Folklore is the discovery and understanding of everyday human culture – the patterns of ideas, behavior, music, dance, foodways, rituals, crafts, traditions, beliefs, lore, and customs of the everyday people that define our world.
Folklore is a discipline which crosses cultural borders and ethnic boundaries. It seeks to define the place of cultures and ethnicities within the family of humankind as well as examine and document how they intersect and influence each other. It builds bridges of understanding and is critical to our appreciation of how the world works, and how we use traditional knowledge to meet new challenges.
Folklore students will gain fresh perspectives on the ethnic, regional, occupational, gender, and other identities of individuals in specific communities. Students gain knowledge and experience in cultural backgrounds, collection techniques, fieldwork and research, theoretical analysis, and text comprehension and writing.
Folklore touches on every aspect of human life: health and illness, cultural diversity, social and political movements, superstition and fears, the movement of information and disinformation, trends and memes, family and home life, educational systems, entertainment and creative arts, politics and government, fashion and design, gender and sexuality, events and festivals, and more.
Training in Folklore and folklorist practices is useful in careers in the arts, public history, preservation, and museum stewardship, but also in health and medicine, social work, education, law, politics and intelligence, psychology, anthropology, marketing, the non-profit sector, journalism, gaming, international business, tourism, and much more.
How to Get in
Students must make an appointment with or email the undergraduate advisor to declare the certificate.
Requirements
A total of 12 credits to complete the Certificate, to include:1
Category A: Basics, Fieldwork, Documenting, and Preserving
One course and three credits are required, from:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
FOLKLORE 100 | Introduction to Folklore | 3 |
FOLKLORE/AFROAMER/AMER IND/ASIAN AM/CHICLA 102 | Introduction to Comparative US Ethnic and American Indian Studies | 3 |
FOLKLORE/GNS 200 | Folklore of Central, Eastern and Northern Europe | 3 |
FOLKLORE 230 | Introduction to American Folklore | 3 |
FOLKLORE 320 | Folklore of Wisconsin | 3 |
FOLKLORE/L I S 490 | Field Methods and the Public Presentation of Folklore | 3 |
FOLKLORE 491 | Practicum in Public Folklore | 1-3 |
FOLKLORE 510 | Folklore Theory | 3 |
FOLKLORE/COM ARTS 522 | Digital Storytelling for Social Media | 3 |
Category B: Analysis and Focused Topics
One course and three credits are required, from:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
FOLKLORE/MUSIC 103 | Introduction to Music Cultures of the World | 3 |
FOLKLORE/RELIG ST 104 | Sacred Places and Journeys | 3 |
FOLKLORE/AFRICAN 210 | The African Storyteller | 3 |
FOLKLORE/ANTHRO/INTL ST/LINGUIS 211 | Global Language Issues | 3 |
FOLKLORE 215 | Elementary Topics in Folklore | 1-3 |
FOLKLORE 220 | The Folk Tale | 3 |
FOLKLORE 225 | Horror as Expressions of National Angst | 3 |
FOLKLORE/MEDIEVAL/SCAND ST 235 | The World of Sagas | 3 |
FOLKLORE 315 | Intermediate Topics in Folklore | 1-3 |
FOLKLORE 317 | The Irish Tradition | 3 |
FOLKLORE/AFROAMER/ASIAN AM/DANCE 319 | Afro Asian Improv: From Hip Hop to Martial Arts Fusion | 3 |
FOLKLORE/DANCE/THEATRE 321 | Javanese Performance | 2 |
FOLKLORE/RELIG ST 326 | The Supernatural in the Modern World | 3 |
FOLKLORE/LITTRANS 327 | Vampires | 3 |
FOLKLORE/MEDIEVAL/RELIG ST/SCAND ST 342 | Nordic Mythology | 3 |
FOLKLORE/LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL/SCAND ST 345 | The Nordic Storyteller | 3 |
FOLKLORE/LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL 346 | In Translation: The Icelandic Sagas | 3-4 |
FOLKLORE/LITTRANS 347 | In Translation: Kalevala and Finnish Folk-Lore | 3-4 |
FOLKLORE/RELIG ST 352 | Shamanism | 3 |
FOLKLORE/RELIG ST 359 | Myth | 3 |
FOLKLORE 399 | Directed Study in Folklore for Undergraduates | 1-3 |
FOLKLORE/MUSIC 402 | Musical Cultures of the World | 3 |
FOLKLORE 415 | Advanced Topics in Folklore | 1-3 |
FOLKLORE/GEN&WS 428 | Gender and Expressive Culture | 3 |
FOLKLORE 430 | Topics in American Folklore: Ethnic Studies | 3-6 |
FOLKLORE/AMER IND/ANTHRO 431 | American Indian Folklore | 3 |
FOLKLORE/AMER IND/ANTHRO/GEN&WS 437 | American Indian Women | 3 |
FOLKLORE 439 | Foodways | 3 |
FOLKLORE/SCAND ST 440 | Scandinavian American Folklore | 3 |
