Department of English

Folk art pays testimony to the persistence and pervasiveness of human 
creativity and aesthetic motivation.  While it has been defined in numerous 
ways, and often marginalized, it is central to human expression.  Through 
reading, discussion, visits with folk artists on-site and in class, and 
multimedia formats, this course will survey the various definitions of folk 
art,examine issues such as artistic canons, contexts of production and 
interpretation, economics, connoisseurship, virtuosity, appropriation, and 
politics, and explore the rich panoply of material folk art.