IRFL20010 The Study of Folklore: Origins and Development

Academic Year 2020/2021

Students will need a laptop and Wifi connection to participate fully in this module, as the module will be delivered online.

This course will examine the history of folkloristics and the documentation of popular tradition and folklore in Ireland and abroad, with reference to the various movements and interests which have shaped their development. Particular attention will be paid to early collecting work in Ireland, and to the work of pioneers in the field. The evolution of collecting methodology in this country, and some of the more important approaches to the study of folklore, will be examined and traced from the late 18th century to the present. The course will make reference to the National Folklore Collection's unique archive holdings at UCD, and to the library in the UCD Delargy Centre for Irish Folklore with its comprehensive collection of 18th and 19th century writings and publications.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

1. Explain the historical development of folklore collecting and folkloristics in Ireland.
2. Assess the importance of individual collectors and writers in the field and review their contribution to the subject in the context of their own time-period.
3. Analyse and evaluate the principal sources for the study of Irish oral tradition and ethnology.
4. Indicate a familiarity with contemporary approaches to the subject, and with significant trends in current research.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

22
Tutorial

6
Specified Learning Activities

32
Autonomous Student Learning

40
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Teaching in the module is geared towards the promotion of a spirit of enquiry among students and towards encouraging them to develop a reflective approach to their studies. Teaching is carried out in lectures and, in the academic year 2020/21, will be primarily online. Assessment takes the form of two in-semester essays and an end-of-term assignment which, in in the academic year 2020/21, will probably take the form of a third essay. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
IRFL20080 - Myth and Legend


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: 1200-word essay. Week 6 n/a Graded No

25
Essay: 2000-word essay. Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

50
Essay: 1200-word essay. Week 11 n/a Graded No

25

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback in this module is centred around in-semester continuous assessment components, enabling students to draw on feedback provided for the earlier in-semester component to improve their performance in the later in-semester component.

Name Role
Dr Kelly Fitzgerald Lecturer / Co-Lecturer