All Degrees and Certificates

Folklore Studies in the MA in English

The Master of Arts in English with a concentration in Folklore Studies enables students to explore the processes of tradition that move through multiple expressive forms, such as folktales, folk beliefs, folk medicine, folk art, folksong, and literature. A discipline based on ethnographic fieldwork, folklore offers students a chance to work in communities and collect living traditional materials. Internships in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area folklore organizations are central to students’ experiences. This course of study prepares students for careers in cultural agencies, governmental organizations, teaching institutions, and advanced study in the humanities.

Graduate Certificate

This certificate prepares students for careers in cultural agencies, governmental organizations, and teaching institutions, and advanced study in the humanities.

Accelerated MA in English (Concentration in Folklore Studies)

Accelerated master’s degree programs are designed for highly qualified and motivated undergraduates. They provide a streamlined application process with no application fee. They allow students to apply 6 graduate credits to their undergraduate degrees. Students admitted to an accelerated master’s degree program have the opportunity to complete both degrees in a reduced amount of time, and at a reduced cost.

Folklore and Mythology in the BA in English

This concentration offers students the opportunity to study oral literature and traditional artifacts in their historical, cultural and performance contexts. Study in folklore addresses secular tales, songs, proverbs, jokes and material culture items as they are performed within and among cultural groups. Mythology explores the texts of the sacred, of the creation, initiation, transformation and destruction of a people. Courses also address the study of folklore and mythology in literature.

Minor in Folklore and Mythology

Stories told in both sacred and secular contexts, along with festivals, foods, music, material objects, and other traditional art forms continue to influence our lives. The minor in folklore and mythology offers students the tools with which to explore the meanings within these seemingly simple, everyday cultural texts and to become more aware of the ways these texts are used by both individuals and institutions for a variety of goals.