Courses in Folklore and Ethnomusicology use fascinating approaches to understanding culture, history, and music. Introductory classes consider the broad roles of folklore and music in human lives.
Interested in seeing more courses?
Our courses examine specific traditions in places such as the United States, Ireland, the Caribbean, China, or Africa. In looking at how traditions are created and carried forward, we pay close attention to topics that touch our lives every day: health and illness, superstition, urban legends, social movements, commemoration, the internet, cultural diversity, and more.
The popular courses below give a sense of what is available to undergraduates interested in the rich history of stories, music, and other forms of expression around the world.
Music is meaningful in a myriad of ways, so how is it that something becomes meaningful to us when listening, performing, or dancing?
In this class, we will trace the geographic trajectory of Route 66, examining musical and sound-based practices in each of the states through which the road winds. In addition to the specifics of diasporic identities and localized musical genres in the US, we will consider the way that mobility affects musical culture, emphasizing interconnections between each of the places we study.
I have learned so much from my Folklore classes. The most significant thing I have learned is to study what I love. Because of this major, I know that the possibilities for the future are endless.
Emily Coleman, B.A. 2013 (High Distinction)
The College of Arts