Folklore and Public Culture (BA)

Students studying folklore and public culture at the UO receive comprehensive training in scholarly approaches and methods for researching, documenting, and presenting traditional arts and cultural practices within the United States and abroad.

Courses cover an extensive range of interdisciplinary topics: cultural heritage, ethnicity, subcultures, popular culture, performance, gender, film, religion, public folklore, and issues of diversity and globalization. Folklore and Public Culture graduates work in public and private agencies as educators, archivists, editors, arts and humanities consultants, museum curators, and festival planners.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

  • Identify and explain key concepts in academic and public folklore.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the research methods associated with academic and public folklore.
  • Understand and apply fieldwork methods and proper documentation techniques necessary for submission of fieldwork for archival preservation.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the multiple theoretical orientations contributing to an understanding and analysis of academic and public folklore.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the types of folkloric expression and various types of folk groups in relationship to historical, cultural, and social contexts.
  • Understand and give examples of what academic and public folklorists do.
  • Evaluate how academic and public folklore contributes to understanding contemporary issues requiring decision making and policy development.

Folklore and Public Culture Major

Students studying folklore and public culture at the UO receive comprehensive training in scholarly approaches and methods for researching, documenting, and presenting traditional arts and cultural practices within the United States and abroad. Students majoring in folklore and public culture must earn a minimum of 48 credits, of which 32 must be upper division, and 20 of the 48 must be Folklore (FLR) credits.

FLR 250Introduction to Folklore4
FLR 495Folklore Fieldwork4
Electives from Electives list40
Total Credits48

Electives

Folklore
FLR 198Workshop: [Topic]1-2
FLR 225Voices of Africa4
FLR 235Folklore and the Supernatural4
FLR 236Magic in the Middle Ages4
FLR 255Folklore and United States Popular Culture4
FLR 320Car Cultures4
FLR 350Folklore and the Bible4
FLR 370Folklore and Sexuality4
FLR 399Special Studies: [Topic]1-5
FLR 400MTemporary Multilisted Course1-5
FLR 401Research: [Topic]1-6
FLR 403Thesis1-6
FLR 404Internship: [Topic]1-8
FLR 405Reading and Conference: [Topic]1-6
FLR 406Practicum: [Topic]1-6
FLR 407Seminar: [Topic]1-5
FLR 408Workshop: [Topic]1-5
FLR 409Terminal Project1-6
FLR 410Experimental Course: [Topic]1-5
FLR 411Folklore and Religion4
FLR 415Folklore and Foodways4
FLR 495Folklore Fieldwork4
Anthropology
ANTH 114Anthropology of Pirates and Piracy4
ANTH 119Anthropology and Aliens4
ANTH 161Introduction to Cultural Anthropology4
ANTH 315Gender, Folklore, Inequality4
ANTH 331Cultures of India and South Asia4
ANTH 365Food and Culture4
ANTH 429Jewish Folklore and Ethnology4
ANTH 441Recent Cultural Theory4
Arts and Administration
PPPM 250Arts and Human Values4
PPPM 399Special Studies: [Topic]1-5
PPPM 470The Arts in Society4
PPPM 471Cultural Policy4
PPPM 472Creative Placemaking4
PPPM 480Nonprofit Management4
PPPM 473Cultural Programming4
Dance
DAN 301African Dance Aesthetics4
DAN 410Experimental Course: [Topic] (Dema)1-5
DAN 436Dema African Performance Ensemble: [Topic]3
Judaic Studies
JDST 213The Jewish Encounter with Modernity (Judaic Studies)4
Music
MUS 358Music in World Cultures4
MUS 359Music of the Americas4
MUS 360Hip-Hop History, Culture, Aesthetics4
MUS 365Regional Ethnomusicology: [Topic]4
MUS 436World Music Ensemble: [Topic]2
MUS 451Introduction to Ethnomusicology4
MUS 452Musical Instruments of the World4
MUS 462Popular Musics in the African Diaspora4
Religious Studies
REL 303Japanese Religions4
REL 353Dark Self, East and West4
Scandinavian and German
GER 356German Fairy Tales1-4
SCAN 259Vikings through the Icelandic Sagas4
SCAN 325Constructions versus Constrictions of Identity4
SCAN 343Norse Mythology4
SCAN 344Medieval Hero and Monster4
SCAN 345MFood, Culture, and Identity in Germany and Scandinavia4
Women's and Gender Studies
WGS 321Feminist Perspectives on Identity, Race, Culture4

Students may substitute courses to fulfill requirements with the approval of their major advisor. Programs from other departments or programs offering folklore-related courses include anthropology, arts and administration, classics, dance, English, ethnic studies, German and Scandinavian, historic preservation, humanities, international studies, journalism and communication, Judaic studies, music, religious studies, Romance languages, theater arts, and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

Minimum Grade

Course work required for the folklore and public culture major, both lower division and upper division, must be passed with grades of C– or better. No more than 8 pass/no pass credits may be applied to the major. 

Foreign Language Requirement

Majors must complete the university foreign-language requirement for the BA degree.

Residency Requirement

Twenty-eight credits of upper-division coursework for the major must be completed at the University of Oregon.

Four-Year Degree Plan

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

Bachelor of Arts in Folklore and Public Culture

Degree Map
First Year
FallMilestonesCredits
FLR 225 Voices of Africa 4
WR 121Z Composition I 4
ANTH 161 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology 4
First term of first-year second-language sequence 5
 Credits 17
Winter
ANTH 163 Origins of Storytelling 4
WR 122Z
Composition II
or College Composition III
4
Approved HIST course 4
Second term of first-year second-language sequence 5
 Credits 17
Spring
FLR 250 Introduction to Folklore 4
PSY 201Z Introduction to Psychology I 4
JDST 213 The Jewish Encounter with Modernity 4
Third term of first-year second-language sequence 5
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Second Year
FallMilestonesCredits
GEOG 142 The Human Planet 4
FLR 235 Folklore and the Supernatural 4
FLR 255 Folklore and United States Popular Culture 4
First term of second-year second-language sequence 5
 Credits 17
Winter
FLR 320 Car Cultures 4
ANTH 341 Food Origins 4
Second term of second-year second-language sequence 5
 Credits 13
Spring
ENVS 345 Environmental Ethics 4
PPPM 250 Arts and Human Values 4
Third term of second-year second-language sequence 5
 Credits 13
 Total Credits 43
Degree Map
Third Year
FallMilestonesCredits
MUS 358 Music in World Cultures 4
GEOG 361 Global Environmental Change 4
ANTH 365 Food and Culture 4
Upper Division FLR course 4
 Credits 16
Winter
ANTH 326 or similar 4
FLR 350 Folklore and the Bible 4
MUS 360 Hip-Hop History, Culture, Aesthetics 4
FLR 411 Folklore and Religion 4
 Credits 16
Spring
ANTH 315 Gender, Folklore, Inequality 4
GER 356 German Fairy Tales 4
PPPM 473 Cultural Programming 4
MUS 359 Music of the Americas 4
 Credits 16
 Total Credits 48
Degree Map
Fourth Year
FallMilestonesCredits
FLR 415 Folklore and Foodways 4
FLR 411 Folklore and Religion 4
Anthropology course chosen in consultation with advisor 4
PPPM 470 The Arts in Society 4
 Credits 16
Winter
FLR 483 or similar 4
ANTH 441 Recent Cultural Theory 4
PPPM 399 Special Studies: [Topic] (Arts Management) 1-5
 Credits 9-13
Spring
Program-approved course 4
Anthropology course chosen in consultation with advisor 4
PPPM 471 Cultural Policy 4
 Credits 12
 Total Credits 37-41