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
Address:
Boone, NC 28608 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: B.A., M.A. in Appalachian studies
Keywords: graduate undergraduate school college program BA MA

Department of Popular Culture
Address:
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: M.A. in popular culture with a concentration in folklore
Keywords: graduate school college program MA

George Mason University
Address:
Fairfax, VA 22030 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: M.A. in Interdiciplinary Studies with a concentration in folklore, B.A. in American studies with a concentration in folklore. See web page: Folklore at GMU
Keywords: graduate undergraduate school college program BA MA

American Studies Program
Address:
George Washington University
Washington DC 20052 U.S.A.
Phone: 202-994-6070
Email:
Comments: M.A. and Ph.D. programs with concentration in folklore
Keywords: graduate school college program MA PhD

Heritage Preservation
Address:
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA 30303 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: 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
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA

Folklore Institute
Address:
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405 U.S.A.
Phone: 812-855-1027
Email:
Comments: B.A., M.A., Ph.D. in folklore
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA PhD

Department of Folklore
Address:
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7
P.O. Box 4200 CANADA
Phone: 709-737-8000
Email:
Comments: Undergraduate major or minor, M.A., and Ph.D in Folklore
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA PhD

Center for Folklore Studies
Address:
Ohio State University
308 Dulles Hall
230 W. 17th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1340 U.S.A.
Phone: 614-688-3639
Email:
Comments: M.A. and Ph.D through the Departmant of English or the Department of Comparative Studies, undergraduate minor through the Department of Comparative Studies
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA PhD

Department of Anthropology
Address:
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, AK 99701 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: M.A. and Ph.D. in cultural anthropology with a concentration in folklore
Keywords: graduate school college program MA PhD

Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore
Address:
University of Alberta
200 Arts Building
University of Alberta Campus
Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6G 2E6
Phone: 780-492-6906
Email: ukrfolk@ualberta.ca
Comments: B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in Ukranian Folklore
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA PhD ukraine

Folkore Program
Address:
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, CA U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: 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.
Keywords: graduate school college program MA PhD

Culture and Performance (World Arts and Cultures Department)
Address:
University of California at Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90024 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: M.A. and Ph.D. programs in Culture and Performance
Keywords: graduate school college program MA PhD

Department of English and Modern Languges
Address:
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, LA 70504 U.S.A.
Phone: 337-482-5493
Email:
Comments: M.A. or Ph.D in Folklife or with a minor concentration in Folklife See web site for additional contact information
Keywords: graduate school college program MA PhD

Folklore, Oral Tradition and Culture Studies
Address:
Department of English
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: M.A. and Ph.D. in folklore, undergraduate concentration in folklore
Keywords: graduate school college program MA PhD

Curriculum in Folklore
Address:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3520 U.S.A.
Phone: 919-962-4065
Email:
Comments: B.A. (interdisciplinary degree), M.A. in folklore, Ph.D. in a related field with a minor in folklore.
Keywords: graduate school college program MA PhD

Folklore and Ethnic Studies
Address:
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403 U.S.A.
Phone: 541-346-3911
Email:
Comments: Interdisciplinary M.A. in folklore; B.A., Ph.D. in anthropology or English with a concentration in folklore
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA PhD

Center for Folklife and Ethnography
Address:
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104 U.S.A.
Phone: 215-898-7352
Email:
Comments: B.A. and graduate courses in folklore and folklife. Admissions to the graduate program are currently suspended. See web site for more information (12/2008).
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA PhD

Américo Paredes Center for Cultural Studies
Address:
University of Texas at Austin
Department of Anthropology
E.P. Schoch Building 1.130E
One University Station C3200
Austin, TX 78712-0303 U.S.A.
Phone: (512) 471-5689
Email:
Comments: M.A. and Ph.D concentration in folklore, Ph.D. in Cultural Studies through the Department of Anthropology
Keywords: graduate school college program MA PhD anthropology

Folklore Program
Address:
University of Wisconsin-Madison
305 Ingraham Hall
1155 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: 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.
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA PhD

Folklore Program Department of English
Address:
Utah State University
Logan, UT 84322-3200 U.S.A.
Phone: 801-750-2728
Email:
Comments: B.A., M.A. in American Studies with a concentration in folklore
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA

Programs in Folk Studies Department of Modern Languages and Inter-cultural Studies
Address:
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101 U.S.A.
Phone: 502-745-5387
Email:
Comments: B.A. minor in folk studies, M.A. in folk studies
Keywords: undergraduate graduate school college program BA MA folklore

PROGRAMS OFFERING UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS, 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.

Center for Cape Breton Studies
Address:
Cape Breton University
P.O.Box 5300
1250 Grand Lake Road
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Canada B1P 6L2
Phone:
Email:
Comments: B.A. in folklore, minor or certificate in ethnomusicology. Opportunities to study in the UK and Ireland.
Keywords: undergraduate school college program BA folklore ethnomusicology

Department of Anthropology
Address:
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO 80903 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: 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.
Keywords: undergraduate school college program BA folklore

Hulbert Center for Southwestern Studies
Address:
Colorado College
14 East Cache la Poudre
Colorado Springs, CO 80903 USA
Phone: 719-389-6647
Comments: B.A. in Southwestern Studies
Keywords: colorado archive western region rocky mountains southwest BA ethnography oral history

Concord University
Address:
Athens, WV 24712 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: Folklore is part of the undergraduate minor in Appalachian studies in the Division of Social Sciences.
Keywords: undergraduate school college program minor BA B.A. folklore

Tamburitzans
Address:
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA 15219 U.S.A.
School of Music
Phone: 412-434-5185
Email:
Comments: ukranian music and dance
Keywords: undergraduate school college program minor folklore dance music audio sound recordings ukraine

Committee on Degrees in Folklore and Mythology
Address:
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 U.S.A.
Phone: 617-495-4788
Email:
Comments: B.A. in folklore and mythology
Keywords: undergraduate school college program minor BA folklore

Folklore Program
Address:
Idaho State University
921 South 8th Avenue
Pocatello, Idaho, USA 83209 U.S.A.
Phone:
Email:
Comments: Departments of English and Philosphy and the Deprtment of Anthropology offer a BA minor
Keywords: undergraduate school college program minor BA folklore anthropology