Departments & Programs

Folklore and Ethnomusicology

Course Descriptions

Note: Prerequisites for any 300- or 400-level course are indicated in the online Schedule of Classes when the course is offered. If no prerequisite or special permission is indicated, the student may assume that none is required.

  • FOLK–F 101 Introduction to Folklore (3 cr.) A & H  A view of the main forms and varieties of folklore and folk expression in tales, ballads, gestures, beliefs, games, proverbs, riddles, and traditional arts and crafts. The role of folklore in the life of human beings.
  • FOLK–F 111 World Music and Culture (3 cr.) A & H Introduction to ethnomusicology and the cross-cultural study of music and culture. Explores music, performance, and ideas from around the world. Analyzes the role music plays in human life, including a variety of social, political, and personal contexts. Music training is not required.
  • FOLK–E 112 Black Music of Two Worlds (3 cr.) A & H, CSA An exploration of the relationships among musics of West and Central African people and their descendants in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Emphasis placed on the conceptual and aesthetic continuities between musical expression in Old and New World contexts—a uniformity which exists because of shared African cultural ancestry. Credit given for only one of FOLK E112, FOLK F112, or AAAD A112.
  • FOLK–F 121 World Arts and Cultures (3 cr.) S & H Surveying the customary arts of the world’s peoples offers a means of comprehending the human condition today. This course explores how culture is made manifest, especially in such media as landscapes, architecture, material culture, and expressive performances. A sampling of world arts, it also provides an introduction to folklife studies.
  • FOLK–F 131 Folklore in the United States (3 cr.) A & H Folklore and traditional expressive behavior in the United States. Traditional arts, ideas, and practices of folk groups in the United States, including ethnic, occupational, regional, and religious groups.
  • FOLK–F 205 Folklore in Video and Film (3 cr.) A & H, TFR Acquaints students with a few of the current systems of folk belief diffused, reinforced, and, in some cases, originated by film and video, both in the form of the documentary and the feature-length drama. Aids students in the process of thinking and writing critically about the content, meaning, and social function of these modern forms of information systems.
  • FOLK–F 210 Myth, Legend, and Popular Science (3 cr.) S & H Compares three genres—myths, legends, and popular science—and asks about the ways in which they converge and diverge, and about the features of each that might lead us to believe their claims.
  • FOLK–F 215 Health and Morbidity in Traditional Cultures (3 cr.) S & H Focuses on concepts of health and illness in traditional cultures and societies. Addresses a variety of cross-cultural situations from the East and the West; special emphasis on Middle Eastern Arab traditions (Muslim, Christian, and Jewish). A student may conduct research on a traditional community in any part of the world.
  • FOLK–F 225 Forms of Commemoration (3 cr.) A & H Examines forms of commemoration in order to define their essential features and to describe how they operate in society. Highlights folk commemoration, those informal modes of remembrance that are a part of community tradition.
  • FOLK–F 230 Music in Social Movements (3 cr.) S & H Examines music in sociopolitical movements, ranging from political and cultural revolutions to government-sponsored campaigns, environmental, and social activism. Explores concepts about the transformative power of music and of organized groups of people, analyzing the practices of movements aimed at changing perception and behavior.
  • FOLK–F 235 Personal Narratives: A Course in Folklore and Literature (3 cr.) A & H Examines how writers and oral storytellers use personal experience narratives. Though personal narratives are not traditional, they can be studied using the concepts and methods developed to study both folklore and literature.
  • FOLK–F 252 Folklore and the Humanities (3 cr.) A & H Basic theoretical approaches to the study of folklore, emphasizing the relationship to other humanistic disciplines such as literary and religious studies and history. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 253 Folklore and the Social Sciences (3 cr.) S & H Basic theoretical approaches to the study of folklore, emphasizing the relationship to other social science disciplines such as semiotics and anthropology. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 275 Indigenous Worldviews (3 cr.) S & H, CSA A survey of some basic aspects of indigenous lifeways, this course introduces comparative cultural analysis, providing a foundational course for those interested in thinking about how others think and how we think about otherness. Students will examine mythology, ritual, health, art, and philosophy within the context of colonialism and globalization.
  • FOLK–F 290 Myth, Ritual, Symbol (3 cr.) S & H Regardless of culture or religion, the triad of myth, ritual, and symbol encompass the ways all humans come to understand their societies and themselves. This class offers a cross-cultural, humanistic, and interdisciplinary approach to learning how we believe and know through stories, ceremonies, and art.
  • FOLK–E 295 Survey of Hip Hop (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Examines rap music and hip hop culture as artistic and sociocultural phenomena with emphasis on historical, cultural, economic, and political contexts. Topics include the coexistence of various hip hop styles, their appropriation by the music industry, and controversies resulting from the exploitation of hip hop as a commodity for national and global consumption. Credit given for only one of FOLK E295, FOLK F295, and AAAD A295.
  • FOLK–E 297 Popular Music of Black America (3 cr.) A & H, CSA A chronological survey of Black popular music from 1945–2000: rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, hip hop, and their derivative forms. Emphasis placed on the context for evolution and the contributions of African Americans to the development of a multibillion dollar music industry. Credit given for only one of FOLK E297, FOLK F397, AAAD A297, or AAAD A397.
