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Folklore 1103
Introduction to Folklore: Folklore Genres and Analysis
Monday/Wednesday 1:00pm-2:15 pm
CE 261
Jan. 2017
Professor Richard MacKinnon
Office CE 263
Office Hours Monday/Wednesday- 2:30-5pm or by appointment
Introduction to Folklore: Folklore Genres and Analysis
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the various genres of Folklore. Students will read about, study, analyze and discuss a wide range of historical and contemporary major and minor genres of Folklore including myths, legends and folktales, personal experience stories, ballads and folksong, proverbs, riddles and rhymes, occupational folklore, religious folklore, children’s Folklore and material culture. The course aims to introduce students to the various forms of expressive culture and the role of tradition in all our lives. How tradition and expressive culture is defined and its role in shaping identity of individuals, communities and regions will be explored throughout the course. I encourage much discussion in my classes. I have included a short bibliography for each section of the course for students who wish to pursue further reading or research in these areas.
Texts:
Selected pdf files of course readings and links to web sites, video clips, etc. will be placed on the Moodle site.
1. Introduction to the Concepts of Folklore
Week 1
This section introduces students to some of the fundamental concepts in the study of Folklore including how it is defined, texts and versions, the importance of context and definitions of groups.
Taft, “What is Folklore?” Moodle
Oring, “On the Concepts of Folklore.” Moodle
Oring, “Ethnic Groups and Ethnic Folklore.”
McNeill, “What is Folklore?” Moodle
McNeill, “What do Folklorists Do?” Moodle
UNESCO “What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?” Moodle
UNESCO, “The Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH. ” Moodle
UNESCO, The Living Heritage Messenger Newsletter,” Moodle
Readings from:
Lynne McNeill. Folklore Rules: A Fun, Quick, and Useful Introduction to the Field of Academic Folklore Studies. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2013.
Elliott Oring. Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction. Logan: Utah State University Press, 1986.
UNESCO. What is Intangible Cultural Heritage? Paris UNESCO. 2006.
2. Folk Narrative Weeks 2, 3 and 4
Humans all over the world communicate through stories and narratives of all kinds. The various genres of folk narrative will be discussed and analyzed including myths, folktales, legends, jokes, personal experience stories and oral history. Students will become familiar with some of the characteristics and meanings of each form of oral narrative. Audio and video examples of stories and storytelling will be a part of some classes.
Readings:
McNeill, “Types of Folklore,” Moodle
Brunvand, “Myths and Motifs,” Moodle
Brunvand, “Legends and Anecdotes,” Moodle
Brunvand, “Folktales,” Moodle
Frank, “Tradition and Culture in the Cape Breton Mining Towns” Moodle
Rand, Legends of the Micmac. Moodle.
Rand, Archival material- re: Legends of the Micmac, UPEI. Moodle
"Annie and John Battiste: A Mi'kmaq Family History," Cape Breton Works, pp. 163-184. Moodle
Supplementary Readings:
Oring, Elliot. Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction. “Folk Narratives.” pp.121-146. Moodle
Oring, Elliot. Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: A Reader. “Personal Experience Narratives: Use and Meaning in Interaction.” pp.236-244.
Brunvand, Jan. Study of American Folklore. New York: W.W. Norton, 1978.
Caplan, Ron. ed. Cape Breton Lives. St. John's, Newfoundland: Breakwater Books, 1988.
Caplan, Ron, ed. Cape Breton Book of the Night: Stories of Tenderness and Terror. Wreck Cove: Breton Books, 1991.
Fowke, Edith. Folklore of Canada. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1976.
Fraser, Mary. Folklore of Nova Scotia. Toronto: Catholic Trust Society, 1931; rpt. Antigonish: Formac, 1975.
Halpert, Herbert. "The Cut-Off Head Frozen On: Some International Versions of A Tall Tale," in Explorations in Canadian Folklore. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1985, 174-88.
Leach, MacEdward. "Celtic Tales from Cape Breton." in W.E. Richmond ed. Studies in Folklore in Honor of Stith Thompson. Bloomingtion: Indiana University Press, Indiana University Publications, Folklore Series No. 9, 1957, 40-54.
MacLeod. C.I.N. Stories From Nova Scotia. Antigonsih: Formac, 1974.
MacNeil, Joe Neil. Tales Until Dawn McGill-Queen's Press, 1987.
Parsons, Elsie Clews. "Micmac Folklore," Journal of American Folklore, 38 (1925), 55-133.
Rand, Silas T. Legends of the Micmacs. New York: Longmans Green, 1894.
Special Issue, "Folktales in Canada," of Canadian Folklore Canadien, 1, No. 1, 2 (1979).
Tye, Diane. "Aspects of the Local Character Phenomenon in a Nova Scotian Community." Canadian Folklore Canadien 9, 2 (1987), 99-111.
Whitehead, Ruth. Six Micmac Stories. Halifax: Nova Scotia Museum, 1989.
