG, I , "Riddles and Proverbs," pp. 175-184.
F Feb 18	Riddles	Reader I, Glazier and Gorfain, "Ambiguity and Exchange..." Roberts and Forman, "Riddles: Expressive Models..."	Prep Paper: Another way I might analyze one of these riddling events. Analyze the methods and theories of one or more the reading and extend them or critique them by analyzing this material using other factors, theories, and approaches.
M Feb 21	Proverbs	SAF, "Proverbs and Proverbial Lore," pp. 92-112. FGFG, I , "Riddles and Proverbs," pp. 184-197. FGFG, R, Leary, "'The Land Won't Burn'..."pp. 302-307.
W Feb 23	Proverbs	Reader I, Prahlad, Chapter 4. and Chapter 5.	Prep paper: Analyzing a Proverb in Context. Describe and analyze someone's use of a proverb (the performer could be you); consider aesthetic features of metaphor, balance, alliteration, or the like; the situation; the social meaning; the affective meaning; the rhetorical move&emdash;was it to persuade, judge, warn, inform, rebuke? What was the effect of using a proverb to do the work the speaker tried to accomplish?
F Feb 25	Superstition and Folk Belief	SAF, "Superstition," pp. 371-404. FGFG, I , "Religious Folklore," pp. 45-70. FGFG, R, Poggie and Gersuny, "Risk and Ritual...," pp. 137-45. Reader I, Jordan, "The Vaginal Serpent...." Reserve: Study Angelina Peterson's collection of superstitions.	Prep Paper: Prepare three discussion questions for each article with a short paragraph with each question to trigger discussion. Prep Paper, alternative: discuss three of Angelina's superstitions using theories or methods from one of the articles.
M Feb 28	Jokes and folk humor	SAF, "Jokes and Anecdotes," pp. 238-246. FGFG, R Paredes, "Folk Medicine and the Intercultural Jest," pp. 63-77. Reader I, Miller, "Politics and Gender: Geraldine Ferraro...."
W Mar 1	Jokes and folk humor	Reader I "Challenger Jokes" from Western Folklore 4.45 (1986). Mechling, "The Folklore of a Public Disaster: An Editor's Introduction" ; Smyth, "Challenger Jokes and the Humor of Disaster"; Simons, "The NASA Joke Cycle: The Astronauts and the Teacher." Reserve: Study Anne Kaplan's collection of the jokes of Samuel Kaplan.	Prep Paper: Analyzing A Joke I Love: factors I think are most relevant to my delight in this joke. Refer to theories and/or methods in at least three of the articles this week.
F Mar 3	Collecting Folklore	FGFG, I , 'Documenting Folklore," 225-54. Reader I, Anderson and Jack, "Learning to Listen: Interview Techniques and Analyses," Galvin, "Collecting Children's Folklore," Frederick, "Family Folklore," Borland, "Documenting the Fieldwork Project"	Prep paper: discuss three of Sam Kaplan's jokes using theories or methods in articles from this week and cite them.
M Mar 6	Collecting Folklore	Reader I, Sherman, " 'That's How the Seder Looks': A Fieldwork Account of Videotaping Family Folklore."
W Mar 8	Collecting folklore	Reader I, Jackson, from Fieldwork , 1/2 of assignment	Prep Paper: Issues for you in collecting by a novice: Five questions or considerations to discuss with the class.
F Mar 10	Legend	SAF, "Legends and Anecdotes," pp. 196-228. Reader , Brunvand, from The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings and from The Mexican Pet	Written proposal for folklore collection: tell me what genres you will collect, who will be your consultants, when to be done, where, how, issues to be studied.
M Mar 13	Legend	Reader I , Gault, "Mana's Funeral StoriesÉ" Morgan, "Caddy BuffersÉ"	Prep Paper: My in-context analysis of an urban legend I have heard or told. Where, who to, how told, what effects. Alternative prep paper: a personal experience or family story and how it functions as a form of self-fashioning, constituting a social identity for a group, or other functions that orient or inform listeners' views of the self, family, ethnic group, history, or society.
