College of Arts and Sciences
Bloomington
Chairperson
Professor Ruth M. Stone
Director, Folklore Institute
Distinguished Professor Richard Bauman
Director, Ethnomusicology Institute
Professor Ruth M. Stone
Departmental E-mail
folkethn@indiana.edu
Departmental URL
www.indiana.edu/~folklore
Graduate Faculty
Degrees Offered
Fields of Study
Special Requirements
Master of Arts Degree
Master of Arts Track in Folklore
Master of Arts Track in Ethnomusicology
Dual Master's Degrees
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Ph.D. Track in Folklore
Ph.D. Track in Ethnomusicology
Courses
(An asterisk [*] denotes associate membership in University Graduate School faculty.)
College Professor
Henry Glassie
Distinguished Professors
Richard Bauman, Linda Dégh (Emerita)
Professors
Mary Ellen Brown, Sandra K. Dolby, Hasan El-Shamy, William Hansen (Classical Studies), Roger L. Janelli, George List (Emeritus), Portia Maultsby, John H. McDowell, Lewis Rowell (Music), Ruth M. Stone, William Wiggins Jr. (Emeritus, African American and African Diaspora Studies)
Associate Professors
Mellonee Burnim, Gloria Gibson, Cándida Jáquez*, John W. Johnson, Gregory Schrempp, Beverly J. Stoeltje (Anthropology)
Associate Scholar Inta Gale Carpenter
Assistant Professors
Cándidá Jaquez*, Pravina Shukla*, Sue Tuohy*, Daniel Reed*
Adjunct Professors
John Bodnar (History), Raymond DeMallie (Anthropology), Anya Peterson Royce (Anthropology)
Adjunct Associate Professor
Stephanie C. Kane (Criminal Justice)
Adjunct Assistant Professors
Michael Evans* (Journalism), Jane E. Goodman* (Communication and Culture)
Director of Graduate Studies
Associate Professor Gregory Schrempp
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Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy
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The Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology offers training in a number of subfields of folklore, including oral narrative, song, material culture, ritual, festival, worldview, as well as ethnomusicology, the study of music as culture, with emphasis on area studies, theory, and presentation and preservation of music. The department is dedicated to the study of expressive forms traditional, contemporary, vernacular, and popular within an integrative academic program. Students and faculty conduct research in a range of world areas, using diverse research methods: ethnographic, historical, archival, and laboratory. Students prepare for careers in a variety of academic and public settings.
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See also general University Graduate School requirements.
Admission Requirements
A good undergraduate record in any of the humanities or social sciences will be acceptable for admission to graduate study in folklore and ethnomusicology. Graduate Record Examination General Test scores are required (recommended but not required for international students whose first language is not English). Students may be admitted to graduate study in folklore and ethnomusicology, concentrating in either folklore or ethnomusicology, in one of three categories: (1) M.A., (2) Ph.D., or (3) M.A./Ph.D.
Grades
The department will accept no course for credit toward a degree in which the grade is lower than a B- (2.7). All students must earn a B (3.0) or better in the required department courses and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.2.
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Foreign Language Requirement
Reading proficiency in one modern foreign language. Must be completed before M.A. project/thesis is submitted.
Project/Thesis
Project/Thesis required. Students may earn up to 6 credit hours for an M.A. project/thesis. A comprehensive oral examination is given when the project/thesis is submitted.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 30 credit hours, including F501, F516, F523, and F525 or F517. Four additional approved courses in the department.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 30 credit hours, including F501, F510, F523, F527, F714, F794, F803 and one additional course in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology.
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Foreign Language Requirement
Reading proficiency in one modern foreign language. Must be completed before M.A. project/thesis is submitted.
Project/Thesis
Project/thesis required. Students may earn up to 6 credit hours for the project/thesis. A comprehensive oral examination is given when the project/thesis is submitted.
Admission Requirements
Students must be admitted by both programs to pursue the dual degree.
Dual Master of Arts and Master of Library Science Degrees
Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 51 credit hours rather than the 66 credit hours required for the two degrees taken separately. Students take at least 30 graduate credit hours in library science and at least 21 credit hours in folklore and ethnomusicology.
Folklore and Ethnomusicology Course Requirements
F501; one of the following: F516, F517, or F714; and either F523 or F525; four additional approved courses in the department and a project/thesis.
Dual Master of Arts and Master of Information Science Degrees
The joint program consists of a total of at least 57 credit hours: a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours in information science and a minimum of 21 credit hours in folklore and ethnomusicology.
Folklore and Ethnomusicology Course Requirements
F501; one of the following: F516, F517, or F714; and either F523 or F525; four additional approved courses in the department and a project/thesis.
Dual Master of Arts Degree: Journalism and Folklore and Ethnomusicology
The School of Journalism and the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology offer a joint Master of Arts Degree. This degree is intended for a wide range of students, including those interested in community-based journalism, management and public relations work at various arts organizations, and other areas.
Folklore and Ethnomusicology Course Requirements
A total of 24 credit hours, F501; one of the following: F516, F517, or F714; and either F523 or F525; five additional approved courses in the department.
