The interdisciplinary Folklore Program offers perspectives on ethnic, regional, occupational, age, gender, and other traditional identities of individuals in specific societies and cultures. Students in the program study the extent to which tradition continues to enrich and express the dynamics of human behavior throughout the world. Theoretical analysis, research methods, and fieldwork techniques, with emphasis on film and video documentation and presentation, are integral parts of the program offerings in folklore. Among its many approaches to the study of folklore, a major strength of the University of Oregon Folklore Program is its emphasis on the use of film and video. Students who want to use film and video in their study of folklore receive the theoretical and practical training necessary to document and present folklore visually.
Tutorial training is available in equipment use, fieldwork methodologies, and editing.
Although the program encourages shooting in the field, the School of Journalism and Communication and the off-campus Community Cable Access Center offer studio training. The Randall V. Mills Archive of Northwest Folklore, the largest facility of its kind in the Northwest, is a research repository available to folklore scholars and students. It houses raw field data, student and faculty research projects, and audio and visual materials including audiotapes, videotapes, and more than 7,000 slides. Located in 453 Prince Lucien Campbell Hall, the archive is open to the public. A primary goal of the program is to encourage students to become more aware of the culture-based dimensions and applications of their particular major fields.