Aislyne Olsen

Intro to Folklore

4/27/2019

An Honest Reflection

When signing up for this class, I remember choosing the class simply because it seemed

interesting. I didn’t take it to fulfill any general ed. classes or degree requirements, I simply took

it because I was intrigued. This class turned out to be one that allowed me to discover a different

field of thought that I never expected to exist, and to my surprise it became one of the most

notable things that allowed me to realize just how important folklore is in our society.

One of the most noteworthy takeaways in this class, for me, anyways, was learning what

exactly is lore, tradition, and celebration. Before this class, I would not look at verbal, material,

or customary lore and think about as that. I would’ve looked at celebrations and traditions as

happenings and not as lore or expression. Before this class I would expect things to either look

black or white, not knowing that there are nuances in-between that makes everything more

complex than it seems. I’ve evolved from the mindset of “This is how this group behaves” to

“This is an unfamiliar experience with this group’s lore, what can I learn from this?”

Essentially, because of this class I feel as if my focus relies more on how I encounter

folklore/folk groups and learn from their experiences when I would never do that before. I’ve

come to grow from the experience rather than see it and move on. That’s probably the most

notable thing that I’ve gotten from this class: a changed mindset on what folklore means to

others and myself. I’ve grown to learn that folklore is the interactions between humans rather

than just a series of stories, and that’s probably the best thing I’ve gotten from this class.
 Note, I just wanted to personally say thank you for the enjoyable semester! I enjoyed your

class and the information I learned from it more than words can explain. It was genuinely

interesting and has inspired me to keep looking for and experiencing folklore in my own life. I

truly appreciated having fun in your class, so once again- Thank you! Goodluck with your

classes to come and I hope you continue to find joy in your work.

~ Aislyne