Contents:
Course Description
Required Materials
Grading
Assignment
Descriptions & Grading Criteria
Daily Schedule
The basic question this course asks is: how do people create, recreate,
and critique in words the communities and worlds in which they live?
In exploring answers, we will consider various kinds of verbal folklore:
myth, legend, riddle, proverb, joke, folksong, ballad, etc. in the contexts
in which they are used. From sacred origin myths and beliefs in powerful
supernatural beings to topical jokes, border ballads and even urban legends
on the internet, we will be concerned with the structures, meanings and
uses of verbal genres through which human beings express and reflect upon
their personal and cultural experience. Although this class is an introduction
to verbal folklore in general, much of the substantive material will be
drawn from contemporary, "subcultural" and "virtual" communities or from
local folk groups living in the Pimeria Alta. Further, this section of
248a is designed to introduce students to a variety of traditional and
computer-based resources for research, writing and communication available
free at the University of Arizona. Use of computers is required, but you
need no previous experience nor do you need to own a computer.
Toelken, Barre. The Dynamics of Folklore. Utah State, 1996.
Oring, Elliot. Folk Groups and Folk Genres. Utah State, 1986.
2, 3.5 inch floppy disks – one for data, one for backups.
Required and Supplemental texts in Reserve Room Main Library.
There will be periodic writing assignments challenging you to apply
concepts from lecture and readings which – along with any brainstorming,
free-writing, notes, etc. – will comprise an electronic research journal
(15%). There will also be two short papers (10% each) and a term paper.
This last will be an original folklore collection, research and analysis
project (50%). Assignments must be word-processed. Attendance is not required
per
se, but students will be held accountable for all information and assignments
disseminated in class. Participation in class discussions, group work and
presentations counts (15%).
Assignments, Schedules, Dates, Etc.
Descriptions of written assignments and summaries of daily reading assignments
will be handed out in class. You will be held responsible for these
assignments despite vagaries of attendance.
English 248a: Schedule of Assignments, Week 1
Monday, June 8
Reading: 1st class, no readings yet, of course.
Assignment:
Tuesday, June 9
Reading: Oring, 1-22 and Toelken, 1-18. Flip through both.
Assignment:
Wednesday, June 10
Reading: Toelken, 55-115.
Assignment:
Thursday, June 11
Reading: Toelken, 315-345 and Oring 71-89.
Assign.:
Friday, June 12 CLASS WILL MEET IN MAIN LIBRARY A315
Reading: Oring 23-69.
Assign.: Go to Main Library, write down questions for research librarians.
In Class: We will meet in Main Library A315
and learn various ways to approach library research.
Monday, June 15
Reading: Toelken, 347-388.
Assign.: Finish Paper One and bring a print out to class. Be sure that you have e-mailed your topical joke collection to me.
In Class: Folk Groups and Communities Continued,
Form, Use, Function, Meaning. Paper 2 assigned.
Tuesday, June 16 Class Meets in CCIT 311
Reading: Toelken 19-54. "Folklore on the Internet", Reserve Room
Assign.: Paper One due in class. Bring a print out.
In Class: We will meet in CCIT 311 and use
the class listserv and internet to look at new forms of communication and
electronic resources in folkloristics.
Wednesday, June 17
Reading: Oring 225-254
Assign.: Read through the topical joke compilation, look for patterns, write down ideas and questions for discussion.
In Class: Introduction to Genres, Topical
Jokes & Proverbs, begin History of Folkloristics.
Thursday, June 18
Reading: Oring, 175-197
Assign.: Think and write about how performance context & audience matter in the expression of traditional material in your own folkgroups.
In Class: Survey of Approaches to Folklore,
Performance Studies, genres continued, Topical Joke discussion continued.
Friday, June 19
Reading: Toelken 117-156.
Assign.: Write down examples of contextual folkspeech from your own experience.
In Class: Introduction to fieldwork, methodologies.
Monday, June 22
Reading: Toelken 157-182,
Assign.: Work on Paper 2.
In Class: Applications & approaches continued.
Tuesday, June 23
Reading: Oring 121-145.
Assign.: Work on your proposals. At this point in time you should be developing specific interview questions, survey formats, lists of particular resources you have identified, etc.
In Class: Folk genres, Folk Events, Proposal
Discussion.
Wednesday, June 24
Reading: Toelken 263-294.
Assign.: Paper Two due in class.
In Class: Folk narratives continued, peer
review.
Thursday, June 25
Reading: No Reading.
Assign.: Make revisions to proposal.
In Class: Folk speech. Term Paper assigned.
Friday, June 26
Reading: None.
Assign: Begin fieldwork for final project.
In Class: I Guest lecture
on linguistic approaches to folklore, folkspeech, and case studies in Japan
by John Baldridge.
Monday, June 29
Reading: Oring 45-69.
Oring 147-174 -- Read only if interested in folk song.
Assign.: Do fieldwork!
In Class: Folk Song. "Chulas Fronteras" video.
Tuesday, June 30
Reading: Oring 147-174.
Assign.: Do Your Fieldwork. Write Your Paper.
In Class: Folk Songs continued, Papers continued.
Video.
Wednesday, July 1
Reading: Toelken 183-239 (skim for material relevant to your project).
Assign.: Do Your Fieldwork. Write Your Paper.
In Class: Special Guest Lecturer, Barbara
Babcock, on Cochiti Pueblo Storytellers. (slide show).
Thursday, July 2
Reading:
In Class: Special Guest Lecturer, Jim Griffith,
on the pilgrimage to visit San Francisco in Magdalena, Sonora. (slide show).
Friday, July 3
Reading: Make your own reading assignment relevant to your project. Annotate, summarize.
Assign.: You should be finishing Fieldwork & starting Writing.
In Class: Strategies for turning fieldwork and library research into a great paper.
** Monday, July 6 No Class. Independence Day Celebrated!
Reading: None.
Assign.: Write your paper.
Tuesday, July 7
Reading: None.
Assign.: Bring in print out of Journal for evaluation. Bring in draft of Term Paper.
In Class: Peer Review, Individual Conferences.
Wednesday, July 8
Reading: None.
Assign.: Term Papers due at beginning of class.
In Class: Class Evaluations, Discussions of
Projects.
Thursday, July 9
NO FINAL. Papers & Grades in CCLS Office, 1239 North Highland.