Admissions to the Folklore Certificate have been suspended as of summer 2018. If you have any questions, please contact the department.
Students currently enrolled in the program will be supported and will be able to complete the program; however, no new students will be allowed to enroll in the program until further notice.
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.
Admissions to the Folklore Certificate have been suspended as of summer 2018. If you have any questions, please contact the department.
Requirements for the Folklore Certificate
At least three courses must be at the 300 level or above. Directed Study (FOLKLORE 399 Directed Study in Folklore for Undergraduates) may be used to satisfy one cluster requirement, but only with the approval of the certificate advisor and the director of the certificate program. Certificate seekers are urged to consult the undergraduate advisor at the earliest possible opportunity.
Select 15 credits, including at least one course from each of the following four clusters:
Introductions to the Field:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FOLKLORE 100 | Introduction to Folklore | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 230 | Introduction to American Folklore | 3 |
Genres of Folklore:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FOLKLORE/MUSIC 103 | Introduction to Music Cultures of the World | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/ANTHRO/INTL ST/LINGUIS 211 | Global Language Issues | 4 |
| FOLKLORE 220 | The Folk Tale | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/RELIG ST 352 | Shamanism | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/RELIG ST 359 | Myth | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 439 | Foodways | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 451 | The Supernatural in the Modern World | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 460 | Folk Epics | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/ANTHRO/MUSIC/THEATRE 539 | The Folklore of Festivals and Celebrations | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/DS 655 | Comparative World Dress | 3 |
Folklore and Cultural Areas:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FOLKLORE/AFROAMER/AMER IND/ASIAN AM/CHICLA 102 | Introduction to Comparative US Ethnic and American Indian Studies | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/AFRICAN 210 | The African Storyteller | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/AFRICAN 270 | The Hero and Trickster in African Oral Traditions | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 320 | Folklore of Wisconsin | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL/RELIG ST 342 | In Translation: Mythology of Scandinavia | 3-4 |
| 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/MUSIC 401 | Musical Cultures of the World | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/MUSIC 402 | Musical Cultures of the World | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/AMER IND/ANTHRO 431 | American Indian Folklore | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/AMER IND/ANTHRO/GEN&WS 437 | American Indian Women | 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 517 | The Irish Tradition | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 518 | The Scottish Tradition | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/MUSIC 535 | American Folk and Vernacular Music | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 540 | Local Culture and Identity in the Upper Midwest | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 630 | Seminar on American Folklore | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/DS 640 | Topics in Ethnographic Textiles | 3 |
Issues, Theories, Methods:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FOLKLORE/GEN&WS 428 | Gender and Expressive Culture | 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/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/MUSIC 515 | Proseminar in Ethnomusicology | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/ANTHRO 520 | Ethnic Representations in Wisconsin | 4 |
| FOLKLORE/COM ARTS 522 | Digitally Documenting Everyday Communication | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 530 | Topics in Folklore | 1-3 |
| FOLKLORE/ANTHRO 639 | Field School: Ethnography of Wisconsin Festivals | 6-8 |
Residence and quality of work
8 certificate credits taken in residence
2.000 GPA in all courses eligible for 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.
- Identify and describe the range and variety of topics folklorists investigate and the professional contexts in which folklorists work.
- Examine a specific genre of folklore, and differentiate the modes of study folklorists have developed for understanding that genre.
- Demonstrate familiarity with folklore within one cultural area.
- Define the theories and methods folklorists address or employ in their work.
Students interested in the Folklore Certificate should contact Joanna Schuth (jschuth@wisc.edu; 608-262-1390) for more assistance.
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