ENGL 546
APPALACHIAN FOLKLORE

Catalog Entry

English 546: Appalachian Folklore
Three hours lecture (3).

A study of the mountain verbal lore of tales, ballads and sayings; non-verbal or partially verbal lore of customs, games and rituals; material lore of structure, designs and landscapes. Field collections and written analyses required. Approved for Graduate Credit: appropriate requirements for students taking this course for graduate credit will be established by the instructor.

Detailed Description of Content of Course

I. Close reading and study of the theory, history, and genres of folklore as a discipline (from selected texts such as Jan Harold Brunvand, The Study of American Folklore)
II. Close reading of selected folklore texts from the Appalachian region (e.g., Leonard Roberts, Up Cutshin and Down Greasy, South from Hell-fer-Sartain; Lyntha Scott Eiler, et. al, Blue Ridge Harvest; Thomas E. Barden, ed., Virginia Folk Legends.
III. Study of historical and cultural contexts of Appalachian people who are the tradition bearers of the lore
IV. Field study of oral, customary, and material lore.

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

I. Students read designated theoretical and descriptive texts about folklore as well as selected examples from the lore itself. In addition, they hear and see demonstrations of folklore in the classroom as well as the living tradition in its own setting. The students themselves provide a portion of the folklore texts from their own collections and analyze the significance of these.
II. Format - combination of the following:

• Lecture and discussion led by the instructor;
• Demonstrations of folklore on videotapes, recordings, and films;
• Demonstrations of folklore by instructor, students, and guests;
• Oral presentations by students on field collecting projects;
• Field trips to study the lore in natural settings.

III. Writing Requirements

1. Informal and Exploratory

1) Students keep a weekly or biweekly log in which they react to class activities, to the reading they are doing, to the field work they are engaged in.
2) Students may frequently be asked to write impromptu responses in class to specific questions intended to stimulate discussion or to facilitate learning.

2. Synthesis and Application

In essay examinations students are asked to demonstrate their ability to synthesize their learning about folklore and to apply designated criteria to selected texts.

3. Formal Essay

Students will write one or more formal essays; for example,

1) An analytical essay based on close observation of a folk tradition displayed at events such as the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival at Ferrum College. Such an essay should describe the activity, classify it as to genre of folklore, discuss the tradition out of which it comes, and analyze its significance in the Appalachian culture it represents.
2) A major investigative field project and essay. (See "Special Research Project," Item V below.) In-class peer groups may review drafts of essays and provide reader-response.

IV. Oral Presentations

Students may make oral presentations to the class summarizing the contents of their essay(s). These presentations may be in the context of an informal class sharing session, a more formal presentation accompanied by slides, tapes, photographs, artifacts or other appropriate documentary information.

V. Special Research Project

Major Investigative Field Project: Each student will engage in a field collecting project of a particular kind of lore. The student will locate informants, establish as natural a context as possible for collecting the lore, and document it in appropriate ways (recording, videotaping, photographing, etc.). Near the end of the term, each student will compile his/her findings into a manuscript that contains texts, informant information sheets, contextual information, review of library research, and analysis of the lore. Written progress reports may also be required periodically on the field project. If possible, copies of the students' written projects and supporting documentation will go into the Appalachian Folklore Archive at the RU Appalachian Regional Studies Center for use by other scholars and researchers.

Goals and Objectives of the Course

1. Students should become acquainted with the discipline of folklore and its various genres and with the theory underlying the study of the traditions of selected folk groups.
2. Students will learn about a specific regional folk group, the Southern Appalachian mountaineers, and a variety of traditions that either have flourished in the past and/or continue to flourish in the present.
3. Students will learn about folkways that have already been collected and reported, and will themselves learn how to collect folklore firsthand from their own field experiences.

Assessment Measures

Students' knowledge about theories and genres of folklore as applied to folk traditions manifested in the Southern Appalachian region will be evaluated through a number of writing assignments: that may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: periodic log entries, informal writing-to-learn exercises, a formal analytical essay, a major investigative field project and analytical essay, and midterm and final examinations. Additionally, students may be evaluated through their oral presentations and through their daily participation in class.

Other Course Information

None

REVIEW AND APPROVAL

DATE ACTION APPROVED BY
March 1999