Written Assignments

Fieldwork Assignment #1 (due Monday, Oct 22)  

Describe a folk group and one or more of its customs.  What genres of folklore appear in this group’s repertoire?  Who are the people who perform this folklore?  What are the occasions for folklore performance?  Interpret the meaning or meanings of the tradition to the people who maintain it. (2-4 pages, double spaced)  

Fieldwork Assignment #2 (due Monday, Nov 19):   

Collect a story (folktale, legend, joke, anecdote, personal experience narrative) or a folk poem.  Transcribe the text, as close as possible to the words you heard (if possible, work with a tape recorder).  Describe the context (who performed it, to whom, where, when, why).  Have you heard variants?  Identify international motifs found in the Motif Index of Folk Literature, on UW Library's "Databases" page, <http://www.lib.washington.edu/types/databases/>. (If you need to access the database from off campus, follow directions for setting up a proxy server). Look for published variants in the UW Library.

Final Paper (due Wednesday, Dec 12):   

Following directions for Assignments 1 and 2, describe a folk group and its traditions.  Compare this group and its traditions to groups or traditions discussed in class readings (include bibliographical references).  This paper should be an expanded and revised version of assignment #1 and/or #2. 

Last Updated:  
08/20/01