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. This interdisciplinary minor offers students tools to explore the compelling meanings within these seemingly simple, everyday cultural texts, and helps them become more aware of the ways these texts are used by individuals and institutions for various goals. Students study folklore and mythology by juxtaposing the multiple viewpoints of anthropology, art history, classical studies, literary studies, and religious studies.
Faculty
Burek, Dakake, Decaroli, Gatling, Gilman, Lattanzi Shutika, Winkler, Zhang (coordinator)
Policies
Eight credits of coursework must be unique to the minor and students must complete all coursework with a minimum GPA of 2.00. A course used to fulfill the 3 credits of literature required for Mason Core may not also be applied to the minor. To avoid duplication of courses, English majors who choose this minor may not select the English Department's folklore and mythology concentration.
For policies governing all minors, see AP.5.3.4 Minors.
Minor Requirements
Total credits: minimum 18
Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.
Core Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required course: | 3 | |
| Folklore and Folklife (Mason Core) | ||
| Select at least one course from the following: | 3-15 | |
| Topics in Myth and Literature | ||
| Topics in Folklore Studies | ||
| Folklore and the Supernatural | ||
| Folk Arts and Folk Artists | ||
| Folklore and Migration | ||
| Total Credits | 6-18 | |
Elective
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select at most four courses from the following: | 0-12 | |
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Mason Core) | ||
| Myth, Magic, and Mind (Mason Core) | ||
| Language and Culture | ||
| Symbols and Stories in Art (Mason Core) | ||
| Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Mason Core) | ||
| Greek Art and Archaeology (Mason Core) | ||
| Roman Art and Archaeology (Mason Core) | ||
| Arts of India (Mason Core) | ||
| Arts of Southeast Asia (Mason Core) | ||
| Arts of China (Mason Core) | ||
| Classical Mythology (Mason Core) | ||
| Greek and Roman Epic (Mason Core) | ||
| Topics in Classical Literature and Culture (when the topic is Greek Myth and Literature) | ||
| RS: Topics in Folklore Research (Mason Core) | ||
| Internship (when an approved internship in folklore) | ||
| RS: Writing Ethnography (Mason Core) | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| The Human Religious Experience (Mason Core) | ||
| Global Folklore (Mason Core) | ||
| Introduction to Religions of the "West" (Mason Core) | ||
| Introduction to Religions of Asia (Mason Core) | ||
| Death and the Afterlife in Religion | ||
| Total Credits | 0-12 | |