What Folklorists Do: Professional Possibilities in Folklore Studies

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.

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

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.

Review :
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 (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) What Folklorists Do identifies an important and pressing conversation that will undoubtedly engage scores of researchers from academic, public, and government sectors. It is a crucial topic that will necessitate reimagining as we find ourselves in new phases of post-pandemic life and work. - Vyta Pivo, University of Michigan (Journal of American Folklore)