Reading assignment: o “This is Why We Hunt: Social-Psychological Meanings of the Traditions and Rituals of Deer Camp.” Bronner, Simon. Western Folklore ; Winter 2004.
Objectives or learning outcomes: o Be able to describe folk and popular culture as conceived of in American Studies, and identify a few examples of each. o Consider the ways in which folk culture and popular culture are similar and dissimilar. o Understand the conception of “text” as a cultural practice/object that can be
“read” for deeper meanings.
Important Terms: o Popular Culture, Folk Culture, text
Examples to show: o Video: "Salamanders: A Night at the Phi Delt House" - a 12 minute streaming video about a fraternity ritual at the Pennsylvania State University o Video: " Buck Season at Bear Meadow Sunset " - a 16 minute streaming video featuring a hunting camp of northern Appalachia.
Materials: o (If in classroom) Computer, whiteboard or blackboard, urls, PowerPoint presentation
Format of class: o (If in classroom) Lecture, class discussion, optional group activity

Exercise or activity: o (If in classroom) Class participation/discussion: Have students list on paper what they think of when they hear folk and popular culture and then call up to write on the board. Focus on teasing out what elements define the idea of “folk culture” vs.
“popular culture” and see if we can come up with overarching categories that fall into one vs. the other. o Group activity: Have students break into groups and assign each a particular category of expressive culture and have them come up with examples that represent elite, popular, and folk cultures (i.e. one group is assigned clothing and another music/dance/food etc.). As a group, the class will decide to agree or disagree with the decisions and the group will have to defend their choices (like an informal group debate). The purpose is to help students define and describe these categories. o (If online) Participate in online discussion forum: Describe the layout of your home and yard. Give a description of how you have "personalized" it to express your individuality and the ways you have arranged it in response to social expectations (living room, family room, backyard, etc.).
Discussion questions: o From the lesson, what is the difference between folk and popular culture? o How might other disciplines define these concepts? How might they differ in their approach? o In the article "This Is Why We Hunt" given as an example of an ethnographic study discussing functions of folklore (what the lore does, in other words, socially and psychologically for those enacting the lore), what does the author argue are the functions of hunting camp lore for the men in the camp that they may not be aware of? o What is the function of the fraternity ritual depicted in Salamanders?
Step by step description of class:
(If in classroom)

1.
Introduce topic for the day
2.
Give important terms and definitions
3.
Have students come up with and define folk/popular/elite
4.
Give PowerPoint presentation
5.
Relate to discipline of American Studies and other academic circles
6.
Discuss readings and do learning assessment
Lecture outline:
1. What is culture and why is it important?
distinguish cultural forms is to organize them into categories of folk, popular, and elite
types of culture are interrelated, since all of us are familiar with folk, popular, and elite ideas as part of our mental makeup
High vs. Low culture (value judgments)
Folk culture:
(conservative, traditional, social)
earning that is “passed down,” typically socially shared within small groups, and is thought of as persistent through time, or traditional
passed down through imitation and demonstration in the region.
non-commercial, was basically all culture before the industrial revolution and formation of cities
represents a simpler form of life, often more conservative: discourages radical innovation (imagine easter eggs/gooses)
Popular culture:
learning that is mediated through commercial or mass distribution.
many people share over a broad expanse, and is current for a time
mainstream, commercial, normative, or mass
can be popular within a community or region and not be mass cultural
Elite Culture:

learning that is thought of as “formal” through academic or institutional training
tends to be more individualistic or representing an “esoteric” interest
Classics passed down and canonized by institutions, viewed as having stood the test of time (unlike popular culture, therefore must be fairly old)
Unlike folk culture, generally has a single artist/auteur
Often used as model for popular culture (Dickens->Harry Potter,
Shakespeare->10 things I hate about you) and takes elements from folk culture
not mass produced, or meant for mass consumption, aimed for social elite/high class/intellectuals
requires training to be appreciated, considered by many to be better than folk and popular culture
2.
What is the relationship between folk and popular culture?
theory: popular culture consistently DISPLACES folk culture, so that as societies modernize they lose their folk traditions
revised theory: that popular culture absorbs and adapts folk culture for the purposes of continuity
folklore is taken up by popular culture in various ways (Navajo blankets, Little Mermaid)
some scholars: popular culture follows a folk pattern by becoming variable
folklife thrives by absorbing popular culture (incorporating commercial jingles in handclapping rhymes or adapting txt speak as a folk language)
folklife is constantly being created anew rather than being a relic of the past
4. What is American Studies, and why study popular and folk cultures?
much of the world’s popular culture has been produced in the United
States as a culture industry

Interdisciplinary approach that looks at America as a whole
Identifies patterns, conditions, and themes that characterize and explain American culture(s)
Methods such as rhetorical criticism and ethnography that examine communicated symbols and images
Applications in museums, education, government, and business
Assessment: o Have students investigate a form of popular culture that they enjoy/consume and a form of folk culture that they have experienced. The investigation could be modeled as an ethnographic-style study or an analysis of media representations, and could take the form of a short written assignment, a presentation, or a “howto” guide. o (If online) 75 point learning assessment regarding the lecture, readings, and videos presented. Questions will include those from the “Discussion Questions” section above.