| Secondary Field in Folklore & Mythology | |
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“Folklore is a body of traditional belief, custom, and expression, handed down largely by word of mouth and circulating chiefly outside of commercial and academic means of communication and instruction. Every group bound together by common interests and purposes, whether educated or uneducated, rural or urban, possesses a body of traditions which may be called its folklore. Into these traditions enter many elements, individual, popular, and even "literary," but all are absorbed and assimilated through repetition and variation into a pattern which has value and continuity for the group as a whole.” Benjamin A. Botkin, 1938
Introduction Folklore and Mythology as a discipline focuses on the study of society, past or present, through its cultural documents and artifacts—its folklore—and uses a variety of methodologies drawn from the humanities and social sciences to understand them. To concentrate on a society’s folklore and mythology (on sub-national as well as national levels) is to understand its traditional self-definition through its myths, epics, ballads, folktales, legends, beliefs, and other cultural phenomena, including music, song, and dance. Studying a group’s folklore shows how it identifies itself in relation to other groups. Inherently interdisciplinary, the study of Folklore and Mythology often draws resources from several disciplines, while maintaining its own methodological lens. Students wishing to meet the requirements for a secondary field in Folklore and Mythology, therefore, have a few options as delineated below. All options (or tracks) require Folklore and Mythology 100, F&M 90 (topical seminar in the field), and three other courses chosen from the subject-focused lists below.
Do all courses need to be taken for letter grade? If so, is there a grade Yes, courses need to be taken for a letter grade, with the exception of approved Freshman Seminars. Grades should be B- or above. Will relevant freshman seminars count? Yes, relevant Freshman Seminars will count. Can courses from study abroad or Harvard summer school count? Harvard summer school courses can count and study abroad courses taught by our faculty (i.e. in the summer) can count. Students may petition to count at most one study abroad course that is not taught by our faculty by presenting syllabi and papers from the course to the Head Tutor or Chairman. When do you want students to come and meet with you? Do they have to meet with you before they have finished their requirements? Students are encouraged to meet with the Head Tutor to discuss their plans for pursuing a Secondary Field in F&M. By doing so, they will not only receive advice on courses, they will also be invited to concentration activities and events. Does "signing up" give students preferential access to limited-enrollment Preferential access to limited enrollment courses will be determined by each faculty member for his or her own course.
Two half-courses
Oral Literature & Performance Track: three additional half-courses from among the following:
Mythology Track: three additional half-courses from the following:
Folklore Track: three additional half-courses from the following:
Dr. Deborah Foster, Head Tutor |
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