Program in Folklore
PATRICIA SAWIN, Director of the Folklore Program, Department of American Studies
Professors
*Bob Cantwell (26) Culture and Human Rights, Vernacular Music, Folklore Theory, Sexual Consent, Jane Addams, Pragmatism and the Progressive Era
Carole L. Crumley (22) Archaeology, Complex Societies, Europe
Terence Evens (27) Social Anthropology, Social Theory, Phenomenology, Ethics, Philosophical Anthropology, Collectivist Settlements
*William R. Ferris (70) Southern Music and Literature, Documentary Studies, American South
Kaja Finkler (32) Medical Anthropology, Latin America
Jacquelyn Hall (18) American History, Southern Oral History
*Trudier Harris (5) African American Folklore and Literature
Norris B. Johnson (25) Cultural Anthropology, Art and Literature
Edward Donald Kennedy (6) Medieval Romances, Arthurian Literature
H. Craig Melchert (23) Indo-European Linguistics
Patrick P. O'Neill (20) Medieval Literature, Celtic Languages and Culture
James L. Peacock (11) Culture Change, Symbolic Systems, Southeast Asia
Della Pollock (9) Performance of Literature, Performance Theory and Criticism, Cultural Studies
Ruel W. Tyson Jr. (15) Philosophy and Anthropology of Religion
Associate Professors
Robert Edward Daniels (4) Social Anthropology, Culture and Personality, Africa
John W. Florin (16) Population Geography, Medical Geography and Historical Anglo-America
*Jocelyn Neal (7) 20th-Century Theory, Popular Music
*Glenn D. Hinson (36) Ethnography, African American Expressive Culture, Belief Systems, Vernacular Art, Public Folklore, American South
Valerie Lambert (59) American Indians, Ethnography, Political and Legal Anthropology, Sovereignty, Identity, Race and Racism, Elites, United States
*Patricia E. Sawin (52) Gender Theory, Narrative, , Ethnography of Speaking, Politics of Culture, Festival, Culture and Globalization, Appalachia, Guatemala
Karla Slocum (56) Global/Local Studies, Social Movements, Agency, Development, Gender, Applying Anthropology, Caribbean
Assistant Professors
*Marcie Ferris (35) Southern Jewish History, American Foodways, Women's Studies, Folklore, Material Culture
Christopher Nelson (64) History and Memory, Everyday Life, Ethnography, Critical Theory, Storytelling, Ritual and Performance, Japan and Okinawa
*Katherine Roberts (15) Material Culture, Environment and Place, Vernacular Architecture, American South
Professors Emeriti
Daniel W. Patterson, Ballads, American Folksong, Religious Folklife, Gravestones, American South
Charles Gordon Zug, Pottery, Material Culture, Narrative, Maritime Folklife, Folk Art, American South
* core faculty
The Folklore Program focuses on the study of creativity and aesthetic expression in everyday life, and on the social and political implications of this expression as it unfolds in the contested arenas of culture. Not bound to traditional definitions of folklore, and committed to preparing students for ethical practice in a multicultural world, the Folklore Program offers a flexible M.A. program that readies students for both public practice and further academic study.
The millennium's turn marked five decades of the Folklore Program's presence at UNC-Chapel Hill. Founded with an eye to regional study and deeply integrated with the University's long-standing focus on Southern history, literature and culture, the program maintains its commitment to the study of regional folklife. This commitment, however, in no way limits the program's vision. Though students and faculty still do much of their fieldwork in the South, they are just as likely to be working with poets in Chicago, shamans in Siberia or sci-fi costumers in Boston. Faculty interests tend to cluster in the areas of music, language and narrative, African American culture, public folklore, gender, material culture, occupational folklife and the politics of culture. Deeply committed to collaborative work in the public realm, Folklore Program members work extensively with local communities, pursuing projects with museums, arts councils, media production companies and a range of other organizations.
