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FIG:  Tales & Traditions


This is a guide to the library and research materials you may find useful to accomplish the objectives of the FIG Tales & Traditions Fall 2008.

Background


American Folklore: An Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia of all things American and folkloric.

Mythology & Folklore: Oxford Reference Premium
A collection of reference books for folklore all together and searchable at once, including The Oxford Companion to World Folklore, A Dictionary of Superstitions, A Dictionary of African Mythology, and many more.

Finding Articles


Academic Search Premier
Indexes more than 8,000 publications, with full text for approximately 4,600. ASP focuses on academic, social sciences, humanities, general science, education and multi-cultural journals, with over 3,500 peer-reviewed titles. Full text coverage goes as far back as 1965.

Anthropological Literature
Indexes articles and essays in all areas of anthropology and archaeology. Indexes works published in English and other European languages from the 19th century to the present.

SEARCH TIP: Use FindTextto locate complete articles in databases.

Finding Books


UO Library Catalog

Summit Catalog
Summit lets you quickly borrow books from other Northwest libraries. Most Summit books arrive in about three days.



Your assignment:


A couple of students in your dorm are freaking out because of an urban legend they just heard and are convinced is true. As a budding expert in both folklore and anthropology, you are in an excellent position to allay their concerns.

In your group and using the sources above, pick an urban legend worthy of freak out and prepare a cool-headed response to the agitated students in your dorm.

You will need to include the following elements in your response:

  1. The urban legend itself
  2. Background and genesis, i.e., how did it start? How has it evolved over time?
  3. Why would this particular legend be so worthy of freak out? What does it reveal about cultural values/fears/prejudices, etc?
  4. Are there similar legends in other cultures? If so, describe them and their context.

Use at least one book and one article to support your argument.

You will report your findings to the rest of the class.

Maintained by: Elizabeth Peterson, emp@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 10/14/2008