Anthropology of Folklore & Urban Legends
Folklore and urban legends aim to teach us cultural lessons about what we should and shouldn't do -- from Little Red Riding Hood to Bloody Mary, the history of these stories offers insight into what makes us truly human.
Susan Lanigan
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(243)
What's included
8 live meetings
6 in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Students will have the option of a research project and/or presentation on an urban legend of their choosing. Information about the project will be given in week 4.Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 9
As long as humans have been living in groups, gathering around the campfire after dark to stay safe and warm, there has been folklore. Originating as warning stories or as a method to teach important moral lessons, they have evolved throughout the millennia into a form of spooky entertainment: urban legends. This class will explore both historical folklore and modern urban legends, attempting to discover the origins of these fun and sometimes creepy stories, including what they try to teach us about the world and each other. Each week we will discuss "types" of folktales or legends from different regions around the world, and in our final class, students will have an opportunity to present their research on an urban legend of their choosing. Information about the project will be given in week 4. The format of the class will be as follows: Week 1: Urban Legends & the Tales we Tell Week 2: Bloodsucking Creatures & Bipedal Apes Week 3: Human/Mystery Hybrids Week 4: Cursed Humans & Corrupted Hearts Week 5: Faceless Strangers & Women in White Week 6: Cursed Objects Week 7: Dolls Week 8: Student Presentations and Review The class will seek to approach these stories with open and curious minds, to consider and debate the meaning behind the stories we tell throughout the world, and how they unite us as a global community. After all, no matter where or when you're from... we're all afraid of the unknown! The class is listed as 45 minutes, but may run up to a full hour depending on discussion.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
The subject matter of the class can often be spooky, and contain some horror-type elements including violence, abduction, etc. Topics that can be touched on or brought up by students include ghosts, aliens, serial killers, spirits/demons, and other possibly sensitive material. None of these elements will deal with any type of sexual content.
The intent of the class is not to highlight the frightening elements of these stories, but to look beyond them. However, if your learner is prone to dwell on these themes in a way that causes them any type of lingering distress (such as nightmares), they should not enroll.
If you have questions about the content and how it might affect your learner prior to enrolling, please don't hesitate to contact me!
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined May, 2016
4.8
243reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I earned my BA in Cultural Anthropology from Tulane University in 2012, and became fascinated with the stories that people tell, and why they tell them. My undergraduate honour's thesis focused on mythology and how it relates to funerary/mortuary practices, but in my research, I discovered many other types of stories, and the value and importance they have in understanding cultures.
Urban legends are a personal favourite of mine as far as "types" of stories go, because many of them have striking similarities even if they are from cultures that have no contact with each other. If we find stories of the same kind all over the world, throughout history, it always makes me wonder if somewhere, at the heart of these tales, there is an element of truth. That mystery is my favourite part of life!Reviews
Live Group Course
$140
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
45 min
Completed by 94 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-16
2-14 learners per class
