Guide to the San José State University English Department Folklore Collection
Silke Higgins
SJSU Library Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
Phone: (408) 808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives
© 2009
Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Guide to the San José State University English Department Folklore Collection
Collection number: MSS-2009-08-06
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
Phone: (408) 808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives
Finding aid funded by the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
- Processed by:
- Silke Higgins
- Date Completed:
- 2009
- Encoded by:
- Mary Ellen Petrich
© 2009 Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: San José State University English Department Folklore Collection
Dates: 1978
Collection number: MSS-2009-08-06
Creator:
San José State University. English Dept.
Collection Size:
2 boxes
(2.5 linear feet)
Repository:
San José State University. Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The San José State University English Department Folklore Collection (1978) is comprised of written accounts of folklore from
83 countries, produced by San José State University students as a fieldwork project for the 3 unit course English 82,
Introduction to Folklore. The focus of the course centered on a survey of the major genres of folklore (folktale, folksong, proverb, and riddle) with
additional attention given to custom, superstition, magic, folk medicine, folk art, and folk architecture. Special emphasis
was placed upon relationships among folklore, culture, and living conditions of the past and present. The instructor, Dr.
Arthur Regan, envisioned the class project to be turned into a resource for researchers interested in folklore and mythology.
The collection is arranged into one series: Series I. Folklore (1978).
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections &
Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to
the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections
& Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital
reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
San José State University English Department Folklore Collection, MSS-2009-08-06, San José State University Library Special
Collections & Archives.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Silke Higgins. Finding aid EAD encoded by Mary Ellen Petrich. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.
Project Information
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
Organizational History
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
Bibliography
Gilbert, Benjamin F., and Burdick, Charles.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. San José, California: San José State University, 1980.
Walsh, James P.
San José State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San José, California: San José State University, 2003.
Scope and Content of Collection
The San José State University English Department Folklore Collection (1978) is comprised of written accounts of folklore from
83 countries, produced by San José State University students as a fieldwork project for the 3 unit course English 82,
Introduction to Folklore. The focus of the course centered on a survey of the major genres of folklore (folktale, folksong, proverb, and riddle) with
additional attention given to custom, superstition, magic, folk medicine, folk art, and folk architecture. Special emphasis
was placed upon relationships among folklore, culture, and living conditions of the past and present. The instructor, Dr.
Arthur Regan, envisioned the class project to be turned into a resource for researchers interested in folklore and mythology.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into one series: Series I. Folklore (1978).
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
San José State University. English Dept. -- History.
San José State University -- History.
Education, Higher -- California -- San José.
Folklore.
Manners and customs.
Mythology.
Series I:
Folklore
(1978)
Physical Description: 2 boxes
Series Scope and Content Summary
Researchers interested in international folklore, mythology, and superstition will find this collection very useful, as it
consists of the accounts of persons who remember, were taught, and/or learned folktales and customs spanning many countries
and centuries. The individual accounts include descriptions about the collector as well as notes on the informant, making
each reading a personal experience.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by country, and then alphabetically by genre within each country. Genres include anecdote;
custom; family narrative; folk belief; folktale; food; holidays; immigration; joke; legend; memorate; myth; proverb; poetry;
superstition; and tradition.
Box 1
Folklore: Africa - Thailand
(1978)
Folder 1
Introduction to Folklore Collection
Box 2
Folklore: Thailand - Yugoslavia
(1978)