A final project or presentation that integrates the folklore/ethnomusicology and journalism facets of the course of study. This project or presentation must be done as an independent study for 2 additional credit hours (in either folklore and ethnomusicology or journalism) and must be approved and supervised by a committee consisting of at least one folklore professor and at least one journalism professor.
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Admission Requirement
M.A. degree (may comprise 30 of the 90 required credits).
Minors
At least one minor required; a second minor is optional. Students opting for the Ph.D. program with a double major may count the area outside of folklore and ethnomusicology as the equivalent of two minors if approved by the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology.
Foreign Language Requirement
Reading proficiency in two foreign languages. Must be completed before qualifying examination is taken.
Qualifying Examinations
Written examination in three parts (theory, genre, and area specialties), followed by oral examination.
Research Proposal
Must be approved by the research committee, a majority of whose members must be faculty of folklore and ethnomusicology.
Final Examination
Defense of the dissertation.
Course Requirements
A total of 90 credit hours, 36 of which are specific folklore courses including F501, F516, F517, F523 and F525, seven additional approved courses in the department, and a dissertation.
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Course Requirements
A total of 90 credit hours, 30 of which are specific ethnomusicology courses including F501, F510, F523, F524, F527, F714, F740, F794, and F803. One additional course in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, and an additional 9 credit hours in a track to be chosen from:
- social and cultural theory
- preservation and presentation
- world area
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Ph.D. Minor in Ethnomusicology
See section under Ethnomusicology elsewhere in this bulletin.
Ph.D. Minor in Folklore
Doctoral students in other departments may obtain a minor in folklore by completing 12 credit hours (four graduate folklore courses). Three (3) credit hours must be in one of the required courses: F501, F516, F517, F523, or F525. Contact the graduate advisor for approval of courses.
Ph.D. Internal Minor in Folklore for Students in the Ethnomusicology Track
Students pursuing the Ethnomusicology track may earn an internal minor in Folklore by completing four courses (for a total of 12 hours) that are outside of their major requirements and that deal with non-musical folklore topics (for example, material culture or oral narrative). Students must complete one of the following courses: F516, F517, or F525. All other courses must be approved in advance for the minor by the Director of the Folklore Institute. Students should contact the Director of the Folklore Institute for further information on this minor
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Basic Courses
Special Function Courses
Music Courses
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F501 Colloquy in Folklore/Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) Introduces students to the content, methodologies, and theoretical perspectives, and intellectual histories of folklore and ethnomusicology.
F510 Multimedia in Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) Explores the use of multimedia technology in five basic areas of ethnographic activity: field research, laboratory research (transcription and analysis), preservation, presentation, and publication. Knowledge of technological concepts and skill development in the use of various technologies are pursued through a project-based approach, which emphasizes learning by doing.
F516 Folklore Theory in Practice (3 cr.) An introduction to scholarly practice, developing an integrated idea of folklore as a topic of study and as a way to conduct research.
F517 History of Folklore Study (3 cr.) Graduate introduction to conceptual foundations in folklore, such as social base of folklore, tradition, folklore and culture history, folklore as projection, genre, function, structure, text, and context, through a historical survey of approaches to folklore topics.
F523 Field Work in Folklore/Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) Theories and methods of conducting field research, including research design, methods of data gathering, research ethics, and presentation of research results.
F525 Readings in Ethnography (3 cr.) Historical survey of main styles of ethnographic research, with emphasis on three types of theoretical considerations: 1) relationship between ethnographic research and the changing academic, political, cultural, and artistic contexts in which it is situated; 2) ethnographers as individuals whose specific backgrounds and aspirations influence their work; and 3) close attention to the methods employed by specific ethnographers.
F527 Folk Poetry and Folksong (3 cr.) Examination of written and performed folk poetry, ritual, political, domestic, or occupational verse, blues, or popular song; scholarly perspectives associated with these forms. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F535 Ritual and Festival (3 cr.) Traditional rituals and festivals include symbolic forms of communication and a range of performance units: drama, religious expression, music, sports, the clown. Interpretive models permit cross-cultural examination of these phenomena in the United States, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia, etc., though study focuses only on a few events in context.
F540 Material Culture and Folklife (3 cr.) Material culture presented within the context of folklife, including folk architecture, folk crafts, folk art, traditional foodways, folk museums, folklife research methods, and the history of folklife research. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F545 Folk Narrative (3 cr.) Examination of myths, folktales, legends, jokes, fables, anecdotes, personal narratives, or other forms of folk narrative. Attention given to the content, form, and functions of the narratives as well as the variety of theories and methodologies employed in their study. May be repeated for credit when topics change.