3. Vernacular Song, Folksong and Music
Weeks, 5 and 6
Various genres of “vernacular" song and music will be explored including: Child ballads, broadsides, songs of local compositions, protest song and verse. Various forms of historical and contemporary music will be discussed. Audio and video examples will be used in this section of the course.
Excerpts from some of the following films/ dvds may be shown: From the Heart: Three Maritime Musicians , Scotch Music, Men of the Deeps, The Carleton Showband, God’s Red Poet: The Life of Kenneth Leslie, Vanishing Cape Breton Fiddler, Buddy MacMaster, Fiddler on the Road, Highland Legacy: The Music of Cape Breton, Natalie MacMaster: Live in Cape Breton, Barra MacNeils dvd, Rise Again: Stan Rogers Folk Festival, A Man You don’t Meet Every Day: Jerome Downey, Codroy Valley, Celtic Spirits, The Blood is Strong, World Music: Mary Jane Lamond, "Charles Street Reel."
Supplementary Readings:
Child, Francis James. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 5 vols.
Creighton, Helen. Ed. Ronald Labelle. La Fleur du Rosier: Acadian Folksongs. Sydney: UCCB and National Museum of Civilization, 1988.
Creighton, Helen. Maritime Folksongs. Toronto: Ryerson, 1962.
Creighton, Helen and Calum MacLeod. Gaelic Songs in Nova Scotia. Ottawa: National Museum of Man Bulletin No. 198., 1964.
Creighton, Helen and Doreen Senior. Traditional Songs from Nova Scotia. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1960.
Doerflinger, William. "Cruising for Ballads in Nova Scotia." in Explorations on Canadian Folklore, pp. 117-30.
Doering, J. Frederick. " 'Donald Munroe': A Canadian Version of A Scottish Folksong." Journal of American Folklore, 55 (1942), 170-74
MacDonald, Alphonse. Cape Breton Songster: A Book of Favourite English and Gaelic Songs. Sydney: The Author, 1935.
MacEachern, Ronald. Songs and Stories From Deep Cove, Cape Breton. Sydney: College of Cape Breton Press, 1980.
MacGillivray, Allister. The Cape Breton Fiddler. Sydney: College of Cape Breton Press, 1981.
MacGillivray, Allister. A Cape Breton Ceilidh. Sydney: Sea Cape Music, 1988.
Narvaez, Peter. "Country and Western in Diffusion: Juxtaposition and Syncretism in the Popular Music of Newfoundland," Culture and Tradition, 105-14.
Pocius, Gerald L. "The Mummers Song in Newfoundland: Intellectuals, Revivalists and Cultural Nativism," Newfoundland Studies, 4, 1 (1988), 57-85.
Proctor, George. "Fiddle Music as a Manifestation of Canadian Regionalism." in Explorations in Canadian Folklore, 225-236.
4. Material Culture Weeks 7 and 8
Students will be introduced to the various sub-genres of material culture including: architecture, folk art, folk craft, folk costume, foodways and folk dance.
Readings:
"Folk Objects," in Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction. Logan: Utah State University, 1986, pp. 199-224.
Supplementary Readings:
Sections in Jan Brunvand, The Study of American Folklore, on Folklife, folk architecture, folk crafts and art, folk costumes and folk foods.
Sections in Richard Dorson, Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction, on Folk Architecture, Folk Craft, Art, Cookery and Costume.
Glassie, Henry. "Studying Material Culture Today," in Living in a Material World: Canadian and American Approaches to Material Culture. St. John's: Newfoundland: Institute for Social and Economic research, 1991.
McBride, Bunny and Donald Sanipass. Our Lives in Our Hands: Micmac Indian Basketmakers. Halifax: Nimbus, 1990.
Pocius, Gerald. "Material Folk Culture Research in English Canada: Antiques, Afficionados and Beyond," Canadian Folklore Canadien 4 (1984), 27-42.
5. Minor Genres
Weeks 9, 10
Minor genres include the multitude of ways in which human beings are creative and clever in their behaviour and daily use of language. Topics to be explored include: proverbs, riddles, children's skipping rope rhymes and nicknames.
Readings:
Davey and MacKinnon, “Nicknaming Patterns and Traditions Among Cape Breton Coal Miners,” Moodle
Oring, Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction. F. A. Decaro, “Riddles and Proverbs,” pp.175-198; “Children’s Folklore, “ pp. 91-120.
Supplementary readings:
Sections in Jan Brunvand, The Study of American Folklore, New York: W.W. Norton, 1986, on Folk Speech and Naming, Proverbs and Proverbial Lore, Riddles and Other Verbal Puzzles, Rhymes and Folk Poetry.
Maranda Eli Kongas, ed. Special Issue on Riddles and Riddling, Journal of American Folklore, 89 (1976), 127-265.
Jay Mechling, "Children's Folklore," in Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction. Logan: Utah State University, 1986, pp.91-120.
Opie, Iona and Peter. The Lore and Language of School Children. Oxford: Clarendon, 1959.
