THE COLLECTING PROJECT: Genre Item

The genre item collecting assignment requires you to collect a single item of folklore, such as a joke, folksong, folk saying, proverb, or custom. For clarification about topics, consult with your instructor.

Your grade will be based on the appropriateness of items you submit (that is, the extent to which they match the assignment), on the kinds of informant, context, and texture comments you provide, and on how well you follow format guidelines. You must provide informant and contextual data that will make analysis of the item or text possible for any potential archives user. Remember that different kinds of items (beliefs, legends, songs, jokes, etc.) will require different kinds of background data on both the informant and the item. Again, try to give information that will make the item as understandable and useful as possible to potential researchers.

Use standard English in your own comments but do not "clean up" the statements or stories from your informants which contain poor grammar or lack proper sentence structure (we want their actual style as much as we want their content). Feel free to use sketches, photographs, or scanned images to clarify or illustrate an item or a custom.

Collecting folklore is fascinating--unless you wait until the night before the assignment is due before beginning. Please type your assignments or do them on computer (the latter allows you to set up a standard format).

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For reference questions: randy.williams@usu.edu or phone (435) 797-3493. Fife Folklore Archives, Utah State University Libraries, Logan Utah 84322-3000