This course will review the development and history of folklore studies in the British Isles, from the seventeenth-century antiquarians, through the invention of the word 'folklore' itself in 1846, up to the present. By lecture and seminar it will introduce the different conceptions of 'the folk' and folklore that continue to shape folklore studies today. It will cover: the eighteenth-century ballad revival; romantic nationalism; the influence of philology on the emergence of a distinct discipline of folklore; the anthropological folklore of the discipline's first flourishing; the influence of international scholarship, particularly in classificatory approaches to folklore research; the challenge of varied nationalisms; the 'revivalist' impulse, particularly during the different phases of the folk song movement; the revitalisation of folklore scholarship in the twentieth century after a period of slow decline; and an assessment of the current position in folklore studies in Britain.
A History of Folklore
This is an Online course which requires your attendance to weekly meetings which take place online using Microsoft Teams meetings.
This short course will combine pre-recorded lectures with live, weekly, online meetings where discussion and debate will take place between students and the tutor. Visit our How our WOW courses work page for full details.
This course will close for enrolment 7 days prior to its start date.
Overview
Programme details
Courses starts: 23 Jan 2025
- Week 1: What Is Folklore? This general introduction to the language and topics of the discipline will outline broad definitions as a way of highlighting the history to be studied. It will locate the British history in the context of American and European scholarship.
- Week 2: Popular Antiquities. Early influences on the formation of folklore in the work of antiquarians like John Aubrey, Henry Bourne and John Brand, and Thomas Percy's ballad collection.
- Week 3: Romanticism and Enlightenment. The Romantic nationalism of James Macpherson's 'Ossian', and Johann Gottfried Herder.
- Week 4: Philology. The Brothers Grimm, combining narrative research with philological study, paving the way to William John Thoms's neologism 'folklore' (1846).
- Week 5: Anthropological Theories. The first flourishing of folklore as a discipline, with the early anthropological reflections of Edward Burnett Tylor, Max Müller and Richard Dorson's 'Great Team' of Folklore Society pioneers.
- Week 6: International Folkloristics. Setting British folklore in its international context, above all the classificatory systems of eg Kaarle Krohn.
- Week 7: National Causes. Looks at later nationalist developments, particularly in Ireland with the work of Douglas Hyde, Lady Augusta Gregory and WB Yeats.
- Week 8: Revivalism. The folk song movement of the early twentieth century adopted a very specific approach to folklore materials and their use, typified above all by Cecil Sharp.
- Week 9: Decline and Resurgence. After a period of stagnation, folklore studies revived under various impulses, including the work of the Opies, Hamish Henderson, and George Ewart Evans.
- Week 10: Salvaged or Renewed? Recent developments, including where we are today.
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- British Folk-Tales and Legends: A Sampler / Briggs, Katharine M.
- Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe / Burke, Peter
- A Dictionary of English Folklore / Simpson, Jacqueline, and Roud, Steve
- Explore Folklore / Trubshaw, Bob
Certification
Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee.
See more information on CATS point
Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
Digital credentials
All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £285.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £30.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Dr Paul Cowdell
Paul Cowdell has published on various aspects of folklore research and disciplinary history. After studying Classics at Magdalene College, Cambridge he took an MA in Folklore at the University of Sheffield and completed a PhD on contemporary belief in ghosts at the University of Hertfordshire. A member of the Council of the Folklore Society, he serves as Associate Editor of its journal Folklore and sits on the editorial board of the Folk Music Journal.
Course aims
To provide an overview of the study of folklore, and approaches to folklore, as it developed historically in Britain, from its seventeenth-century precursors up to the current period.
Course objectives:
By conducting an historical and thematic examination of the development of folklore studies and approaches to folklore in Britain, from its inception to the modern day, to familiarise students with the key concepts and arguments in the discipline.
Teaching methods
The course will be taught by lecture and participatory seminar. Student contribution will be encouraged, with one informal presentation included in the student assessment.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
have gained an overview of the development of folklore studies, its theory and history, particularly in Britain, through acquaintance with key works in the literature; appreciate the application of this history to contemporary folklore studies; have gained knowledge of a specific theory, scholar or approach.
Assessment methods
This course will be assessed on one essay (up to 1,500 words) submitted at the end of the course and a short informal class presentation during the course. The essay topic is to be chosen in agreement with the tutor.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
We will close for enrolments 14 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (14 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)
Level and demands
This course will study the history of approaches to folklore in Britain. The primary requirement, therefore, is an interest in folklore and its study.
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.