ENGH 315: Folklore and Folklife

ENGH 315-002: Folklore and Folklife
(Fall 2026)

01:30 PM to 02:45 PM MW

Aquia Building 213

View the schedule of classes

Section Information for Fall 2026

This course equips students with the tools to identify, document and analyze folklore’s role in
our everyday lives. Rather than simply a checklist of cultural artifacts or genres—stories,
customs, handcrafts—we explore how folklore operates as an unofficial body of cultural
knowledge and as a creative communicative process that incorporates both continuity and
creativity. This frees us from the notion that “the folk” are always situated elsewhere or in the
past, by shifting our attention to the artistry and agency of those who perform and share
folklore in specific contexts for specific purposes. We investigate, for example, how folklore
adapts to changes in technology and how it intersects in often unexpected ways with popular
and elite cultures. We consider how folklore serves not only to create, maintain, and express
senses of identity among groups but also to communicate social difference, tensions, and
resistance.

View 1 Other Section of this Course in this Semester »

Tags:

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Topics include folktales, personal narratives, legends, proverbs, jokes, folk songs, folk art and craft, and folk architecture. Considers ethnicity, community, family, festival, folklore in literature, and oral history. Discusses traditions in students' own lives. Offered by English. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core, Arts, Just Societies
Recommended Prerequisite: Satisfaction of University requirements in 100-level English and in Mason Core literature.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.