Resources for Community Scholars, Students, and Teachers
This page will be continually updated as new resources are discovered by/recommended to Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts. For more information and/or to suggest a resource, contact us at arfolk@uark.edu or visit our Connect page.
Community Scholars
Documenting and Presenting Folklore
Resources available online:
- Defining Folk and Traditional Arts by Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts
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Folklife and Fieldwork: An Introduction to Cultural Documentation
Produced by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Spanish language version of the guide available. -
Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
Based at the University of Kentucky -
Oral History in the Digital Age
Oral History in the Digital Age (OHDA) is a product of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership project and a collaboration among the Michigan State University Museum; Michigan State University Digital Humanities Center, Matrix; the American Folklife Center (AFC/LOC), the Library of Congress; the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH); the American Folklore Society (AFS); the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries; and the Oral History Association. -
The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
Folklore-Related Organizations
Students
Research at the University of Arkansas
Several research guides are available through the University of Arkansas Libraries, including:
Conducting Primary Research
Folklore is primarily documented through fieldwork and oral history interviewing techniques. Below are several online resources for conducting original fieldwork:
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Folklife and Fieldwork: An Introduction to Cultural Documentation
Produced by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Spanish language version of the guide available. -
Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
Based at the University of Kentucky -
Oral History in the Digital Age
Oral History in the Digital Age (OHDA) is a product of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership project and a collaboration among the Michigan State University Museum; Michigan State University Digital Humanities Center, Matrix; the American Folklife Center (AFC/LOC), the Library of Congress; the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH); the American Folklore Society (AFS); the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries; and the Oral History Association. -
The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
Where to Study Folklore
While the University of Arkansas does not offer a stand-alone folklore program, there are still many opportunities to research and learn about folklore at the of U of A through courses offered in the Departments of English and Anthropology. AFTA would be glad to assist you in finding faculty experts.
Interested in pursuing a degree in folklore? The American Folklore Society offers a list of Folklore Programs in the U.S. and Canada.
Teachers
Folklore and Education Online Resources
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The American Folklife Center: Education Resources
This site is designed for teachers and students with interests in exploring and learning about folklife and community-based educational activities. Teachers and students with interests in exploring and learning about folklife and community-based educational activities will find a wide range of publications, links to online resources, and other materials to suit their project needs here. -
American Folklore Society: Folklore and Education Resources
A list of resources curated by the American Folklore Society -
Folk Arts in Education: A Resource Handbook II examines the state of folklife and folk arts in education projects around the U.S. with sample curricula from over 50 exemplary programs for youth in educational settings in K-12 schools, youth-serving organizations arts and humanities councils, museums, and cultural heritage and folk arts nonprofit organizations. Folklife programs in schools and after-school programs bring young people in touch with their communities, their ethnic identities, the authentic cultural expressions of their own families and others through direct participation and ethnographic methods using photography, video, radio, audio recordings, exhibitions, festival, and residencies with tradition-bearers. A web resources section links educators to folk arts programs nationwide.
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Folkstreams is a non-profit dedicated to finding, preserving, contextualizing, and showcasing documentary films on American traditional cultures.
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Local Learning began as the National Task Force for Folk Arts in Education during a 1993 national roundtable at the National Endowment for the Arts. Today, we are a loose network of hundreds of people interested in engaging young people with their own traditional culture and with the local culture and folklore of their families, regions, and the larger world. We are folklorists, folk artists, and educators of many stripes. We work in public agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, universities, museums, community centers, libraries, and out-of-school education settings.
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The Louisiana Voices Folklife in Education Project provides educators with tools for teaching Louisiana folklife — including extensive teaching materials, training, research strategies, student activities, concepts, and content — via the Louisiana Voices Educator’s Guide.
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Missouri Folk Arts: “Show-Me Traditions”
A fifty-page guide that includes grade level expectations, Missouri “Show-Me” educational standards, objectives, outcomes, lesson plans, definitions, student-ready handouts, photographs, and links to numerous online and printed resources. The Folklore & Education section of the American Folklore Society awarded the Dorothy Howard Prize for the guide to MFAP and author Susan Eleuterio in 2011.
The Journal of Folklore and Education
The Journal of Folklore and Education (JEF) is a peer-reviewed, multimedia, open-access journal that publishes work representing ethnographic approaches that tap the knowledge and life experience of students, their families, community members, and educators in K-16, higher education, museum, and community education. As a digital publication, JFE provides a forum for interdisciplinary, multimedia approaches to community-based teaching, learning, and cultural stewardship.
Arkansas Arts in Education
The Arkansas Arts Council offers several resources:
The Arts Council also hosts a Facebook group on Arkansas Arts in Education. Go to the Arkansas Arts Council’s Facebook page to learn more and select the groups tab on the far left side of their Facebook profile.
Notable Resources
- The Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts Research Guide on the University of Arkansas Libraries site.
- The Folklore Advocacy Toolkit: A Mini Guide to Promoting and Sustaining Folklore Work in the United States – Developed by members of the Public Programs Section of the American Folklore Society with Susan Eleuterio and Meghan McGrath
- The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook – The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook is co-sponsored by the American Association for State and Local History and the National Council on Public History.
COVID-19 Resources
- COVID-19 Updates from Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts – A guide to AFTA’s programming and activities during the global pandemic.
- Documenting COVID-19 – Information about AFTA’s oral history project and how you can contribute.
- Sample Questions for COVID-19 Oral History Interviews
- Remote Oral History Interview Techniques and Advice
- CDC Guidelines for Protecting Yourself and Others
The American Folklore Society
The American Folklore Society has compiled useful resources for folklorists, researchers, teachers, students, and others interested in the field of folklore. Visit the American Folklore Society website to learn more and consider joining the society!
Public Folklore/Folk Art Related Programs in the Region
Region-wide
Arkansas
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Texas
For a complete list of public folklore programs in the United States, visit the American Folklore Society’s directory (external link opens in new window).
