English 375-01 Forms of Folklore

Spring 1998

MWF 3:30, King 327

 

Phyllis Gorfain

Office hours: Mon and Fri, 4:45-6

Rice 107

x8577

 

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 by Mon. Feb. 9.

 

Course Objectives

1. An advanced 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, 10%

Any no. of absences over three will result in a lowering of the grade. Those who are well-prepared for class, attend with fewer than three absences, participate actively and productively will receive A's.

 

2. Prep Papers, 25%

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 2-3 pages, printed, double spaced, one-inch margins. 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 reading. The preps will be given CR+, CR, or CR- and 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, their intellectual engagement with the readings, their engagement with new examples, and their contributions to the class during the semester.

 

3. Take home midterm, 20%

The midterm will form a review of materials in the first half of the course and involve the student in finding new folklore examples to examine.

 

4. Take home final, 20%

The final will form a review of materials in the first half of the course and involve the student in finding new folklore examples to examine.

 

5. Folklore collection, 25%

A substantial folklore collection will be due during the reading period, but work will be done on the collection during the semester with interim deadlines. Fifteen minute presentations from the collections will be presented at a special marathon Folklore Saturday near the end of the semester. The collection will consist of transcripts of folklore events performed live. The collection will include the collectors 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 20 pages of material, and may be more.

 

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.

 

