Students enrolled in any Ph.D. program in the humanities or social sciences at Berkeley are eligible to apply to the Designated Emphasis in Folklore, which provides a solid foundation in the field. Upon successful completion of the dissertation, the student's diploma and transcript will include the designation "Ph.D. in [major] with a Designated Emphasis in Folklore." To be admitted to the program, applicants must already be accepted into an existing Ph.D. progrm at Berkeley. (Master's students and students at other institutions are not eligible.) Graduate students are strongly urged to apply by their third semester, but applications will be considered at any time prior to completing the qualifying examinations.
Curricular Requirements
Folklore 262A-262B, Theories of Traditionality and Modernity, is required. If students have not already taken a course providing an overview of the field, they are required to take Anthropology 160AC, The Forms of Folklore. As an alternative, depending on the student’s background, the student may take a related Anthropology 289 or other graduate-directed readings course, with readings and exercises appropriate to graduate-level study. It is strongly recommended that students take at least one course in their home department that focuses on research techniques. Although the Designated Emphasis has no other formal course requirements, students are encouraged to take advantage of the areas in which Berkeley is particularly strong: these critical theories of traditionalities and modernities; ethnomusicology and sound studies; medicine, science, healing, and the body; folk art and materiality; festival and religion; media and new media; gender and sexuality; race and coloniality; narrative and discourse analysis, and multi-species research. Students may also propose courses of study in other areas. No elective courses are required.
Examination and Dissertation Requirements
The student’s qualifying examination committee and dissertation committee must have one member (either inside or outside) of the DE’s designated faculty to represent the DE in Folklore. Both the material covered in the qualifying examination and the dissertation should include scholarship related to folkloristics. On the “Application to the Qualifying Examination,” the student must indicate which member of his or her QE committee is also a member of the DE faculty and is representing Folklore; the application must be signed by both the head faculty graduate advisor of the student’s home department and the faculty graduate advisor for the DE in Folklore. On the “Advancement to Candidacy” petition, the student must also indicate which member of the dissertation committee is a member of the DE faculty and is representing Folklore. This form must be signed by both the head faculty graduate advisor of the student’s major and the faculty graduate advisor for the DE in Folklore.
Advising
Primary advising for DE students rests with the PhD advisor in the home department. Students should consult with the Folklore Chair or Faculty Graduate Advisor to ensure that all requirements for the DE are fulfilled.