  • FOLK–F 301 African Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Folklore, folklife, or folk music as aspects of African culture. The functions of folklore forms and performances within traditional societies and emergent nations. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–E 302 Music in African Life (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Study of how Africans create, perform, think about, and use music in their lives. Topics include traditional and popular musical styles in relationship to social and historical contexts, as well as translocal, transnational, and global cultural and musical exchanges in which Africans participate.
  • FOLK–F 305 Asian Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Forms and functions of folklore, folklife, or folk music in the traditional and developing societies of Asia. Folklore as a reflection of culture. Relationship between folklore forms and belief systems in Asia. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 307 Middle Eastern Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Folk traditions of the Arabic, Persian- and Turkish-speaking peoples, including folk festivals, rituals, folk dances, music, theatre, and verbal behaviors; the influence of Islam. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 308 Middle Eastern and Arab Mythology (3 cr.) A & H Examines “mythological” belief systems and related manifestations that exist as quasi-formal religious ideologies in Middle Eastern communities. Emphasis is placed on Arab groups and Islam-based ideologies. (Other groups may be selected for the student’s research. Arabic language may be selected on individual basis for reading/research.)
  • FOLK–F 312 European Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSB Expressions of regional cultures and emerging nations of Europe. Social functions of folklore and folk music in rural and urban communities. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 315 Latin American Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Cultural and functional analysis of traditional folklore or music genres developed in the cultures of Latin America. Emphasis on origin and the diffusion of folklore, folklife, and folk music as well as the peoples. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 320 Pacific Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA 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 aboriginal materials, and the emergence of “native” traditions among the settler and immigrant groups. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 330 Folk Culture and Related Fields (3 cr.) S & H Studies of folk culture in relationship to other fields. Focuses on such interdisciplinary topics as folk culture in relationship to language, literature, psychology, history, religion, sociology, musicology, or anthropology. May be repeated with a different topic for a total of 6 credit hours.
  • FOLK–E 345 Hip Hop Music and Culture (3 cr.) P: Junior or senior standing. A & H, CSA Examines rap music as artistic and sociological phenomena with emphasis on its historical and political contexts. Credit given for only one of FOLK E345, FOLK F389, AAAD A345, or AAAD A489.
  • FOLK–F 351 North American Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Folk and popular traditions of the United States and Canada. Topics include the social base of American folklore, prominent genres of American folklore, folklife, and folk music, national or regional character, and American folk style. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 352 Native American Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Comparative examination of various verbal, musical, and dance forms of Native American societies. Consideration of cultural systems of Native Americans within the context of general American culture. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 353 Native American Film and Video (3 cr.) S & H, CSA Introduction to the study of Native American images and representations. Focuses on ethnographic, documentary, animated, and feature films from 1920 to the present. Surveying the themes of assimilation, contemporary politics, and religiosity, students will watch films, read articles, and response to both mediums critically.
  • FOLK–F 354 African American Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA African American culture in the United States viewed in terms of history and social change. Folklore, folk music, and oral history as means of illuminating black culture and history. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 356 Chicano Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA The folk traditions of Mexican Americans as a reflection of the historical experience and cultural identity of this people within the United States. Mexican heritage, Anglo and black influences, and the blending of these elements into a unique cultural entity. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 358 Jewish Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Study of Jewish experience throughout the ages as reflected in the folklore of biblical, talmudic, and midrashic materials and in medieval and contemporary settings, including America. Analysis of folkloric expression in religion, literature, humor, music, folklife, and art. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 359 Exploring Jewish Identity Today (3 cr.) S & H, CSA When people describe what they believe, do, create, or experience as “Jewish,” what do they mean? Using multiple perspectives and multiple forms of media, we will explore how different communities—from orthodox Jews to evangelical Christians—incorporate senses of Judaism into their cultural, religious, racial, ethnic, and artistic identities.
  • FOLK–F 360 Indiana Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Survey of folklore, folklife, or folk music of Indiana. Students are encouraged to do fieldwork in the state. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 361 Traditional Arts Indiana: Documenting Indiana Traditions (3 cr.) CSA Through hands-on activities, students will explore Indiana’s cultural diversity and learn cultural documentation and presentation techniques, as they identify, document, and present the traditional arts. Topics vary. Focuses each year on specific folk groups, community, or genre of Indiana folklore. May be repeated with a different topic for a total of 6 credit hours.
  • FOLK–F 363 Women’s Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Focuses on women’s folk traditions in terms of life cycle and role and explores the range of women’s occupations and related traditional knowledge. Looks at women as traditional verbal, visual, or musical artists. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 364 Children’s Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA The traditional rhymes, riddles, stories, games, folklife, or music associated with “the culture of childhood.” The role these forms play in peer-group activity and in the social and cognitive development of the child. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 369 Aliens, Psychics, and Ghosts (3 cr.) A & H How do people make sense of their worlds and experiences? The study of folklore provides a unique answer through the study of narrative, symbolic expression, and discourse analysis. This course brings folk beliefs into conversation with scientific method, and examines the different ways in which people come to view or understand the uncanny.
