What Folklorists Do: Professional Possibilities in Folklore Studies

by Timothy Lloyd

Overview

What can you do with a folklore degree? Over six dozen folklorists, writing from their own experiences, show us.

What Folklorists Do examines a wide range of professionals—both within and outside the academy, at the beginning of their careers or holding senior management positions—to demonstrate the many ways that folklore studies can shape and support the activities of those trained in it. As one of the oldest academic professions in the United States and grounded in ethnographic fieldwork, folklore has always been concerned with public service and engagement beyond the academy. Consequently, as this book demonstrates, the career applications of a training in folklore are many—advocating for local and national causes; shaping public policy; directing and serving in museums; working as journalists, publishers, textbook writers, or journal editors; directing national government programs or being involved in historic preservation; teaching undergraduate and graduate students; producing music festivals; pursuing a career in politics; or even becoming a stand-up comedian.

A comprehensive guide to the range of good work carried out by today's folklorists, What Folklorists Do is essential reading for folklore students and professionals and those in positions to hire them.

Audio book narrated by Walter Brown. Produced by Speechki in 2021.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253058423
Publisher:	Indiana University Press (Ips)
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.61(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Timothy Lloyd is Senior Advisor for Partnerships of the American Folklore Society and was the society's executive director from 2001 to 2018. He is author, with Patrick Mullen, of Lake Erie Fishermen: Work, Tradition, and Identity.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Researching and Teaching
Doing Fieldwork, by Tom Mould
Integrating Fieldwork and Library Research, by Elissa R. Henken
Collaborating Across Disciplines, by Sheila Bock
Practicing Internationalism, by Dorothy Noyes
Connecting Folklore Studies to Digital Humanities, by John Laudun
Using Big Data in Folklore Scholarship, by Timothy R. Tangherlini
Understanding the Information Technology World Ethnographically, by Meghan McGrath
Doing Public Humanities, by Danille Christensen
Serving a Campus as an International Scholar, by Ziying You
Working as an Independent Scholar, by Luisa Del Giudice
Teaching at a Community College, by David J. Puglia
Teaching Undergraduate Students, by David Todd Lawrence
Teaching Graduate Students, by Ray Cashman
Teaching in an Interdisciplinary Department, by Tom DuBois
Teaching Medical Professionals, by Bonnie Blair O'Connor
Teaching Writing, by Martha C. Sims
Integrating Vernacular and Mainstream Science in Teaching, by Sandra Bartlett Atwood
2. Leading and Managing
Leading at a University, by Patricia A. Turner
Chairing a Department, by Debra Lattanzi Shutika
Directing an Academic Program, by Michael Ann Williams
Managing an Academic Program, by Cassie Rosita Patterson
Building an Online School, by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman
Performing Diplomacy, by Valdimar Hafstein
Leading a Federal Government Agency, by Bill Ivey
Directing a Federal Government Office, by Elizabeth Peterson
Leading in a Consulting Firm, by Malachi O'Connor
Directing Communications Strategy, by Katy Clune
Directing a Learned Society, by Jessica A. Turner
Directing a Museum, by Jason Baird Jackson
Directing a Non-Profit Organization, by Ellen McHale
Directing a Recording Label, by Daniel Sheehy
Coordinating Research Projects, by Diana Baird N'Diaye
Managing Regional Arts Programs, by Teresa Hollingsworth
Managing a State Government Program, by Steven Hatcher
3. Communicating and Curating
Archiving for Preservation, Access, and Understanding, by Terri M. Jordan
Building and Providing Access to Library Collections, by Moira Marsh
Curating in a Changing Museum World, by Carrie Hertz
Producing Audio Ethnography, by Rachel Hopkin
Translating Language, Place, and Performance, by Levi S. Gibbs
Critiquing Internet Culture, by Andrea Kitta
Communicating and Educating Online, by Jeana Jorgensen
Creating Educational Content, by Jon Kay
Designing Visual Communications, by Meredith A. E. McGriff
Presenting Ethnography Graphically, by Andy Kolovos
Portraying and Preserving Culture through Documentation, by Tom Rankin
Becoming a Journalist, by Russell Frank
Editing a Scholarly Journal, by Ann K. Ferrell
Publishing Scholarly Books, by Amber Rose Cederström
Producing Festivals, by Maribel Alvarez
Leading Cultural Tours, by Joan L. Saverino
Performing Music and Theater, by Kay Turner
Performing Stand-Up Comedy, by Ian Brodie
Practicing the Act of Writing, by Michael Dylan Foster
Using Folklore in Fiction and Poetry, by Norma Elia Cantú
Writing Textbooks, by Lynne S. McNeill
Writing for Education and Advocacy, by Stephen Winick
4. Advocating and Partnering
Advocating for Community, by Howard L. Sacks
Advocating for Communities and Their Environments, by Mary Hufford
Using Ethnography for Community Advocacy, by Miguel Gandert
Community Organizing, by Jacqueline L. McGrath
Connecting University and Community, by Katherine Borland
Exploring Home, by Langston Collin Wilkins
Advocating for Labor, by James P. Leary
Advocating for People with Disabilities, by Amy Shuman
Advocating for Poetry, by Steve Zeitlin
Advocating for a Region, by Thomas A. McKean
Advocating through Consultancy, by Susan Eleuterio
Creating Public Policy, by Diane E. Goldstein
Analyzing Public Policy, by Leah Lowthorp
Becoming a Politician, by Jodi McDavid
Assisting Social Services Clients, by Nelda Ault-Dyslin
Collaborating with K-12 Teachers, by Ruth Olson
Partnering with K-12 Education, by Lisa Rathje
Expanding Definitions of Regional Cultural Heritage, by Nicole Musgrave
Mentoring, by Wanda G. Addison
Preserving Historic Buildings and Environments, by Laurie Kay Sommers
About the Editor

What People are Saying About This

Kate Parker Horigan

In engaging, accessible essays, this volume showcases an exciting range of occupational opportunities for folklorists. The contributors—in reflections that are diverse, inspiring, and at times funny—illustrate the versatility of the skills they have gained in this field at the intersection of humanities and social sciences. What Folklorists Do is instructive reading for anyone looking to apply (or employ) the fruits of academic training in folklore and related areas. 

