Folklore Studies faculty member Dr. Joy Fraser will present at a special workshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, this fall, focusing on media representations of Scotland's food and drink.

Jon Lohman, our Virginia State Folklorist, curates an impressive selection of music and craft demos in the folklife area each year. The theme of this year’s event is “Feed Your Soul” and will be featuring both food and music from around Virginia that literally and figuratively feed your soul. Presenters will include Southern Soul legend Big G, the Old Regular Baptist hymns of Frank Newsome, tortilla-making workshops with Luz Lopez, a soul food feast and singing with the Ingramettes, an oyster-shucking contest between sisters Clementine and Deborah and much much more.

Continuing the tradition of innovation, the Folklore Studies program will offer a new course in Digital Storytelling for fall 2017. The course will combine the techniques of effective oral storytelling with open source technology to create compelling digital stories.

Within the backdrop and context of the racial tension and rioting that enveloped Washington, D.C., in 1968, the National Park Service (NPS) launched an innovative, community-based recreational and enrichment program called Summer in the Parks (SITP). Mason’s summer 2017 Field School for Cultural Documentation, a partnership between the Folklore Studies Program and the Library of Congress-American Folklife Center, offered a SITP option to graduate students seeking hands-on learning, rigorous training in oral history collection, and instruction on archiving in Library of Congress methods.

During a research trip to Newfoundland this summer, Folklore Studies faculty member Dr. Joy Fraser was featured on the Living Heritage podcast, hosted by provincial folklorist Dale Jarvis.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce the May 2017 degree celebrations will be led by two outstanding alumni: chief historian for the White House Historical Association, Edward Lengel, and Lt. Col. Suzanne Devlin, a former acting chief of police for the Fairfax County Police Department and the current supervisor of safety and security for Loudoun County Public Schools.

Holding a Giving Day expresses our belief in the power of broad-based support, especially from alumni. It's also a reminder that each and every person who sees the promise of George Mason University, its amazing faculty and enterprising students, can be a donor.

Please join the Folklore Studies Program and the GMU Folklore Roundtable for an evening of open mic storytelling and complimentary refreshments.

IIR co-hosts discussion with Middle East Institute about the contributions made by immigrant artists to the United States

Episode two of Mason Out Loud is available for listen! Mason Out Loud features creative writing and scholarship from GMU's English department faculty, students and alumni.