Until last year, the Folklore Program operated as an independent interdisciplinary curriculum, offering a freestanding M.A. in folklore. This year, however, marks the curriculum's merger with the new Department of American Studies. Structurally, the folklore M.A. program will remain largely unchanged; now, however, all of our core faculty will hold joint appointments in American Studies, and students will have a greater set of course options than ever before. Our many affiliated faculty will continue to work with folklore students from their various departmental homes (Anthropology, Communication Studies, English, Geography, History, Linguistics and Religious Studies).The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a fitting home for the Folklore Program. Its libraries have extensive holdings of books, manuscripts, periodicals, images and sound recordings relating to folklore. Holdings of folklore materials are especially strong for the American South and the British Isles. Particularly notable among these collections are the Archie Green Occupational Folklife Collection, the Don Yoder Collection of American religious tune books, the John Edwards Memorial Collection of early Southern commercially recorded folk and popular music and the Southern Folklife Collection of field and commercial recordings.
Degree Requirements: The M.A. program in folklore stresses flexibility, inviting students to craft a course plan to meet their particular needs. Master's students must complete 10 courses (30 hours). Of these, only two—Introduction to Folklore Theory (FOLK 850) and The Art of Ethnography (FOLK 860)—are required. Other courses must demonstrate a rough balance between genre, theory, area studies and practice. In addition to classes in the core curriculum, students traditionally take courses from a variety of associated graduate programs, including anthropology, communications studies, English, history and music. Students pursuing an M.A. must demonstrate reading proficiency in a foreign language.
Students may also opt for a folklore minor in another Ph.D. program. Students pursuing the minor must complete only six courses.
Courses for Graduates and Advanced Undergraduates
130 [133] ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE CARIBBEAN (ANTH 130) (3). Theories and examples of how Caribbean people live, act and see themselves within various cultural, social, economic and political contexts across time. Attention to North American views of the Caribbean. Spring. Slocum.
230 [130] AMERICAN INDIAN SOCIETIES (ANTH 230) (3). Broad survey of contemporary American Indian societies and cultures in the U.S. Explores sociocultural and historical diversity of tribes through film, autobiography, literature, current issues, guest speakers, archaeology and history. Lambert.
323 [123] MAGIC, RITUAL, AND BELIEF (ANTH 323) (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Starting with the late 19th century evolutionists, this course discusses, intensively, major anthropological theories of magico-religious thought and practice, then offers an approach of its own. Spring. Evens.
334 [134] ART, MYTH AND NATURE: CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES (ANTH 334) (3). Cross-cultural study of form, image and meaning in painting, drawing and sculpture. Emphasis on the interrelationship of religion and art in selected prehistoric and contemporary sociocultural traditions. Spring. Johnson.
375 [176] FOOD IN AMERICAN CULTURE (AMST 375). This course will examine the history and meaning of food in American culture and will explore the ways in which food shapes national, regional and personal identity. M. Ferris.
428 [142] RELIGION AND ANTHROPOLOGY (ANTH 428, RELI 428) (3). Religion studied anthropologically as a cultural, social and psychological phenomenon in the works of classical and contemporary social thought. Spring. Peacock and Tyson.
429 [129] CULTURE AND POWER IN SOUTHEAST ASIA (ANTH 429, ASIA 429) (3). The formation and transformation of values, identities and expressive forms in Southeast Asia in response to forms of power. Emphasis on the impact of colonialism, the nation-state and globalization. Peacock, Nonini, Wiener.
435 [135] CONSCIOUSNESS AND SYMBOLS (ANTH 435, CMPL 435) (3). This course explores consciousness through symbols. Symbols from religion, art, politics and self are studied in social, psychological, historical and ecological context to ascertain meanings in experience and behavior. Fall. Peacock.
454 [154] HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES (GEOG 454) (3). A study of selected past geographies of the United States with emphasis on the significant geographic changes in population, cultural and economic conditions through time. Florin.
