Folklore Studies
About
The field: the study of folklore focuses on a broad spectrum of social expression, examining the forms and ways of living through which communities shape their reality; those forms include language, work, food, play, dance, song, gestures, beliefs, and so forth. Folklore tends to focus on those cultural forms that permeate the everyday, which are passed from generation to generation, usually orally, with no one author or creator. Folklorists might study such activities as riddles, bell ringing, ethnic joking, or urban legends, apparently trivial practices which, when examined in context, reveal themselves as significant performances: constructions of identity, presentations of self, strategies of control or resistance, manipulations of resources, exercises of virtuosity, spaces of reflection upon the nature of things.Ohio State boasts one of the largest concentrations of folklorists in the country, who work in various departments throughout the University, including Comparative Studies.
The concentration: The folklore concentration provides an introduction to the study of folklore methods and folk materials, as well as a further focus within a particular area that will bring depth to their studies. That area of focus might be the folklore of a particular geopgraphical region or community, or the study of a particular genre, such as oral narrative or performance.
The Minor: Comparative Studies also offers a minor in folklore. For more information see the minor requirements.
The Center for Folklore Studies: OSU is home to one of the most dynamic centers for the study of folklore in the country, whose extensive programs benefit students of folklore and the campus as large. See the center Web site, and explore their many events and programs.
Questions? Contact Dr. Marge Lynd, 292-2559, or lynd.1@osu.edu; or the folklore studies program coordinator, Dr. Sabra Webber, webber.1@osu.edu.
