Folklore Minor
Why minor in Folklore? There are so many reasons!
The study of folklore is not only fun, it develops important skills useful in any career. Here's what our students have to say:
- "My current employer said part of why they hired me was because my folklore minor set me apart from other applicants."
- "I would not have the background to understand the needs and expectations of people of other cultures, backgrounds, and locations without the knowledge I gained in the Folklore department.
- "Folklore is an essential skill in any career involving direct contact with other people."
- "My photojournalism gave me technical and artistic skills but my folklore minor gave me analytical skills and tactful approaches to subjects and stories."
BA in anthropology + FLK minor
Skillfully research, document, analyze, and present about cultures near and far, illuminating the cultural lives of present-day American groups and more foreign-seeming cultures.
BA in journalism + FLK minor
Be a reporter with advanced abilities to report in-depth on the perspectives of different people involved in all kinds of events and communities.
BA in computer science + FLK minor
Be a digital kiosk designer for museum displays or design digital storytelling programs for schools. Design oral history publications in multimedia formats.
BA in art + FLK minor
Create art that reflects an elevated understanding that art in all forms is deeply cultural in nature. Teach others how to recognize their own artistry in everyday life.
BA in education + FLK minor
Teach children to recognize and value their own traditional lives and those of people who are different from them. Be a more effective teacher because you understand how to handle cultural difference and minimize culture-based conflicts.
BA/BS in anything + FLK minor
Be a better professional in any career because you have training in critical thinking, ethnographic research, cultural difference in multicultural America, listening and presenting, and analyzing the bases for multiple perspectives in common and extraordinary situations.
How do I declare a minor in Folklore?
To declare a minor in Folklore, or for more information, contact the Folklore Minor Advisor. Undergraduate students in their junior or senior years may declare a Folklore Minor in order to receive academic recognition for completing a structured program of study consisting of 21 credit hours (seven three-hour courses) from required and restricted-elective lists (see below). Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses applied to the folklore minor. You can also find out more about our JUMP (Joint Undergraduate-Master's Program).
All Folklore Minors must complete the following two courses (6 hours):
FLK 276 Introduction to Folk Studies
FLK 399 Field Methods in Ethnography
Folklore Minors must choose at least five of the following courses (15 hours), at least one course (3 hours) of which must be at the 400-level (excluding 479 and 489):
FLK 275 Supernatural Folklore
FLK 277 Introduction to World Music
FLK 280 Cultural Diversity in the U.S.
FLK 281 Roots of Southern Culture
FLK 340 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America
FLK 341 People and Cultures of Asia
FLK 342 People and Cultures of the Caribbean
FLK 345 People and Cultures of Native North America
FLK 350 Peoples and Cultures of Africa
FLK 371 Urban Folklore
FLK 373 Folklore and the Media
FLK 377 African American Folklife
FLK 378 Southern Appalachian Folklife
FLK 379 Topics in Folklore (varies by semester)
FLK 388 Foodways
FLK 410 African American Music
FLK 434 Historic Preservation
FLK 445 American Architectural History
FLK 462 Folklore and Medicine
FLK 464 Vernacular Architecture
FLK 470 Museum Procedures and Preservation Techniques
FLK 477 Folk Art and Technology
FLK 478 Folklore and Literature
FLK 479 Directed Independent Research in Folklore
FLK 480 Women's Folklife
FLK 489 Internship in Folklife
237 Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center | Potter College of Arts and Letters | Western Kentucky University | 1906 College Heights Blvd. #61029 | Bowling Green, KY 42101-1029 | Email: fsa@wku.edu | Phone: (270) 745-6549 | Fax: (270) 745-6889
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