455 [155] METHOD AND THEORY IN ETHNOHISTORIC RESEARCH (ANTH 455) (3). Integration of data from ethnographic and archaeological research with pertinent historical information. Familiarization with a wide range of sources of ethnohistorical data and practice in obtaining and evaluating information. Pertinent theoretical concepts are explored. Fall. (Alternate years.) Crumley.
470 [171] MEDICINE AND ANTHROPOLOGY (ANTH 470) (3). This course examines cultural understandings of health, illness and medical systems from an anthropological perspective with a special focus on Western medicine. Finkler.
473 [173] ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE BODY AND THE SUBJECT (ANTH 473) (3). Anthropological and historical studies of cultural constructions of bodily experience and subjectivity are reviewed, with emphasis on the genesis of the modern individual and cultural approaches to gender and sexuality.
484 [184] DISCOURSE AND DIALOGUE IN ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH (ANTH 484, LING 484) (3). Study of cultural variation in styles of speaking applied to collection of ethnographic data. Talk as responsive social action and its role in the constitution of ethnic and gender identities. Sawin.
485 [146] INTRODUCTION TO FOLKLORE (ANTH 485, ENGL 485) (3). An introduction to the study of creativity and aesthetic expression in everyday life, considering both traditional genres and contemporary innovations in the material, verbal and musical arts.
487 [186] FOLK NARRATIVE (ENGL 487) (3). The study of three genres of folk narrative (fairytale, personal narrative and legend) and their distinctive roles in contemporary life.
488 NO PLACE LIKE HOME: MATERIAL CULTURE OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH (3). Seminar will explore the unique worlds of Southern material culture and how "artifacts" from barns to biscuits provide insight about the changing social and cultural history of the American South.
490 [195] TOPICS IN FOLKLORE (3). Topics vary from semester to semester. Fall and spring. Staff.
495 [198] FIELD RESEARCH (3). Research at sites that vary. Fall and spring. Staff.
496 [199] DIRECTED READINGS IN FOLKLORE (3). Prerequisite, permission of the department. Topic varies based on instructor. Fall and spring. Staff.
502 [141] MYTHS AND EPICS OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST (RELI 502) (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. An examination of Babylonian, Canaanite, Egyptian, Hittite and Sumerian texts from the prebiblical era, focusing on representative myths, epics, sagas, songs, proverbs, prophecies and hymns. Spring. Sasson.
525 [121] CULTURE AND PERSONALITY (ANTH 525) (3). Systems theory used to conceptualize relationship between cultural patterns and individual minds. Functional, dysfunctional and therapeutic processes considered. Examples from Africa, Asia, Europe and Native America. Lectures, films, recitations. Spring. Daniels.
537 [137] GENDER AND PRACTICE (ANTH 537, WMST 438) (3). A study of the ways in which individuals constitute themselves as gendered subjects in the contemporary context of economic and cultural globalization. Spring. Sawin.
550 [148] INTRODUCTION TO MATERIAL CULTURE (3). An introduction to material folk culture, exploring the meanings that people bring to traditional arts and the artful creations with which they surround themselves (e.g., architecture, clothing, altars, tools, food).
560 [160] SOUTHERN LITERATURE AND THE ORAL TRADITION (3). Course considers how Southern writers employ folklore genres such as folk tales, sermons and music and how such genres provide structure for literary forms like the novel and the short story. Spring. W. Ferris.
562 [161] ORAL HISTORY AND PERFORMANCE (COMM 562, HIST 562, WMST 562) (3). This course combines readings and field work in oral history with study of performance as a means of interpreting and conveying oral history texts. Emphasis on women's history.
565 [165] RITUAL, THEATER, AND PERFORMANCE IN EVERYDAY LIFE (COMM 565) (3). Prerequisite, COMM 160 or ENGL 126. This course will explore the dynamics of performance as it is broadly produced within the texture of individual experiences, the interaction of community memberships and the dramas of cultural aesthetics.
571 [150] SOUTHERN MUSIC (HIST 571) (3). Explores the history of music in the American South from its roots to 20th-century musical forms, revealing how music serves as a window on the region's history and culture. Fall. W. Ferris.
