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Italian American Folklore

Before class preparation/set up

In one dedicated lesson, the digital resource project will be explained.  Students will be sent the link by email, and during the lesson they will be asked to work with the digital resource in groups; the purpose of this in-class activity is to familiarize them with the resource and to demystify the project (hopefully, they will individually generate good ideas about the project so that they can built upon the lesson in their projects). 

Assignment

The assignment is for a 5-7 page paper in which they identify and describe a piece of folklore which is represented in the Italian Americans in the West digital archive.  They need to describe the material: where it is, when, who does (did) it, its significance to the participants.  If possible, they will need to identify any correlated folklore in Italy, and describe its importation to the United States.  Additionally, they need to attribute the folklorist who collected it in the field.  Up to three photographs can be attached to the paper.  

Assessment

The paper will be graded with a rubric that will include the following categories: clarity of expression; appropriate citation; accurate description of the folklore; significance of the folklore to the participants; and additional information (such as photographs, if appropriate).  

Additional Information

There is a second digital resource that is also appropriate for the collection assignment, the Alan Lomax Collection of Michigan and Wisconsin Recordings. 

The ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax recorded a number of songs from Italian-American immigrants.  Additionally, with Diego Carpitella, he recorded folksongs in Italy in 1954-55. 

The following songs, as well as attached materials, would be appropriate for the collection assignment described above: 

Performer: Victor Marinetti 

However, since these songs are in Italian, they would only be appropriate for those students familiar with the Italian language (i.e., Majors or Minors).  Nevertheless, this second digital resource will be provided as an alternative for those students who wish to use it.