Anthony Bak Buccitelli

Timothy Lloyd's What Folklorists Do is an extraordinary book that could only have been shaped by someone with Lloyd's decades of tireless advocacy on behalf of folklore studies. This collection of seventy-six short, accessible personal essays by leading folklore professionals presents the astonishing range of work that folklorists do on a day-to-day basis. From those seeking to understand what a career in folklore studies might look like to veteran professionals of many decades, readers will expand their understanding of how the unified methods, theories, and skills that folklorists have long cultivated give us the means to work on the highest levels in industry, government, publishing, universities, and cultural institutions, among many other settings. This book should be required reading for popular enthusiasts, students, and working professionals alike.

John Roberts

The significance of Timothy Lloyd's book What Folklorists Do extends beyond the important insights offered in the essays about how individuals have used their degrees in folklore to enhance and expand professional opportunities both inside and outside of academia. While the essays constitute the heart of this volume, its broader significance is captured in Lloyd's introductory essay in which he discusses the ongoing debates about the value of the humanities in preparing individuals for the world of work in the 21st century. His alignment of the essays with this important debate allows the book not only to appeal to a wider audience, it also allows his approach to become a model for confounding abstract arguments about the continuing importance of the humanities and, by extension, those disciplines—including folklore—that constitute this foundational area of academic research and teaching.  

Editorial Reviews

What Folklorists Do is certainly a useful book for budding folklorists who wonder what they might do after the diploma is earned and the paychecks need to start rolling in.

Western Folklore - Hilary-Joy Virtanen

"The significance of Timothy Lloyd's book What Folklorists Do extends beyond the important insights offered in the essays about how individuals have used their degrees in folklore to enhance and expand professional opportunities both inside and outside of academia. While the essays constitute the heart of this volume, its broader significance is captured in Lloyd's introductory essay in which he discusses the ongoing debates about the value of the humanities in preparing individuals for the world of work in the 21st century. His alignment of the essays with this important debate allows the book not only to appeal to a wider audience, it also allows his approach to become a model for confounding abstract arguments about the continuing importance of the humanities and, by extension, those disciplines—including folklore—that constitute this foundational area of academic research and teaching."—John Roberts, professor emeritus, The Ohio State University

"In engaging, accessible essays, this volume showcases an exciting range of occupational opportunities for folklorists. The contributors—in reflections that are diverse, inspiring, and at times funny—illustrate the versatility of the skills they have gained in this field at the intersection of humanities and social sciences. What Folklorists Do is instructive reading for anyone looking to apply (or employ) the fruits of academic training in folklore and related areas."—Kate Parker Horigan, Western Kentucky University

"Timothy Lloyd's What Folklorists Do is an extraordinary book that could only have been shaped by someone with Lloyd's decades of tireless advocacy on behalf of folklore studies. This collection of seventy-six short, accessible personal essays by leading folklore professionals presents the astonishing range of work that folklorists do on a day-to-day basis. From those seeking to understand what a career in folklore studies might look like to veteran professionals of many decades, readers will expand their understanding of how the unified methods, theories, and skills that folklorists have long cultivated give us the means to work on the highest levels in industry, government, publishing, universities, and cultural institutions, among many other settings. This book should be required reading for popular enthusiasts, students, and working professionals alike."—Anthony Bak Buccitelli, Director, Pennsylvania Center for Folklore, Penn State University, Harrisburg.

"Timothy Lloyd, former Executive Director of the American Folklore Society, has assembled a valuable compendium of 76 short essays by folklorists, mostly North Americans, exploring an impressively broad range of professional options and careers. . . . What Folklorists Do is an important, exciting and accessible book that I would recommend to anyone with any interest in folklore."—Timothy H. Evans, Western Kentucky University, Journal of Folklore and Education

"What Folklorists Do is certainly a useful book for budding folklorists who wonder what they might do after the diploma is earned and the paychecks need to start rolling in."—Hilary-Joy Virtanen, Finlandia University, Western Folklore

"Timothy Lloyd's book is a useful collection on a number of levels, helping the reader understand the working world of the professional folklorist. Taken as a whole, the collection is, in a sense, an occupational folklife ethnography of a particular academic subject, albeit almost exclusively in the United States."—Gerald Pocius, Journal of Folklore Research Reviews

"But the message of the collection is a positive and proud one: we as folklorists have a great amount to offer society. The value of studying folklore is indisputably laid out in seventy-six different ways, which is why I will be recommending What Folklorists Do to my Folklore Studies students—who I hope will be inspired to become ambassadors themselves."—Ceri Houlbrook, Folklore

From the Publisher

Timothy Lloyd, former Executive Director of the American Folklore Society, has assembled a valuable compendium of 76 short essays by folklorists, mostly North Americans, exploring an impressively broad range of professional options and careers. . . . What Folklorists Do is an important, exciting and accessible book that I would recommend to anyone with any interest in folklore.

Journal of Folklore and Education - Timothy H. Evans