Supporting folklore

To the Editor:

On behalf of graduate students in Folklore & Folklife, we write to thank Amara Rockar for her column ("A dying myth," DP, 3/25/05), about Penn's decision to end its graduate folklore studies.

Rockar rightly points out the direct correlation between folklore and President Gutmann's Penn Compact, as well as Dean Nagel's unfortunate dismissal of both our discipline and its work. Perhaps Dean Nagel doesn't consider UC Berkeley or Harvard "great universities," though each of these institutions -- among others -- supports a folklore program, understanding the essential role that trained folklorists play in a liberal education, as well as a culturally diverse world.

President Gutmann has stated the time is "ripe for Penn to achieve a truly successful partnership between the arts and sciences and the professions." Apparently unbeknownst to College Hall, folklore graduates have for years married their liberal arts educations and professional practice, in ways Penn now imagines as revolutionary, through applied sch-olarship in the academy, museums and international nongovernmental organizations. Penn should hold in high esteem the contributions of its folklore graduates.

Rockar importantly mentions our current work through the Center for Folklore and Ethnography but easily could have cited innumerable examples of Penn folklorists who contribute their Ivy League educations to the public interest.

For instance, David Hufford (Ph.D. 1974) created a curriculum at the Penn State College of Medicine that infuses medical practice with attention to patients' cultures and beliefs. By bridging the gap between folklore and science, Dr. Hufford has transformed the medical profession's dialogue on "unconventional" healing practices.

Susan Stewart (Ph.D. 1978), Penn's Regan Professor of English and winner of the MacArthur Fellowship, exemplifies the value of a folklore education through her award-winning scholarship and groundbreaking work bringing poetry to GED students.

Dr. Nick Spitzer (B.A. 1972), well known for American Routes on NPR, was part of a generation of folklorists whose ethnographies of folk music helped bolster the audience for venues like World Cafe Live and supported many "unknown" artists.

And Peggy Bulger (Ph.D. 1992) of the Library of Congress is a delegate to the World Intellectual Property Organization, where she fights for the protection of diverse cultural properties like traditional medicine and folk arts.

Folklore & Folklife has contributed countless leaders to the world and the discipline -- a tradition that should not end with us. With a relatively small investment, Penn could continue to recognize the value of folklorists to its mission, students and community.

Rosina Miller and

Michael Murray

The authors are doctoral students in Folklore & Folklife

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