Rogers, T.S. "Psychological Approaches to Proverbs: A Treatise on the Import of Context." Canadian Folklore Canadien, 8 (1986), 87-104.
6. Belief, Custom and Ritual
Weeks 11, 12
The role of belief and custom in our lives will be explored in this section. Topics to be covered include: calendar customs, folk medicine, superstition and belief and the various rituals of celebration engaged in by human beings.
Brunvand, “Superstitions,” Moodle
Brunvand, “Customs and Festivals,” Moodle
Supplementary Readings:
Oring, Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction. “Religious Folklore.” pp. 45-70.
Jan Brunvand, The Study of American Folklore, New York: W.W. Norton, 1986
Creighton, Helen. Bluenose Magic: Popular Beliefs and Superstitions in Nova Scotia, Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1968.
Santino, Jack. "Occupational Ghostlore: Social Context and the Expression of Belief," Journal of American Folklore, 101 (1988), 207-218.
Smith, Robert. "Festivals and Celebrations," in Richard Dorson, Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction.
7. Conclusion
Week 13
Student Presentations of their major research papers
What have we learned? Conclusion of course focuses on the role of Folklore in our lives in the contemporary world.
Supplementary Readings:
Roger Abrahams, Interpreting Folklore Ethnographically and Sociologically," in Handbook of American Folklore, ed. Richard M. Dorson, Indiana University Press, 1983, 345-50.
William Bascom, "Four Functions of Folklore," in The Study of Folklore, ed. Alan Dundes Englewood Cliffs, PrenticeHall, 1965, pp. 279-98.
Richard Dorson, "Concepts of Folklore and Folklife Studies, " in Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972, pp. 1-50.
Archie Green, "Interpreting Folklore Ideologically," in Handbook of American Folklore, ed. Richard M. Dorson, Indiana University Press, 1983, pp. 351-58.
Course Evaluation
1. Beaton Institute Archival Assignment 20%
2, Summary of two scholarly articles and In-class presentation of
readings 20%
3. Book Review 20%
3. Major Research paper 40%
1. Beaton Institute Archival Assignment –
Monday, Jan. 30, 2017
Length: 8-10 double-spaced, typewritten pages
20 points
Please choose an archival collection from the Beaton Institute or the Mi’kmaq Resource Centre, CBU that focuses on some aspect of Folklore. Find a subject/topic that are most interested in; this will make it easier to complete this assignment. Please discuss your chosen topic with me. Archivist Jane Arnold may also offer advice a suitable collection to examine.
You are asked to write a double-spaced, clear, well-written report on one archival collection that you are interested in (8-10 double-spaced pages).
First, provide a summary of the collection. Then, discuss any biographical information you have on the collector. Who is this person and what is it they have deposited in the archives? Then proceed to describe the collection in detail (What is in the collection? Oral history of a community, Songs? Stories, Cassette tapes, Music books, Reel-to reel-tapes? manuscript materials, lyric sheets, biographical information, posters, diary, letters, correspondence? etc.). Furthermore, provide some historical context for the collection (when was it deposited? who deposited the collection? who is the collector?) Discuss the significance of the collection from your point of view. Finally, discuss what you have learned about Folklore by doing this hands-on assignment examining an archival collection.
If you have any questions about this aspect of the assignment, please talk to me or to Beaton Institute archivist, Jane Arnold.
Please go to the archives as soon as possible to select your collection and begin your research. On the due date, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, pleasebe prepared to discuss your assignment with our class.
2. Scholarly Article Summary and Presentation of Reading – Write summaries of two scholarly Folklore articles. Each summary should be approximately two to three double-spaced pages in length. Try to capture the main points the author is making about the research being discussed. On the due date each student will help lead a discussion in class of the two articles. Journals where you can find articles include but are limited to Journal of American Folklore, Canadian Folklore Canadien, Ethnologies, Folklore Forum, Western Folklore, Folklore, Journal of Folklore Research. Note: Please clear the articles with me before starting this assignment. Due date: Monday, February 15, 2017. 20 points.
3. Book Review - Students are asked to choose a book for review on a Folklore topic you are interested in. Our CBU library has an excellent collection of Folklore books. Please also find a scholarly review of your book written by someone else. Include footnotes or endnotes and bibliographic references. Please clear your chosen book with me before proceeding.
Due: Monday, March 14, 2017. 3-5 double-spaced pages. 20 points.
4. Research paper - The research paper makes up 40 % of the term's mark. A topic should be chosen no later than the third week in February in consultation with the instructor. I would like each student to choose a topic from one of the genres of Folklore we explore this term to research. This may require research to be conducted in the Beaton Institute archives, as well as in the library. This could also be a study of one particular tradition. The key to a good research paper is to keep your focus narrow to fully understand the issue you are exploring. The paper should include a variety of sources including books and scholarly articles. Due date: Monday, April 3, 2017.
40 points.
5. There will be no Final Examination in this course