Folklife Sourcebook: A Directory of Folklife Resources in the United States

Higher Education Programs in Folklore and Folklife

The professional study of folklore in the United States began in earnest in 1888 with the formation of the American Folklore Society, comprised of scholars representing a broad range of university departments, including literature, anthropology, music, languages, sociology, and others. Specialized doctoral and masters degree programs have been administered by universities for several decades. The graduate programs listed below include both folklore degrees offered by folklore and folklife departmeants and university programs offering degrees in other fields with formal recognition of concentrations or minors in folklore or folklife studies. Not cited here are the numerous other universities offering coursework in folklore.

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
B.A., M.A. in Appalachian studies

Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
Department of Popular Culture
M.A. in popular culture with a concentration in folklore.

George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Folklore at GMU
MA in Interdiciplinary Studies with a concentration in folklore
B.A. in American studies with a concentration in folklore.

George Washington University
American Studies Program
George Washington University
Washington DC 20052
Phone: 202.994.6070
MA and PhD programs with concentration in folklore

Georgia State University
Heritage Preservation
Atlanta, GA 30303
B.A. in English with a concentration in folklore;
B.A. minor in folklore in the Department of English;
M.A. in Heritage Preservation with a concentration in folklore.

Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138
Committee on Degrees in Folklore and Mythology
B.A. in folklore and mythology
(617) 495-4788

Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
Folklore Institute
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. in folklore
(812) 855-1027

Memorial University of Newfoundland
Department of Folklore
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7
P.O. Box 4200
CANADA
Undergraduate major or minor, M.A., and Ph.D in Folklore
Phone 709-737-8000

Ohio State University
Center for Folklore Studies
308 Dulles Hall
230 W. 17th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1340
Phone: (614) 688-3639
M.A. and Ph.D through the Departmant of English
or the Department of Comparative Studies, undergraduate
minor through the Department of Comparative Studies

University of Alaska
Fairbanks, AK 99701
M.A. and Ph.D. in cultural anthropology with a concentration in folklore

University of Alberta
Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore
200 Arts Building
University of Alberta Campus
Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6G 2E6
Ph: (780)492-6906
Fx: (780)492-2051
E-Mail: ukrfolk@ualberta.ca
Web: www.ukrfolk.ca

University of California at Berkeley
Folkore Program
M.A. in folklore, Ph.D. may be completed in conjunction with a Ph.D. program in
any school in humanities and social science. See web site for further information.

University of California at Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Culture and Performance (World Arts and Cultures Department)
M.A. and Ph.D. programs in Culture and Performance

University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Department of English and Modern Languges
Lafayette, LA 70504
M.A. or Ph.D in Folklife or with a minor concentration in Folklife
Phone:337-482-5493
See web site for additional contact information

University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
Folklore, Oral Tradition and Culture Studies
Department of English
M.A. and Ph.D. in folklore, undergraduate concentration in folklore.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3520
Curriculum in Folklore
B.A. (interdisciplinary degree), M.A. in folklore, Ph.D. in a related field with a minor in folklore.
(919) 962-4065

University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
Folklore and Ethnic Studies
Interdisciplinary M.A. in folklore; B.A.,
Ph.D. in anthropology or English with
a concentration in folklore.
(541) 346-3911

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Center for Folklife and Ethnography
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. in folklore and folklife
(215) 898-7352
E-Mail: see web site for contact information
Note: admissions to the graduate program are currently suspended (10/10/2007)

University of Texas at Austin
Department of Anthropology
Américo Paredes Center for Cultural Studies
E.P. Schoch Building 1.130E
One University Station C3200
Austin, TX 78712-0303
M.A. and Ph.D concentration in folklore,
Ph.D. in Cultural Studies through the
Department of Anthropology
(512) 471-5689

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Folklore Program
Folklore Program
305 Ingraham Hall
1155 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Ph.D minor in folklore, or a major concentration in folklore
if a department in a related field is willing to fashion a special
degree program. BA concentration. See the web site for futher information

Utah State University
Logan, UT 84322-3200
Folklore Program Department of English
B.A., M.A. in American Studies with a concentration in folklore
(801) 750-2728

Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101
Programs in Folk Studies Department of Modern Languages and Inter-cultural Studies
B.A. minor in folk studies, M.A. in folk studies
(502) 745-5387

UNDERGRADUATE MINORS AND CONCENTRATIONS

The academic institutions listed above with graduate programs generally include undergraduate programs or concentrations in folklore, or an individual course of study for undergraduates can be arranged. Below are some institutions that do not offer graduate degrees in folklore and folklife but do offer programs or concentrations in folklore for undergraduates.

Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
B.A. in anthropology, English, or English with
concentration in folklore and ethnomusicology.
Special focus, collections, and research opportunities
in the cultures of the Southwestern United States.

Concord University
Athens, WV 24712
Folklore is part of the undergraduate minor
in Appalachian studies in the Division of Social Sciences.

Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Tamburitzans
School of Music
(412) 434-5185

Idaho State University
921 South 8th Avenue
Pocatello, Idaho, USA 83209
Departments of English and Philosphy and the
Deprtment of Anthropology offer a BA minor
Folklore Program