Folklore Courses – Spring 2027

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 2:25 – 3:15 pm
• Discussion 301: W 8:50 – 9:40 am
• Discussion 302: W 3:30 – 4:20 pm
• Discussion 303: R 8:50 – 9:40 am
• Discussion 304: R 9:55 – 10:45 am
• Discussion 305: F 8:50 – 9:40 am
• Discussion 306: F 3:30 – 4:20 pm
• Discussion 307: W 2:25 – 3:15 pm
• Discussion 308: F 9:55 – 10:45 am
• Discussion 309: M 4:35 – 5:25 pm
• Discussion 310: T 7:45 – 8:35 am
• Discussion 311: T 8:50 – 9:40 am
• Discussion 312: T 9:55 – 10:45 am

Instructor: Lowell Brower

Course Description: This course serves as an introduction to folklore; that is, the arts, beliefs, stories, sayings, customs, and ways of communication we engage with in our everyday lives. We’ll be examining a variety of folklore genres, while also learning about and employing the methods and practices of folklore scholars. Because this is a practical as well as theoretical course, we will be conducting fieldwork in the region as part of a semester-long folklore project. By the end of the term, you will be able to better understand what folklore is, how and why it functions, and the many and often hidden ways that it is a part of our everyday lives. You’ll learn about ethnographic methods and techniques and how to use interviews, photography, and videography to document various genres of folklore. You’ll better understand what culture is, how it affects our everyday lives, and how it is transmitted, changed, created and re-created, lost, found, and reclaimed.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MW 1:20 – 2:10 pm
• Discussion 301:
• Discussion 302:
• Discussion 303:
• Discussion 304:

Instructor: John Walsh

(3 credits)

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 4:00 – 5:15 pm

Instructor: Jason Schroeder

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Instructor: Scott Mellor

Course Description: Why do we tell stories that frighten us, and what can those stories reveal about the societies that create them? Horror as Expressions of National Angst explores how horror gives form to cultural fears and social anxieties across different times and places. From ghost stories and legends passed through oral tradition to literature, film, television, and other forms of popular culture, horror provides a powerful way of expressing fears that can be deeply personal but also shared by communities and nations.

In this course, you will examine horror primarily from European and North American traditions and consider how stories of ghosts, monsters, outsiders, abductions, supernatural threats, and other frightening phenomena respond to the worlds in which they are created. We will ask what horror can tell us about issues such as national and cultural identity, social change, belonging and exclusion, gender, technology, violence, and uncertainty about the future.

Rather than approaching horror simply as entertainment, the course asks you to think critically about why particular stories frighten particular audiences at particular moments. How do societies turn real-world anxieties into imaginary monsters? Why do certain fears disappear while others return again and again? And what happens when horror crosses cultural or national boundaries?

Through films, readings, class discussions, and weekly written responses, you will develop your skills in cultural analysis, critical thinking, interpretation, and communication. You will have opportunities to express your own perspectives, engage with those of your classmates, and connect the fears represented in horror to larger social issues and to experiences beyond the classroom.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Instructor: Langston Collin Wilkins

Course Description: From punk to hip-hop to reggae to alternative rock, this course explores the cultural complexities of music scenes and subcultures. Using interdisciplinary approaches, we will examine the formation, maintenance and cultural complexities of music communities, both big and small, local and global. Our work will cover the breadth of musical communities, focusing on the bounded interactions between artists, fans, venues, media and more. Through our critical analysis, we will unmask deeply layered meanings within musical communities and also grapple with issues of power, race, class, gender, sexuality and more. No previous knowledge of music is required or assumed.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MW 1:30 – 3:10 pm

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: M TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm

Instructor: Anna Rue 

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MW 4:30 – 5:25 pm
• Discussion 301: W 3:30 – 4:20 pm
• Discussion 302: W 2:25 – 3:15 pm
• Discussion 303: W 5:40 – 6:30 pm
• Discussion 304: R 1:20 – 2:10 pm
• Discussion 305: R 12:05 – 12:55 pm
• Discussion 306: R 3:30 – 4:20 pm
• Discussion 307: F 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Discussion 308: F 12:05 – 12:55 pm
• Discussion 309: F 1:20 – 2:10 pm

Instructor: Benjamin Mier-Cruz 

Course Description: Explores the development of the vampire legend in folklore, rumor, literature, cinema, television, and popular culture and in relation to topics such as colonization, race, gender, sexuality, and class.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 2:30 – 3:45 pm

Instructor: Scott Mellor

Course Description: Nordic Mythology explores the fascinating world of Norse gods, giants, heroes, monsters, and supernatural beings. What do stories about Odin, Thor, Loki, Freyja, the World Tree, and Ragnarök tell us about the people who told and preserved them? And how have these medieval stories become some of the most recognizable myths in contemporary culture?

In this course, you will read and discuss important sources for Nordic mythology, particularly the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, alongside other literary, historical, and cultural materials. You will learn how to analyze myths critically and place them within the cultures of medieval Scandinavia. Topics include creation and destruction, fate, magic, gender, heroism, violence, the supernatural, and relationships among gods, humans, giants, and other beings.

Rather than treating mythology as a fixed collection of stories, the course asks how myths change as they are told, written down, interpreted, and reused. We will therefore also consider the continuing influence of Nordic mythology and the ways the medieval past has been imagined and reinvented in later periods. Through readings, discussions, assignments, and other course activities, you will strengthen your skills in critical reading, analysis, interpretation, and communication while developing a deeper understanding of Nordic culture and its legacies.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 9:30 – 10:45 am

Instructor: Marcus Cederström

Course Description: Examines the folklore of the Upper Midwest through the complicated intersections of immigration and indigeneity, in order to better understand the history and vernacular expressions of the people who call the Upper Midwest home.

The story of the Upper Midwest is one of indigeneity and immigration. Long inhabited by Indigenous communities, the region has been subjected to continuous colonization since the 1600s. Europeans and Yankees alike moved to the region and today make up a large percentage of what we often stereotype as the Midwest. But the communities of the Upper Midwest are diverse and ever changing. The Upper Midwest is made up of rural and urban, old migrant communities and new, indigenous and immigrant, and a host of other identities that are constantly in contact, changing and adapting. We’ll be examining the lived experiences and folklore of some of these communities, by looking at first-person accounts, reading articles about the region, watching films about the many unique traditions in the area, and discussing our own expertise and experiences about immigration and indigeneity. By learning more about the complicated intersections of immigration and indigeneity, we can better understand the history and vernacular expressions of the people who call the Upper Midwest home.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing

This course is honors optional.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: M 4:00 – 6:30 pm

Instructor: Thomas DuBois

Course Description: This course is an immersive exploration of public and applied folklore practice. Course material and activities will focus on the cultural, political, and ethical dimensions underlying the documentation and public presentation of folklore through festivals, exhibitions, publications, audio-visual productions, and digital archival collections. Students will conduct fieldwork, produce media, and develop programming meant for public engagement.

Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing

(3 credits)

• Lecture 034: F 12:00 – 2:30 pm