Digital Commons Network^™

Healing Logics, Erika Brady

All USU Press Publications

Scholars in folklore and anthropology are more directly involved in various aspects of medicine—such as medical education, clinical pastoral care, and negotiation of transcultural issues—than ever before. Old models of investigation that artificially isolated "folk medicine," "complementary and alternative medicine," and "biomedicine" as mutually exclusive have proven too limited in exploring the real-life complexities of health belief systems as they observably exist and are applied by contemporary Americans. Recent research strongly suggests that individuals construct their health belief systmes from diverse sources of authority, including community and ethnic tradition, education, spiritual beliefs, personal experience, the influence of popular media, and …

Always The Same Old Story: How Urban Legends Develop And Spread In Modern America, Stephanie S. Gardner

Publications

This thesis is a study of the common themes shared by traditional folklore and modern American urban legends. The author consulted expert mythologists such as Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell and Marie-Louise von Franz to research the prevalent themes of fairy tales and fables. She identified archetypes and psychological motifs in stories from the past and present. They show that the themes of these stories explain human existence and are repeated in cultures around the world as a means of social control.

Transformations: A Folkloric Exploration Of The Musical Comedy Into The Woods By Stephen Sondheim And James Lapine, Cara Hoglund

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the use of folktales in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 1987 award-winning musical Into the Woods. In doing so, I hope to accomplish several directives. First, to enrich understanding of the musical for all audience members, especially those with a folklore or theater background. I feel that understanding the underlying goals and standards that Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine used in creating the musical will provide a much deeper understanding of the genius of their work. I also aim clearly elucidate the merger of folk narrative and popular musical theater form in …

Worldviews And The American West: The Life Of The Place Itself, Polly Stewart, Steve Siporin, C. W. Sullivan Iii, Suzi Jones

All USU Press Publications

A diverse group of writers and scholars follow the lead of noted folklorist Barre Toelken and consider, from the inside, the ways in which varied cultures in the American West understand and express their relations to the world around them. As Barre Toelken puts it in The Dynamics of Folklore, "'Worldview' refers to the manner in which a culture sees and expresses its relation to the world around it." In Worldviews and the American West, seventeen notable authors and scholars, employing diverse approaches and styles, apply Toelken's ideas about worldview to the American West. While the contributors represent a range …

Children's Folklore, Brian Sutton-Smith, Jay Mechling, Thomas W. Johnson, Felicia R. Mcmahon

All USU Press Publications

A collection of original essays by scholars from a variety of fields—including American studies, folklore, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and education—Children's Folklore: A Source Book moves beyond traditional social-science views of child development. It reveals the complexity and artistry of interactions among children, challenging stereotypes of simple childhood innocence and conventional explanations of development that privilege sober and sensible adult outcomes. Instead, the play and lore of children is shown to be often disruptive, wayward, and irrational. The contributors variably con-sider and demonstrate "contextual" and "textual" ways of studying the folklore of children. Avoiding a narrow definition of the subject, they …

Folktales - Witches, Lechuzas, 1999, 2002

Mark Glazer's Traditional Mexican American Folklore Collection

Folktales collected by anthropology students in 1999 and 2002. NOTE: Personally identifiable information has been redacted.

Francis Harper Papers, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

This collection consists of the professional and personal papers of Cornell-trained naturalist Dr. Francis Harper. Materials span 1904-1972 and include field notebooks, correspondence, photographs, and audiovisual materials documenting the plant and animal life as well as human ecology of the Okefenokee Swamp area of South Georgia. The photographs within Series 1 show the flora, fauna, and people of the Okefenokee swamp. The photographs were taken by the Harpers while on their trips to the swamp. Photographs are all in black and white and range in size. The Field Journals chronicle his travels in the okefenokee, Canada, and New England. Materials …

Ua3/9/6/1 Programs Of Distinction, Gary Ransdell, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Gary Ransdell interview regarding programs of distinction by unidentified reporter.

Following Tradition, Simon J. Bronner

All USU Press Publications

Following Tradition is an expansive examination of the history of tradition—"one of the most common as well as most contested terms in English language usage"—in Americans' thinking and discourse about culture. Tradition in use becomes problematic because of "its multiple meanings and its conceptual softness." As a term and a concept, it has been important in the development of all scholarly fields that study American culture. Folklore, history, American studies, anthropology, cultural studies, and others assign different value and meaning to tradition. It is a frequent point of reference in popular discourse concerning everything from politics to lifestyles to sports …

"She Protects Her Girls": The Legend Of Mary Hawkins At Pemberton Hall, Margaret Allen-Kline

Masters Theses

The tradition of the legend of Mary Hawkins provides an example of how urban legends develop and circulate in a community. The legend is a part of a larger tradition of story telling and of urban legends such as "The Roommate's Death" which follow the same format. The legend is believed to be true, and many believe an actual event is the basis for the story. It is perpetuated by word of mouth, and like a ripple in a still body of water, it reaches beyond the campus and into the mainstream of the local community by means of the …

Asbell, Adrienne (Fa 172), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 172. "The Preservation of Things Held Sacred: Cemeteries in the Mass Media", a paper written by Adrienne Asbell for a WKU folk studies class. Articles from various newspapers and periodicals referenced.