W Mar 15	Folktale	Analyzing personal experience stories.	Everyone be prepared to tell a story you really like to tell: a scary story, ghost story, psychic experiences, most embarrassing incident, where I was when X happened, first time stories, small world stories, celebrity story, family misfortune story, etc.
F Mar 17	Legend	SAF, "Folktales," 229-286. FGFG, I , "Folk Narratives," 121-46.
M Mar 20	Folktale	Reader II, Hymes, "The 'Wife' Who 'Goes Out' Like a Man: Reinterpretation of a Clacamas Chinook Myth," FGFG, I Ramsey, "The Wife Who Goes Out Like a Man, Comes Back as a Hero: The Art of Two Oregon Indian Narratives."	Prep Paper: Two different interpretative approaches to the same personal or traditional story. You may use folk criticism, but it should be probing and thoughtful. Present and analyze two takes on a story either by you, two other people, or yourself and someone else (that person could be a folklorist or literary critic and your source could be an article).
W Mar 22	Folktale	Selected tales from The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brother's Grimm, ed. Jack Zipes. Top 11: 3. Our Lady's Child; 25. The Seven Ravens; 40. The Robber Bridegroom; 49. The Six Swans; 81 Brother Lustig; 82. Gambling Hansel; 97. The Twelve Brothers; 100. The Devil's Sooty Brother; 136. Iron Hans; 163. The Glass Coffin; 198. Maid Maleen. Optional others: 15. Hansel and Gretel; 21. Cinderella; 26. Little Red Cap (Little Red Riding Hood); 43. Frau Trude; 45. Thumbling's Travels; 46. Fitcher's Bird; 50. Brier Rose; 57. The Golden Bird; 68. The Thief and His Master; 76. The Pink Flower; 85. The Gold-Children; 92. King of the Golden Mountain; 117. The Willful Child; 121. The King's Son Who Feared Nothing; 127. The Iron Stove; 137. The Three Black Princesses; 149. The Beam; 192. The Master Thief; 194. The Ear of Grain.	Progress report due from everyone on folklore collecting: who you have consulted, when, what you've accomplished, your plans from here on out (time-line).
F Mar 24	Folktale	Reader II, Bottigheimer, Chapters 7 and 8, "Paradigms for Powerlessness," and "Prohibitions, Transgressions, and Punishments." Stone, "Burning Brightly: New Light from an Old Tale"	Prep Paper: Compare scholarly folktale criticism and interpretation to folktale performance (a la Stone) as a form of critique and interpretation. What functions do each of these serve? What kinds of actions do they accomplish? What kinds of knowledge and understanding do they produce?
M Apr 3	Myth	SAF , "Myths and Motifs," pp. 170-95. Reader II, Bascom, "The Forms of Folklore: Prose Narratives."	Prep Paper: How well do these categories help me sort out narratives we have studied
W Apr 5	Myth	Reader II, Doniger, "Micromyths, Macromyths, and Mulivocality" Doniger, "Bisexual ImplicationsÉ"	Prep Paper: Comparing myths: how do parallels and differences in myths speak to enduring human concerns and experiences and also manifest cultural and historical differences? How does multivocality arise in the bisexual myths?
F Apr 7	No class	Make up on the weekend of April 15-16
M Apr 10	Myth	Reader II, Cushing, "The Mythic World of the Zuni" Tedlock, "The Spoken Word and the Work of InterpretationÉ"	Prep Paper: How does myth performance in context change myth meaning? Analyze the differences between Cushing's version of the genesis myth with Andrew Peynetsa's and discuss Tedlock's theories about meaning.
W Apr 12	Ritual	FGFG, I Religious Folklore, 45-69. Reader II, Bell, "Basic Genres of Ritual Action." Spencer, "The Ritual of Testifying in the Black Church."	Prep Paper: How does Testifying in the Black church fit into Bell's "basic genres of ritual action" and add to the discussion of Religious Folklore in the textbook?
F Apr 14	Celebration , Festival	SAF. Customs and Festivals, 405-424	Prep Paper: Analyzing a folk custom or festival I participate in.
S Apr 15 or 16	Celebration, Festival, make up class for April 7	SAF, Folk Dances and Dramas. 436-59. Reader II, Toelken, "Ethnic Selection and Intensification in the Native American Powwow;"	From everyone: first installment of folklore collection due: 15 pages minimum; more, if possible. This assignment counts for 10% of the collection project grade.