FOLKLORE/SCAND ST 443 | Sami Culture, Yesterday and Today | 4 |
FOLKLORE/SLAVIC 444 | Slavic and East European Folklore | 3 |
FOLKLORE/MEDIEVAL/SCAND ST 446 | Celtic-Scandinavian Cultural Interrelations | 3 |
FOLKLORE 460 | Folk Epics | 3 |
FOLKLORE/GEN&WS 467 | Women and Politics in Popular Culture and Folklore | 3 |
FOLKLORE/GEN&WS 468 | Feminism, Folklore and Comparative Literature | 3 |
FOLKLORE 491 | Practicum in Public Folklore | 1-3 |
FOLKLORE/MUSIC 515 | Proseminar in Ethnomusicology | 3 |
FOLKLORE/MUSIC 516 | Ethnographic Methods for Music and Sound | 3 |
FOLKLORE 518 | The Scottish Tradition | 3 |
FOLKLORE/ANTHRO 520 | Ethnic Representations in Wisconsin | 4 |
FOLKLORE 530 | Topics in Folklore | 1-3 |
FOLKLORE 540 | Local Culture and Identity in the Upper Midwest | 3 |
ANTHRO 237 | Cut 'n' Mix: Music, Race, and Culture in the Caribbean | 3 |
ANTHRO/LINGUIS 430 | Language and Culture | 3-4 |
ANTHRO 460 | The Anthropology of Dance: Movement and Music in Performance | 3 |
GNS/ENVIR ST 210 | Cultures of Sustainability: Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe | 3 |
Residence and Quality of Work
- A minimum of 6 certificate credits must be taken in residence
- 2.000 GPA in all courses eligible for the certificate
- 1
Courses taken on a Pass/Fail grading basis are not eligible, and do not count, in the Certificate.
Certificate Completion Requirement
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate skill in the methods and productions folklorists employ in their work.
- Analyze the connections between expressive performances and the wider workings of culture.
- Apply and engage in ethical considerations in research and collaborative practice, particularly with reference to cultural, economic, religious, ethnic, and gender diversity.
Advising and Careers
Students interested in the Folklore Certificate should contact Joanna Schuth, Undergraduate Advisor, for more assistance.
Joanna Schuth, Undergraduate Advisor
jschuth@wisc.edu
Make an appointment through Starfish
L&S Career Resources
Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities. SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.
In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.
Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.
- SuccessWorks
- Set up a career advising appointment
- Enroll in a Career Course - a great idea for first- and second-year students:
- INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit)
- INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Comm B General Education Requirement)
- Learn about internships and internship funding
- INTER-LS 260 Internship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Activate your Handshake account to apply for jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers recruiting UW-Madison students
- Learn about the impact SuccessWorks has on students' lives
People
Folklore Course Teaching Core
Lowell Brower, Lecturer, Teaching Faculty; German, Nordic and Slavic
B. Marcus Cederström, Teaching Faculty; German, Nordic and Slavic
Langston Collin Wilkins, Assistant Professor, German, Nordic, and Slavic and African American Studies
Thomas DuBois*, Professor; German, Nordic and Slavic
Christine Garlough, Professor; Gender and Women’s Studies
Nathan Gibson, Audio-Visual Preservation Archivist, UW-Madison General Library System
Scott Mellor, Teaching Professor; German, Nordic and Slavic
Anna Rue, Assistant Faculty Associate; Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures
Leonie Schulte, Assistant Professor in Anthropology and German, Nordic, Slavic
Folklore Cross-listed Course Teaching Core
Matthew H. Brown, Assistant Professor; African Cultural Studies
Jerome Camal, Associate Professor, Anthropology
Nadia Chana, Assistant Professor; Music: Ethnomusicology
Peggy Choy, Associate Professor; Dance
Susan Cook, Professor, School of Music
Laurie Beth Clark, Professor, Art and Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies
Mary Hoefferle, Faculty Associate, Art
Rob Howard, Professor; Communication Arts
Evelyn Howell, Professor, Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture
Maria Lepowski, Professor, Anthropology
Chris Livanos, Professor, Comparative Literature
Alfonso Morales, Professor, Urban and Regional Planning
Michael Peterson, Professor, Art and Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies
Ann Smart Martin, Professor, Art History
J. Randolph Valentine, Professor; Language Sciences & American Indian Studies
Rebekah Willett, Associate Professor, iSchool
*unit head