This course will study folklore that has been created in the United States
as a way to understand the creativity and the history of people who are
often neglected in courses on History and Art and in over-generalized
notions of cultural identity.  We will examine examples from several
different regions of the U.S., namely the Northeast Coast, South Louisiana,
South Texas, Appalachia, and the Upper Midwest.  Our discussions of specific
examples such as the Jack Tale, Mardi Gras, Quilting, or Shape Note Singing
will be framed by larger discussions of issues like performance, aesthetics
and cultural revival.  This course will give you an introduction to
different kinds of folklore in the United States, but it will also give you
the tools to better understand any kind of folklore, no matter where you
encounter it.  In doing so, you will learn some basic ethnographic and
analytical techniques which are applicable to any kind of human activity.

There are no prerequisites for this course.  F131 is an introductory course
appropriate for non-majors as well as students considering a major or minor
in Folklore.

Fulfills a COAS Arts and Humanities, Traditions and Ideas distribution
requirement.