Allen, David Bruce (Fa 170), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 170. "April Fool's Day Within Print Media", a paper written by David Bruce Allen for a WKU folk studies class. Comic strips and articles from the "Park City Daily News", Bowling Green, Kentucky referenced.

Davis, Amanda Jean (Fa 178), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 178. "Folklore: The Color Concept", a paper written by Amanda Jean Davis for a WKU folk studies class. Newspaper articles referenced.

The Controversial Saints: Representations Of Cyril And Methodius In Modern Slavic History: Chronology And Theses, Petko Ivanov

Slavic Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Dark Ride, Brandon Kwaitek

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An intersection of vernacular architecture studies and American studies, "The Dark Ride" defines the standard amusement park attraction both generally within the contexts of horrific iconography and the history of amusement devices and structures, and also specifically within the contexts of five amusement park environments. As a "ride-thru Halloween," the dark ride maintains a popular tradition of deriding and mocking the symbols of hell and death. As a variety of theater, the dark ride shares its technological and structural origins with primitive cinema (whose own century-long development intertwines with that of the dark ride) and the scenic attractions of late …

Interview With Andy Wallace Regarding Sarah Gertrude Knott (Fa 459), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Andy Wallace conducted by Michael Ann Williams in 1995 about Sarah Gertrude Knott. Williams was a Folk Studies professor at Western Kentucky University. She used these interviews when writing her book: Staging Tradition: John Lair and Sarah Gertrude Knott (Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 2006).

Interview With Joe Wilson Regarding Sarah Gertrude Knott (Fa 459), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Joe Wilson conducted by Michael Ann Williams in 1995 about Sarah Gertrude Knott. Williams was a Folk Studies professor at Western Kentucky University. She used these interviews when writing her book: Staging Tradition: John Lair and Sarah Gertrude Knott (Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 2006).

The Ufo Contact Movement From The 1950'S To The Present, Christoper Bader

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

"Since the beginning of the UFO movement in the late 1940s, beliefs about what the aliens are like and the purpose of their visits to Earth have changed numerous times. The first claims of extended contact with alien beings in the early 1950s were entirely different in form and content from the current, frightening UFO abduction tales. This article will trace the UFO movement from its origin in 1947 to the present, explaining how its prevailing paradigms have changed."

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 44, No. 1, Charles L. Blockson, Roland C. Barksdale-Hall, Jerrilyn Mcgregory, Terry G. Jordan

Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine

• "A Missing Link": The History of African Americans in Pennsylvania
• The Twin City Elks Lodge: A Unifying Force in Farrell's African American Community
• The Greening of Philadelphia
• The "Saddlebag" House Type and Pennsylvania Extended

The Breadfruit Tree Story: Mythological Transformations In Palauan Politics, Karen L. Nero

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

The Lost Tribalism Of Years Gone By: Function & Variation In Gay Folklore In Armistead Maupin's Tales Of The City Novels, Jimmy Browning

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis intends to demonstrate that, because of the unusual circumstances of its writing - a semi-journalistic piece produced during a period of crisis in the real-life community fictionally depicted - Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series stands as an unusually accurate and reliable ethnographic source for information concerning the gay male subculture of San Francisco in the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, not only the practice and behavior themselves, but also reflecting their personal and communal function. The methodology employed in demonstrating this thesis is necessarily subjective. Like gay folklore scholar Joseph P. Goodwin in More Man Than …

Books Received And Book Notices, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Book Listing for the Vol 15, No 1 Edition of the Pacific Studies Journal

Changes In The Folk Performing Art In Egypt And The Impact Of The Mass Media, Adela Mahmoud Sami Esmat

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Jack Epperson: A Modern Folk Healer, Janet Tracy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study in folk medicine focuses on a modern magico-religious folk healer named Jack Epperson, who utilizes the principles of bioenergetics or placing hands on an ill person's body and directing healing energy into blocked channels to heal, in the context of the small Alaskan community in which he lives and practices. The thesis is divided into seven chapters preceded by an introduction and followed by a conclusion.

To fit Jack Epperson into the full spectrum of folk medicine, it is necessary to comprehend fully the two categories of folk medicine: herbal or natural medicine, and magico-religious healing or shamanism. …

Books Received And Book Notices, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Book Listing for the Vol 14, No 1 Edition of the Pacific Studies Journal

Vol. 11 No. 1 (1987): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

T. D. Webb's Review Of David Muir's Road To The Stamping Ground, T. D. Webb

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Pele’S Journey To Hawai‘I: An Analysis Of The Myths, H. Arlo Nimmo

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

The Dialectics Of Power In The Maori Creation Myth, Samuel K. Parker

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Pele, Ancient Goddess Of Contemporary Hawaii, H. Arlo Nimmo

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.