Browse all Folklore Program courses →
Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison
GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.
No released grades for this term.
14 courses
The African Storyteller explores oral tradition, the written word, story composition, performer-audience dynamics, and tradition transmission in African societies.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Matthew Brown
One student reported a lot of busy work, while another noted that the midterm was fairly difficult and grading became stricter as the semester progressed.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Studies intersections of Asian American and African American dance and martial arts through an Afro Asian lens, focusing on fusion, choreography, and improvisation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Peggy Choy
Expect to spend several hours weekly on rehearsals and writing assignments, with a strict attendance policy limiting absences to two before grade penalties.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2024 · limited sampleIntroduction to Folklore surveys US and global traditions, examining how beliefs, songs, stories, sayings, dances, festivals, and artifacts address identity, authenticity, and authority.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · B. Marcus Cederstrom
The workload included a few papers and a final project, which students found to be manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026The Folk Tale explores types of heroes, social functions, and tellers through tales from four cultures.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Thomas Dubois
The course was described as easy, with test questions provided in advance and notes permitted during exams.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited sampleExplores horror as a cultural phenomenon representing national angst, analyzing narratives and their cultural context.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sampleIntermediate course exploring various topics in folklore, folklife, myth, foodways, or music. Students synthesize information and communicate via essays and presentations.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026An introduction to folk cultural groups and folklore forms of Wisconsin, covering cultural activities and the history’s impact on the present.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleAdvanced exploration of folklore, folklife, myth, foodways, or music. Students develop communication skills through essays, presentations, and critical analysis of folklore theories.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2023 · limited sampleExamines Upper Midwest folklore through intersections of immigration and indigeneity to understand regional history and vernacular expressions.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sampleThis course combines a fieldwork practicum with scrutiny of how folklore is documented and presented publicly.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Langston Wilkins
One student noted that the volume of assigned readings was high, leading them and others to stop completing the materials fully or in depth during class.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Fall 2024 · limited sampleExplores the development of the vampire legend in folklore, literature, cinema, television, and popular culture in relation to colonization, race, gender, sexuality, and class.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Benjamin Mier-Cruz
There was lots of material, though attendance was required for some graded assignments and extra credit options.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026An examination of mythology, literature, ritual, and religion from Nordic areas and Scandinavia, focusing on pre-Christian beliefs and medieval folklore.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Scott Mellor
The course required heavy reading and assignments, with grades often dependent on essays that students described as difficult to master.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Introductory ethnomusicology course exploring global musics beyond standard music history through active engagement in larger world contexts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Erin Brooks
There was almost no homework, and students found that simply showing up to class and preparing for each midterm was sufficient to achieve a good grade.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2025Seminar in ethnomusicology covering melodic typology, scale/tuning systems, mode, rhythm, ornamentation, improvisation, composition traditions, notation, and music's social function.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample