Introduction to Folklore

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

IR - Dublin, Ireland: This module is designed to give students a comprehensive overview of what is meant by the term 'folklore', and to introduce them to the academic study of the subject. In the course of the module, folklore is defined and described in its many manifestations, and students learn about some of the more important sources for the study of folklore and popular tradition, in Ireland and abroad. Examples of both oral tradition and material culture are examined, including narrative and storytelling, vernacular architecture, traditional belief systems and views of the otherworld, and popular custom and practice. A basic introduction is given to international works of reference and systems of classification used in the study of folklore, and to some of the theoretical approaches to the subject. Contemporary forms of folklore, and the persistence of certain themes in popular culture, are also discussed.