585 [147] BRITISH AND AMERICAN FOLK SONG (ENGL 585) (3). Explores the forms, functions and relationships of British and American folk songs, charting the emergence of Anglo and African American vernacular musics and the dynamic processes of tradition, creolization, innovation and revival.
587 [187] FOLKLORE IN THE SOUTH (ENGL 587) (3). An issue-oriented study of Southern folklore, exploring the ways that vernacular artistic expression (from barns and barbecue to gospel and well-told tales) come to define both community and region.
589 [189] AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKLORE (ENGL 589) (3). Focuses on the richness and variety of oral traditions that define African American culture, with some emphasis on African origins. Fall. Harris.
610 VERNACULAR TRADITIONS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC (AFAM 610) (4). Explores performance traditions in African American music, tracing development from African song through reels, blues, gospel and contemporary vernacular expression. Focuses on continuity, creativity and change within African American aesthetics. (Alternate years.) Fall. Hinson.
670 [174] INTRODUCTION TO ORAL HISTORY (HIST 670) (3). Introduces students to the uses of interviews in historical research. Questions of ethics, interpretation and the construction of memory will be explored, and interviewing skills will be developed through field work. Hall.
675 [175] ETHNOGRAPHIC METHOD (ANTH 675) (3). Intensive study and practice of the core research methods of cultural and social anthropology. Staff.
684 [185] WOMEN IN FOLKLORE AND LITERATURE (ENGL 684, WMST 684) (3). An exploration of representations of women in oral traditions as well as in literature based on oral traditions.
Courses for Graduates
688 [288] OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION OF RELIGIOUS ACTION (ANTH 688, RELI 688) (3). Permission of the instructor. Exercises (including field work) in learning to read the primary modes of public action in religious traditions, e.g., sermons, testimonies, rituals and prayers. Spring. Peacock.
690 [295] STUDIES IN FOLKLORE (3). Topic varies from semester to semester. Fall and spring. Staff.
790 [290] PUBLIC FOLKLORE (3). A graduate seminar addressing theory and praxis in public sector cultural work. Focusing on public folklore, this course explores broad issues of representation, cultural politics and cultural tourism. (Alternate years.) Fall. Hinson.
841 [241] PERFORMANCE ETHNOGRAPHY (COMM 841) (3). This seminar focuses on methods of ethnography and fieldwork ethics. Performance as theory and practice informs methodological inquiries as well as the analysis of specific ethnographic texts and case studies.
842 [342] SEMINAR IN PERFORMANCE AND CULTURAL STUDIES (COMM 842) (3). This course focuses on performance-related issues in the emergent field of cultural studies.
843 [343] SEMINAR IN PROBLEMS IN CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE THEORY (COMM 843) (3). An advanced graduate seminar, this course will address recent developments and problems in performance theory. It will consider cross- and multidisciplinary approaches to performance as sites for consideration and debate. Pollock, Long, Madison.
850 [296] APPROACHES TO FOLKLORE THEORY (3). A systematic overview of the major issues and perspectives informing two centuries of folklore study, including social base, tradition, evolution, diffusion, structure, function, interpretation, performance, feminism and ideology. Fall. Sawin.
860 [297] ART OF ETHNOGRAPHY (ANTH 860) (3). A field-based exploration of the pragmatic, ethical and theoretical dimensions of ethnographic research, addressing issues of experience, aesthetics, authority and worldview through the lens of cultural encounter. Field research required. Spring. Hinson.
890 [390] SEMINAR IN SELECTED TOPICS (3). An irregularly offered graduate seminar exploring selected topics in the theory and practice of folklore.
891 [196] TOPICS IN FOLKLORE (3). An irregularly offered graduate seminar exploring selected topics in the theory and practice of folklore.
895 [395] SEMINAR IN FOLKLORE (3). An irregularly offered graduate seminar exploring selected topics in the theory and practice of folklore. Staff.
993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3–6). Research in a special field under the direction of staff members. Fall and spring.