AFSNews Careers Column October 1996

Careers

Although many of us began studying folklore in preparation for a career in college teaching, the unfortunate reality is that there are far fewer positions available as folklore professors than qualified candidates. Nevertheless, those who want to pursue teaching careers in higher education can improve their chances through preparation and persistence.

Anyone interested in such academic careers should read Folklore in the Academy: The Relevance of Folklore to Language and Literature Departments (Journal of Folklore Research 33:1 [January-April 1996]). This collection of essays grew out of a 1995 symposium by the same title organized at Indiana University by Beverly J. Stoeltje and Inta Gale Carpenter. The various authors reflect on their careers in language and literature departments and offer suggestions for candidates for similar positions.

A recurring theme in Folklore in the Academy is the need for folklorists to broaden their education, thereby being able to teach in a variety of programs and to bring an interdisciplinary approach to their research and teaching. William A. Wilson's "Building Bridges: Folklore in the Academy" and Richard Bauman's "Folklore as Transdisciplinary Dialogue" are but two of the articles addressing this issue. Adrienne Lanier Seward's "Folklore and Liberal Learning" and Margaret K. Brady's "Problematizing the Great Divide: Teaching Orality/Literacy" also underscore the value of folklorists' pursuing interdisciplinary research and teaching.

Wilson also offers valuable tips on preparing for an academic job interview and for dealing with office politics.

Sandra K. Dolby, in "Essential Contributions of a Folkloric Perspective to American Studies," continues the interdisciplinary theme. Patrick B. Mullen ("On Being a Folklorist in an English Department") and Mack E. Workman ("Folklore and Freedom") write about their experiences in English departments. And Jay Mechling, in "It Is with Great Pleasure That I Recommend . . . ," an essay in the form of a letter of recommendation, describes the many valuable skills and theoretical approaches that folklorists can bring to language and literature departments.

John Miles Foley's "Signs, Texts, and Oral Tradition" is a case study of "one means by which folklore studies and literary studies can move beyond a marriage of convenience to a shared partnership as studies in verbal art" (21). "A View from the Library," by Polly Grimshaw, documents the backgrounds of authors writing on folklore and literature. She also lists the types of employers of recent Ph.D. recipients from Indiana University's folklore program whose dissertations dealt with some aspect of folk literature.

Subscriptions to Journal of Folklore Research are $18 a year ($15 for students). Single issues are $6, including postage. To order or for more information, write Velma Carmichael, Indiana University Folklore Institute, 504 N. Fess Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405.

If you have suggestions for future columns, please contact me at Career Services, Lucina Hall, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306 (tel: 765/285-2430; fax: 765/285-3757; e-mail: 00jpgoodwin@bsuvc.bsu.edu).