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SCHEDULE

Date	Topic	Assignment	Due on this date
Wed., Feb. 4	Intro: What is folklore?	SAF, "The Field of Folklore" pp. 3-21.	.
Fri., Feb. 6	Intro: What is folkloristics?	SAF, "The Study of Folklore" 22-47. FGFG, I, "On the Concepts of Folklore" pp.1-22.	.
Mon., Feb. 9	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.	Prep Paper: A folk group I am part of: its genres, sites, an analysis of an item I perform.
Wed., Feb. 11	Folk Speech	SAF, "Folk Speech and Naming" pp.. 73-83 FGFG, R, Basso, "Wise Words of the Western Apache" Reader I, Eble, "Meaning	Prep Paper: Analysis of an item of folk speech I heard this week
Fri., Feb. 13	Riddles	SAF, "Riddles and Other Verbal Puzzles" pp. 113-129. FGFG, I, "Riddles and Proverbs," pp. 175-184.	.
Mon., Feb. 16	Riddles	Reader I, Glazier and Gorfain, "Ambiguity and Exchange..." Walker, "Some Interrogative and Ludic Dimensions of a Riddling Session," Roberts and Forman, "Riddles: Expressive Models..."	Prep Paper: Another way I might analyze one of these riddling events
Wed., Feb. 18	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.	.
Fri., Feb. 20	Proverbs	Reader I, Prahlad, Chapter 4 and Chapter 5.	Prep paper: Analyzing a Proverb in Context
Mon., Feb. 23	Superstition and Folk Belief	SAF, "Superstition," pp. 371-404. FGFG, I, "Religious Folklore," pp. 45-70. FGFG, R, Poggie, Jr. and Gersuny, "Risk and Ritual...," pp. 137-45. Reader I, Jordan, "The Vaginal Serpent..."	Prep Paper: Three discussion questions for each article with a short paragraph with each question to trigger discussion
Wed., Feb. 25	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..."	.
Fri., Feb. 27	Jokes and folk humor	"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"; Sims, "The NASA Joke Cycle: The Astronauts and the Teacher."	Prep Paper: Analyzing "A Joke I Love: Factors I think are most relevant"
Mon., March 2	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"	.
Wed., March 4	Collecting Folklore	Reader I, Jackson, from Fieldwork, 1/2 of assignment	..
Fri., March 6	Collecting Folklore	Reader I, Jackson, from Fieldwork, 1/2 of assignment	Prep Paper: Issues in collecting by a novice: Five questions or considerations to discuss
Mon., March 8	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.
Wed., March 10	Legend	FGFG, R, Brandes, "Family Misfortune Stories in American Folklore," 224-35; Allen, "Personal Experience Narratives..." Reader II, Braid, "Personal Narrative and Experiential Meaning."	Prep Paper: My in-context analysis of an urban legend I have heard or told
Fri., March 12	Folktale	SAF, "Folktales," 229-286. FGFG, I, "Folk Narratives," 121-46.	Take Home Exam given out.
Sun., March 14	Legend	Reader II, Fine, "Accounting for Rumor..."	Everyone be prepared to tell one you really like to tell: a scary story, ghost story, haunts, psychic experiences, most embarrassing incidents, where I was when, first time stories, small world stories, celebrity story, etc.
Mon., March 16	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 interpretative approaches to a personal or traditional story
Wed., March 18	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. Reader II, Ruth B. Bottigheimer, Chapters 7 and 8, "Paradigms for Powerlessness," and "Prohibitions, Transgressions, and Punishments."	Prep Paper: Two interpretative approaches to a fairy tale. 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).
Fri., March 20	.	No class meeting.	Take Home Exam Due by 6 p.m.
Mon., March 30	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
Wed., April 1	Myth	Reader II, Campbell, "Prologue: The Monomyth," The Hero with a Thousand Faces Reader II, Dundes, "Madness in Method, plus a Plea for Projective Inversion in Myth."	Prep Paper: The differences in method, assumptions, and goals between Dundes and Campbell
Fri., April 3	Myth	Reader II, Taggart, from Nahaut Myth and Social Structure.	Prep Paper: Analyzing a Nahaut Myth using another approach
Mon., April 6	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: The differences between a ritual and a form of religious folklore that is not a ritual
Wed., April 8	Celebration, Festival	SAF, Customs and Festivals, 405-424 Reader II, Santino, "Winter into Spring."	Prep Paper: Analyzing a folk custom or festival I participate in
Fri., April 10	Celebration, Festival	SAF, Folk Dances and Dramas. 436-59. Reader II, Toelken, "Ethnic Selection and Intensification in the Native American Powwow;" Wiggins, Jr. "A Circus of Symbols."	Prep Paper: Comparing Toelken's and Wiggins' Events and approaches. From everyone: first installment of folklore collection due: a first 5-10 pages.
Mon., April 13	Games, Play	SAF, Folk Games, 477-500. FGFG, R , Goldstein, "Strategy in Counting Out: An Ethnographic Folklore Field Study." 185-96.	Prep Paper: Analysis of strategy in a game I play--the folklore of using rules
Wed., April 15	Games, Play	Reader II, Goodwin, "Accomplishing Social Organization in Girls' Play: Patterns of Competition and Cooperation in an African American Working -Class Girls' Group."	Prep Paper: Gender and play in a specific recreational context I know
Fri., April 17	Material Culture	SAF , Folklife, Folk Architecture, Folk Crafts and Art, 501-571	.
Mon, April 20	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
Wed., April 22	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.	Prep Paper: Analyzing a folk object I care about
Fri., April 24	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 Oberlin
Mon., April 27	Ballad	SAF, Ballads, 294-336 FGFG, I, Ballads and Folksons, 147-74	.
Wed., April 29	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'...."	Prep Paper: Analyzing a folksong
Fri., May 1	Folk Music	SAF, Folk Music, 337-67. Reader II, Vander, from Songprints: The Musical Experience of Five Shoshone Women .	From everyone: second installment of folklore collection due: a second 5-10 pages.
Sat., May 2	Folklore Saturday	All-day presentations of folklore collections&emdash;make up for missed class on March 20 and helps earn fourth hour of credit	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 at least three full hours at some point(s).
Mon., May 4	Rhymes and Folk Poetry, Graffiti	SAF, Rhymes and Folk Poetry, 136-69. Reader I, Bruner and Kelso, "Gender Differences in Graffiti: A Semiotic Perspective" Chaffee,"Political Graffiti and Wall Painting in Greater Buenos Aires...."	Prep Paper: Analyzing graffiti in a specific site
Wed., May 6	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."	Take home exam given out. Prep Paper: Analyzing a folk gesture I have used
Fri., May 8	Wrap-up	.	Evaluations filled in.
Mon., May 11	.	Reading period	Folklore collections due by 4:30 p.m.
Wed., May 13	.	Final Examination	Take home due by 4:30 p.m.