WELCOME

"Folklore of Student Life" holds the accumulated wisdom and wit of several IU undergraduate classes and of a good many IU undergraduates, all focused upon the folklore -- those shared avenues of creativity and expression -- that is part of the college experience at Indiana University. This website is a joint production of Prof John McDowell and his students in these classes, notably F351 Folklore of Student Life, taught in Fall 2005 and again in Spring of 2008, and F401 Theories and Methods, taught in the Fall semester the last couple of years. Our goal has been to create a site that captures the real flavor of student folklore at IU, that gives viewers an idea of how this folklore has changed over time, and that offers insights into the meaning and function of this folklore in the lives of students.

We present seven varieties of lore (see buttons at right), so help yourself to a serving of your favorite fare. For each variety, there are three categories -- archival, taken from the collections in the IU Folklore Archives; ethnographic, taken directly from observations and interviews with members of the student community, and cybernetic, drawn from the channels of online communication. These categories are marked as options on each genre page, and under them are listed the individual collections, as contributed by my students, in each category. Sounds complicated, perhaps, but should be easy to navigate -- give it a try!

Please note that we do not endorse the content of this material, but rather present it as a true and honest reflection of student lore at Indiana University. Due to the explicit character of some material, viewer discretion is advisable.

I offer a heart-felt word of thanks to Susan Henning-Harris, our web consultant, and to Trevor Blank and Rachel Gonzalez, graduate student helpers. Your ideas and efforts are deeply appreciated.

JMcD,

July 2, 2008

See photos of prof and students at work