1. What is Folklore?
2. What is a Folklorist?
3. What is Ethnomusicology?
4. What is Fieldwork?
5. Why study Folkore/ Ethnomusicology?

1. What is Folklore?

"Folk" can refer to any group of people-from any economic, religious, generational, or ethnic background-who share a common interest. We are all members of folk groups. As a form of communication, folklore is created when people interact with one another. "Lore" represents the knowledge and artistry of a group in forms such as stories and jokes, art, architecture, music, dance, custom, belief, ritual, and festival. People throughout the world use folklore in their daily lives-in times of crisis, celebration, and change. It is displayed in legends about politicians, protest songs or urban street paintings, and in hundreds of other forms of expression. Folklore interprets, diffuses, or incites pressure points in modern society.

2. What is a Folklorist?

Folklorists are both humanists and social scientists. They examine individual and cultural creativity and tradition throughout the world. They learn how people use traditional knowledge and practices to understand and participate in new, often challenging situations of contemporary life. Many folklorists use ethnographic methods to gain an intimate understanding of social groups from within.

3. What is Ethnomusicology?

Ethnomusicology is the study of music of all types and from all cultures. Ethnomusicologists not only listen to the sounds of music within particular cultures and events but also inquire into people’s ideas and beliefs about music. Ethnomusicology explores the role of music in human life, analyzes relationships between music and culture, and studies music cross-culturally.

Folklore and Ethnomusicology students gain insights into the culturally diverse ways people think and act; they also understand human societies from within, develop advanced skills in conducting fieldwork, interviewing, and documentation, and learn how to conduct library research which is then embodied into a comprehensive written form. You will have your hand on the pulse of contemporary society!

1. Why study Folklore/Ethnomusicology at Indiana?

IU's top-ranked Folklore Institute has a large and dynamic community of students, professors, visiting scholars, and a dedicated staff that keep everything running smoothly. As an international center for folklore training, we regularly sponsor conference programs and cooperative projects. The undergraduate curriculum reflects the breadth of folklore study and its link to the arts, area studies, and other cultural disciplines. Drawing upon the excellent resources available, students may choose an individual concentration in cross-cultural or international studies, museum studies, ethnomusicology, cultural conservation, archiving, documentation of artistic performance, or specific world areas and periods in history.

2. What are the courses like?

Folklore and Ethnomusicology courses are taught at all levels of the curriculum. These include:

• Large service courses that introduce undergraduates to the study of folklore and ethnomusicology
• Advanced undergraduate courses that explore the various forms and functions of traditional artistic expression in the world's communities.

3. What kind of jobs do Folklorists and Ethnomusicologists get?

Our graduates are employed in a range of professional settings such as:

• Museums, where they conduct research, create exhibits, and develop programs
• Arts agencies, within which they provide venues for artists and musicians
• City governments, as consultants for urban planning and development
• Business sectors and music industry, where they provide consultant services.

Further, graduates from IU's Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology are college professors in universities around the world. They have produced numerous books, festivals, films, documentary videos, CDs, and computer software that present and interpret culture.

4. What opportunities are available at Indiana to Folklore/Ethnomusicology students?

Please see the Undergraduate Resources sections of this website.