  • FOLK–E 388 Motown (3 cr.) A & H, CSA A survey of the development of Motown Record Corporation, Detroit Era (1959–1972). Through lecture, discussion, guided listening, and visual experiences, the course studies the musical works, creative processes, business practices, historical events, media, technology, and sociocultural factors that contributed to Motown's identity as a unique artistic and cultural phenomenon. Credit given for only one of E388, AAAD A388, or AAAD A389.
  • FOLK–E 394 Survey of African American Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA A chronological survey of sacred and secular African American musical traditions in North America from the African past to the present. Emphasis placed on context for evolution, musical processes and aesthetics, interrelationships among genres and musical change, issues of gender, and music as resistance. Credit given for only one of FOLK E394, AAAD A394, or MUS M394.
  • FOLK–E 399 Readings for Honors (3 cr.) P: Approval of instructor and honors advisor. Independent but guided readings in preparation for the honors thesis in Folklore and Ethnomusicology.
  • FOLK–F 400 Individual Study in Folklore (1–3 cr.) P: Must have prior arrangement with and consent of the faculty member(s) supervising research. May include fieldwork or library research components. May be repeated for up to 6 credit hours with the permission of the chair.
  • FOLK–F 401 Methods and Theories (3 cr.) S & H Introduces students to the main methods and theories in the two fields composing Folklore and Ethnomusicology. Explores both the common ground linking these fields and some key areas of difference, delving into basic aspects of method and theory as practiced by folklorists and ethnomusicologists.
  • FOLK–F 402 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 when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 403 Practicum in Folklore/Ethnomusicology (1–3 cr.) P: Must have prior arrangement with and consent of the faculty member(s) supervising work. Supervised work in public programs such as arts agencies, museums, historical commissions, and archives, including those housed at IU. Relevant readings and written report required. May be repeated for up to 6 credit hours with permission of chair.
  • FOLK–F 404 Topics in Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H Explores in depth a particular topic in the study of folklore, folklife, or music. Courses of an unusual, integrative, or experimental nature. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 405 Studying Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) S & H Introduces the field of ethnomusicology through reading, writing, and ethnomusicological research. Emphasizes the study of music in social contexts, and the study of society from a musical perspective. Designed for students interested in the study of music in human life as well as in cross-cultural approaches to the study of music and culture.
  • FOLK–E 407 Applied Ethnomusicology and Folklore: Media Productions (3 cr.) Examines the application of ethnomusicology and folklore training in media productions for cultural institutions and commercial industries. A focus on the role of humanists as researchers, consultants, music supervisors, and filmmakers for public media institutions (i.e., PBS, BBC, NPR, PRI), multimedia production companies, and commercial film industries.
  • FOLK–F 410 Multimedia in Ethnomusicology (3 cr.) A & H This course 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. Evaluation is based on demonstration of competencies through successful completion of projects. The class is structured to include both lecture and lab components.
  • FOLK–F 420 Forms of Folklore/Folklife/Folk Music (3 cr.) A & H Examination of selected forms of folklore, folk music, craft, or performance, with attention given to content, form, and function of the selected forms as well as the variety of theories and methodologies employed in their study. May be repeated twice when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 430 Folklore and Related Disciplines (3 cr.) S & H Advanced studies of folklore and/or ethnomusicology in relationship to other disciplines. Focuses on such interdisciplinary topics as folklore and literature, folklore and psychology, folklore and history, folklore and religion, or folklore, culture, and society. May be repeated twice when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 440 Folklife and Material Culture Studies (3 cr.) A & H The perspective of folklife studies. Material culture presented within the context of folklife, with attention to the role of folk museums, folklife research methods, and the history of folklife research. May be repeated once when topics vary.
  • FOLK–F 450 Music in Religious Thought and Experience (3 cr.) A & H Explores the roles of music in select religious traditions of the world. Comparative analysis of relationships between music and ritual, religious music and popular culture, sacred music and mass media, music and religious identity, and music and trance. Focus on major world religious traditions, local traditions, and combinations thereof.
  • FOLK–F 492 Traditional Musical Instruments (3 cr.) A & H 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 Mathers Museum.
  • FOLK–F 494 Transcription and Analysis of Traditional Music (3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. A & H Survey of theories and methods applied in transcription, analysis, and classification of traditional music. Application of methods to selected recordings.
  • FOLK–E 496 African American Religious Music (3 cr.) A & H, CSA An in-depth investigation of Negro spirituals and gospel music, with some treatment of the traditions of lining-out and shape note singing. Examination of genres will address and integrate both the musical and the sociocultural perspectives. Credit given for only one of FOLK E496 or AAAD A496.
  • FOLK–F 497 Advanced Seminar (3 cr.) S & H This is the final integrating course in the department, required of all majors and open to qualified students in other departments, with the instructor’s approval. Topics of individual research will vary.
  • FOLK–F 499 Honors Thesis (3 cr.) P: Approval of program honors committee. Guided research culminating in an honors thesis under the direction of a faculty member and reviewed in oral examination by three faculty members. May be repeated once for credit.