F600 Asian Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.) Folk religion, material culture, social customs, oral literature, and folk music of Asian societies. Relationship between political movements and the use of folklore scholarship. Transformations of traditions in modern contexts. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F609 African and Afro-American Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.) Folklore, oral prose and poetry, and music of African societies from the precolonial to the modern national period. The perpetuation of African traditions and the creation of new folklore forms among Afro-Americans in the United States. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F617 Middle East Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.) Intensive comparative studies of selected genres, including epics, oral narratives, folk drama, ritual and festival, riddles, proverbs, and folk music. Emphasis on analyses of genres in their social and cultural contexts. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F625 North American Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.) Folk and popular traditions of the United States and Canada. Topics include the social base of American folklore, analytical frameworks for the study of American folklore, prominent genres of American folklore and folk music, national or regional character, and American folk style. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F635 European Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.) Forms of folklore and folk music in Europe; historical and contemporary European scholarship in folklore and ethnomusicology. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F638 Latin American Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.) In-depth treatment of traditional expressive forms (musical, verbal, kinetic, festive, etc.) in the various populations of Latin America, with emphasis on the historical evolution of these forms and their contribution to the articulation of contemporary Latin American identities. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F640 Native American Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.) Comparative examination of various verbal, musical, and dance forms of Native American societies in North and South America. Examination of contributions of folklore and ethnomusicological scholarship to Native American studies. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F651 Pacific Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.) Folklore, folklife, music, and dance of Australia, New Zealand, and native Oceanic societies. Topics include the cultures of aboriginal and settler populations, retention and adaptation of European traditions, perpetuation and adaptation of aboriginal materials, and the emergence of "native" traditions among the settler and immigrant groups. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F714 Paradigms of Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) Examination of current paradigms for study of ethnomusicological problems. Emphasis on theoretical frameworks and specific examples of application. Required of Ph.D. students in ethnomusicology. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F715 (ENG L715) English and Scottish Popular Ballads (4 cr.) Students' investigation of principal problems met in ballad scholarship. Special attention to textual relationships, dissemination, and unique qualities of genre.
F722 Colloquium in Theoretical Folklore/Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) Intensive examination of social scientific theories and an assessment of their relevance to folklore/ethnomusicology scholarship. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F731 Archiving Principles and Bibliography in Folklore and Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) History, methods, and principles of field collections and documentation, storage and preservation, cataloging and classification, bibliography, and ethical concerns. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F734 Folklore and Literature (3 cr.) The study of folklore forms and themes as they articulate with literary forms. Emphasis on understanding folklore concepts and theories for literary interpretation, and on the problems posed by literature that contribute to the interpretation of folklore. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F736 Folklore and Language (3 cr.) Linguistic or linguistically informed approaches to speech play and verbal art that are especially relevant to the concerns of folklorists. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F738 Psychological Issues in Folklore (3 cr.) P: consent of instructor. Major areas addressed: psychological principles in early folklore scholarship; principles of learning applied to traditions; social learning; attitudes: performance and retention; systemic qualities; cybernetics: "material" and "kinetic" culture; folkloric behavior in mental health and morbidity; unrecognized ties to psychological theories; uses of folklore to educators and psychologists.
F740 History of Ideas in Folklore/ Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) Examination of the intellectual history of folklore and ethnomusicology, emphasizing the social, political, and ideological forces that have influenced the development of the field. Required for M.A. and Ph.D. students. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F750 Performance Studies (3 cr.) Examination of performance-centered theory and analysis in folklore, ethnomusicology, and adjacent fields. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F755 Folklore, Culture, and Society (3 cr.) Relationship of folklore, culture, and social organization. Beliefs, values, and social relations in the folklore of various societies. Special topics include gender, children, and ethnicity. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
F792 Traditional Musical Instruments (3 cr.) Classification, distribution, and diffusion of folk and traditional musical instruments. Construction and performance practices. Relation to cultural and physical environment. Demonstration with instruments in the collection of the university museum.
F794 Transcription and Analysis in Folklore/Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) P: consent of instructor. Problems in transcription, analysis, and classification of music sound and texts. Required of M.A. and Ph.D. students in ethnomusicology. May be repeated for credit.
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F800 Research in Folklore (cr. arr., maximum 9 hrs.)**
F801 Teaching Folklore (0-3 cr.) A consideration of the philosophical, cultural, and practical issues attached to the teaching of folklore. May be repeated once.
F802 Traditional Arts Indiana (1-3 cr.) Designed as a practicum for students to work collaboratively in applying the methods and approaches of folklore studies to public needs and public programs. Students will engage in a variety of outreach projects linking the university to the larger community in the areas of public arts and culture and cultural documentation. May be repeated once for credit.
F803 Practicum in Folklore/Ethnomusicology (1-3 cr., 6 cr. max.) P: consent of instructor. Individualized, supervised work in publicly oriented programs in folklore or ethnomusicology, such as public arts agencies, museums, historical commissions, and archives. Relevant readings and written report required. May be repeated.
F804 Special Topics in Folklore/Ethnomusicology (1-3 cr.) Topics will be selected in areas of folklore or ethnomusicology not covered in depth in existing courses. May be repeated for credit (6 cr. max.) when topics vary.
F840 Research Seminar (3 cr.) Prepares students for their dissertation research by examining the research process and requiring from them a short draft and an expanded draft of a research proposal. This course is strongly recommended for students in the Ph.D. program. May be repeated once for credit.
F850 Thesis (cr. arr.)**
**These courses are eligible for a deferred grade.
M596 Art Music of Black Composers (3 cr.)
T561 Music Theory (3 cr.) (Topic: Art Musics of Asia; Art Music of India)
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