M Apr 17	Games, Play	SAF, Folk Games, 477-500. FGFG, R , Goldstein, "Strategy in Counting Out: An Ethnographic Folklore Field Study." 185-96.	Prep Paper: Analyzing a strategy in a game I play--the folklore of interpreting and "messing" with the rules.
W Apr 19	Games, Play	Reader II, Goodwin, "Accomplishing Social Organization in Girls' Play: Patterns of Competition and Cooperation in an African American Working -Class Girls' Group." Reserve: Study Lucy Karanfilian's collection of fantasy games.	Prep Paper: Analyzing relationships between gender and race, class, or ethnicity in a specific recreational context I know.
F Apr 21	Material Culture	SAF, Folklife, Folk Architecture, Folk Crafts and Art, 501-571
M Apr 24	Material Culture	SAF, Folk Costumes, 572-90. Reader II, Seng and Wass, "Traditional Palestinian Wedding Dress as a Symbol of Nationalism."	Prep Paper: How and when to view dress as a form of folklore
W Apr 26	Material Culture	FGFG,I , Folk Objects, 199-224. FGFG,R , Mitchell, "The Palauan Story-Board: The Evolution of a Folk Art Style," 320-29. Kirschenblatt-Gimblett, "Objects of Memory: Material Culture as Life Review," 329-38. Reserve: Study Stacy Mates' collection of note-passing folklore.	Prep Paper: Analyzing and understanding a folk object I care about: one I have made; a talisman? a lucky piece? Quilt? Carving? Friendship bracelet? Embroidered jacket? Ceramic?
F Apr 28	Foodways	FGFG,R, Dubisch, "You Are What You Eat: Religious Aspects of the Health Food Movement," 124-35. Reader I, Turner and Seriff, "'Giving an Altar to St. Joseph': A Feminist Perspective on a Patronal Feast."	Prep Paper: Folk food culture in my family or at Oberlin.
M May 1	Ballad	SAF, Ballads, 294-336 FGFG,I, Ballads and Folksongs, 147-74
W May 3	Ballad	FGFG, R, Barnie, "Oral Formulas in the Country Blues," 254-66. Child, Editor, "The Battle of Harlaw," 267-70. Buchan, "History and Harlaw," 271-78. Reader II, Toelken, "'It's Dabbling in the dew where you might find me'...."
F May 5	Folk Music	SAF, Folk Music, 337-67. Reader II, Atkinson, " 'Edward," Incest and IntertextualityÉ" Reserve: Study Heidi Rabinowitz's collection of Rugby songs	Prep paper: Analyze a folksong you know or that friends, children, or someone in your family sings. Camp songs? Car songs? Blues? Gospel? Seder song?
S May 6	Folklore Saturday	All-day presentations of folklore collections. Discussion: questions and advice..	Everyone presents a 15-min. (6-page, double-spaced) paper/presentation of their collection (recordings are great to play); everyone needs to be present for three full hours at some point(s), including being there for your "section." This presentation counts for 10% of your collection project grade
M May 8	Rhymes and Folk Poetry, Graffiti	SAF, Rhymes and Folk Poetry, 136-69. Reader I, Bruner and Keels, "Gender Differences in Graffiti: A Semiotic Perspective" Chaffee, "Political Graffiti and Wall Painting in Greater Buenos Aires...." Reserve: Study Matt Landolf's collection of Level A Latrinalia	Prep Paper: Analyzing graffiti in a specific site
W May 10	Folk Gesture	SAF, Folk Gestures, 452-76 Reader II , Rickford and Rickford, "Cut-Eye and Suck-Teeth: African Words and Gestures in New World Guise."	Prep Paper: Analyzing a folk gesture I have used
F May 12	Wrap-up		Evaluations filled in.
T May 15		End of Reading period	Folklore collections due by 4:30 p.m. The final collection counts for 80% of the collection project grade (you received 10% for the first installment and 10% for your presentation and participationon Folklore Saturday). The entire collection project counts for 45% of your final grade.