WKU News

Even if you are not aware of its presence, you have encountered the study of folklore in your life; it is evident and appears all around us, taking shape in our culture’s traditions and lived experiences. At Western Kentucky University, the Folklore minor allows students to receive training in important skills like critical thinking, ethnographic research, and cultural difference.

“Folklore helps us in how to be open to asking questions and how to conduct interviews with people,” says Folklore Professor and Advisor, Dr. Ann Ferrell. “Students learn how to publicly engage in research related to folklore, which benefits their overall communication.”

The Folklore minor has been offered at WKU since 1968, boasting a strong base of dedicated faculty, students, and alumni. Offering a diverse array of courses, some of their most popular courses are FLK 388: Foodways and FLK 275: Supernatural Folklore, a personal favorite of Ellen Swenson, a junior majoring in Anthropology and minoring in History and Folklore.

“I absolutely loved talking about ghosts, witches, cryptids, fairies, and aliens,” says Swenson. “I loved that I could understand the cultural ethos around these topics and take them seriously. It was the reason I added folklore as a minor.”

With this minor, students learn to understand, analyze, and appreciate all culture, thus strengthening their listening and presenting skills. Because these are essential skills in the workforce, this minor is interdisciplinary and will appeal to students of all majors and walks of life.

Many students decide to add the Folklore minor to their courseload after being introduced to it through the Colonnade program. After graduating, students have found that this specific minor makes them stand out on job applications.

“I think Folklore is valuable for everyone. I can study both normal people through folklore and specific, larger groups with anthropology,” says Swenson. “The faculty around the Folklore program are incredibly nice and I absolutely love the amount of support and community that is in the department.” 

This semester, a new Folklore class is being offered to all students. FLK 485: Approaching Appalachia with Dr. Sydney Varajon will cover Appalachian culture, specifically the way it is both understood and misunderstood. This class is particularly important as a significant number of WKU students hail from Appalachia.

“Our courses are really fun, but they also provide valuable skills and perspectives,” says Dr. Ferrell. “Take one of our Colonnade classes and try it out, you may love it!”

If you are interested in adding a Folklore minor, please contact Dr. Ann Ferrell at ann.ferrell@wku.edu. For more information about the minor, please visit https://www.wku.edu/sccjs/folklore.php.