The certificate in folklore is available to students working for a baccalaureate degree in any UW–Madison school or college. The purpose of the certificate is to acquaint students with the nature of folklore, its study, its public presentation, and its relations to a range of human experiences, intellectual currents, and professional endeavors.
Requirements for the Folklore Certificate
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/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 | Digitally Documenting Everyday Communication | 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/AFRICAN 210 | The African Storyteller | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/ANTHRO/INTL ST/LINGUIS 211 | Global Language Issues | 4 |
| FOLKLORE 220 | The Folk Tale | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/AFRICAN 270 | The Hero and Trickster in African Oral Traditions | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 320 | Folklore of Wisconsin | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/MEDIEVAL/RELIG ST/SCAND ST 342 | Nordic Mythology | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL 345 | In Translation: The Scandinavian Tale and Ballad | 3-4 |
| 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/MUSIC 401 | Musical Cultures of the World | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/MUSIC 402 | Musical Cultures of the World | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/GEN&WS 428 | Gender and Expressive Culture | 3 |
| 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 451 | The Supernatural in the Modern World | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 460 | Folk Epics | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/GEN&WS 467 | Women and Politics in Popular Culture and Folklore | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/AFRICAN 471 | Oral Traditions and the Written Word | 3-4 |
| FOLKLORE 517 | The Irish Tradition | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 518 | The Scottish Tradition | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/ANTHRO 520 | Ethnic Representations in Wisconsin | 4 |
| FOLKLORE 530 | Topics in Folklore | 1-3 |
| FOLKLORE/ANTHRO/MUSIC/THEATRE 539 | The Folklore of Festivals and Celebrations | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 540 | Local Culture and Identity in the Upper Midwest | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 630 | Seminar on American Folklore | 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 |
| LITTRANS 329 | The Vampire in Literature and Film | 3 |
Residence & 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.
- 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.
Students interested in the Folklore Certificate should contact Joanna Schuth, Undergraduate Advisor, for more assistance.
Joanna Schuth, Undergraduate Advisor
262-2090
jschuth@wisc.edu
Make an appointment through Starfish
Folklore Program Core Faculty and Instructional Staff
Folklore Course Teaching Core:
B. Marcus Cederström, Assistant Faculty Associate; German, Nordic and Slavic
Thomas DuBois, Professor; German, Nordic and Slavic
Christine Garlough, Professor; Gender and Women’s Studies
Janet Gilmore, Professor; Planning and Landscape Architecture
Jennifer Gipson, Assistant Professor; French and Italian
Scott Mellor, Faculty Associate; German, Nordic and Slavic
Ruth Olson, Distinguished Faculty Associate; Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures
Anna Rue, Assistant Faculty Associate; Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures
Folklore Cross-listed Course Teaching Core:
Matthew H. Brown, Assistant Professor; African Cultural Studies
Nadia Chana, Assistant Professor; Music: Ethnomusicology
Peggy Choy, Associate Professor; Dance
Rob Howard, Professor; Communication Arts
J. Randolph Valentine, Professor; Language Sciences & American Indian Studies