Programs by Campus

Bloomington

Folklore and Ethnomusicology
College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: folkethn [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/~folklore

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Folklore and Ethnomusicology

Fields of Study

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. The department offers a graduate concentration in public practice that emphasizes research, critical orientations, and practical skills in the areas of public education, preservation, and presentation.

Special Requirements

(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.

Master of Arts Degree in Folklore and Ethnomusicology

Foreign Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in one modern foreign language. Must be completed before M.A. project/thesis is submitted or before or during the semester the M.A. exam is taken. Students choosing to take the exam will fulfill their credit hours with coursework.

Project/Thesis/Exam

A project/thesis, or comprehensive written exam is required for the degree. 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.

Master of Arts Track in Folklore

Course Requirements

A minimum of 30 credit hours, including F516, F523, and F525 or F517; four additional approved courses in the depart­ment.

Master of Arts Track in Ethnomusicology

Course Requirements

A minimum of 30 credit hours including the ethnomusicology courses E522, F523, E529, or ethnomusicology area course, E714, one other approved course in ethnomusicology, and two addi­tional approved courses, one of which must be in the Depart­ment of Folklore and Ethnomusicology.

Dual Master’s Degrees

Foreign Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in one modern foreign language. Must be completed before M.A. project/thesis is submitted.

Project/Thesis/Exam

Project/thesis or comprehensive exam is required for the degree. 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

One of the following: F516, F517, E522, or E529; and either F523 or F525; five additional approved courses in the department and a project/thesis/exam.

Dual Master of Arts and Master of Information Science Degrees

Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 57 credit hours rather than the 72 credit hours required for the two degrees taken separately.  Students take at least 36 graduate credit hours in information science, and at least 21 credit hours in folklore and ethnomusicology.

Folklore and Ethnomusicology Course Requirements

One of the following: F516, F517, E522, or E529; and either F523 or F525; five additional approved courses in the department and a project/thesis/exam.

Dual Master of Arts Degree: Journalism and Folklore and Ethnomusicology

Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 48 credit hours rather than the 60 credit hours required for the two degrees taken separately.  Students take at least 24 graduate credit hours in information science and at least 24 credit hours in folklore and ethnomusicology.

Folklore and Ethnomusicology Course Requirements

A total of 24 credit hours, One of the following: F516, F517, E522, or E529; and either F523 or F525; six additional approved courses in the department. Students must fulfill the language requirement and submit a thesis/project.

Students in this dual pro­gram are required to complete the thesis/project that is required for the Folklore and Ethnomusicology M.A.; they may develop their thesis/project to integrate their Folklore and Ethnomusicology interests and their Journalism inter­ests, with a committee of two Folklore/Ethnomusicology faculty and one or more Journalism faculty.

In addition to the 24 credits required by the School of Journalism and the 24 credits required by Folklore and Ethnomusicology, students must complete at least two additional credit hours to fulfill the university’s 50-credit minimum for any dual M.A.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Folklore and Ethnomusicology

Admission Requirement

M.A. degree (may comprise 30 of the 90 required credits).

Minors

At least one minor required; a second minor is optional. Minor must be 12 credit hours. 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. In special cases, and in consultation with a student’s advisory committee, a student may submit a written petition to the Director of Graduate Stud­ies to substitute in-depth language proficiency in one language for proficiency in two languages.

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.

Ph.D. Track in Folklore

Course Requirements

A total of 90 credit hours, 33 of which are specific folklore courses including F516, F517, F523 and F525, seven addi­tional approved courses in the department, and a dissertation.

Ph.D. Track in Ethnomusicology

Course Requirements

A total of 90 credit hours, 15 of which comprise the following ethnomusicology courses: E522, F523, F529 or ethnomusicology area course, E714, and  F740, or F722. Students must also take six additional courses for the major, five of which must be in the department; three of these courses must be approved courses that fulfill one of the three tracks: Social and Cultural Theory (F722 is a required course for this track), Preservation and Presentation (E522, F510, and F803 or an approved performance ensemble, which may include approved ensembles in the School of Music, are required courses for this track), and World Area.

Ph.D Minor in Ethnomusicology

Doctoral students in other departments may obtain a minor in ethnomusicology by completing 12 credit hours (four graduate ethnomusicology courses). Six (6) credit hours must be from the required courses: E522, F523, E529, E714, and F740. Contact the Director of the Ethnomusicology Institute for approval of courses.Graduate students may pursue a concentration in ethnomusicology at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels; consult the requirements for that department.

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: F516, F517, F523, or F525. Contact the Director of Graduate Studies for approval of courses.

Grades

A minimum of a B (3.0) is required in each course that is to count toward the minors.

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 Graduate Studies.  Students should contact the Director of Graduate Studies for further information on this minor.

Academic Bulletins

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