[Bilimsel Haber] Collaborative Grad Student Publication on Urban Legend Motifs, Themes, and Genres

[Sule Tarakcioglu]

*Collaborative Grad Student Publication on Urban Legend Motifs, Themes,
and Genres*
*Call for Papers Date:* 	2006-02-19

	

	

By some accounts, motif indexes are archaic in their practicality as a
research tool by folklorists. For others, volumes like Thompson &
Aarne?s collaboration still remain an important piece of their
scholarship. In a world where the Internet is dominate and speed counts,
a digitized, searchable database of information is the perhaps the most
sought after research commodity. As such, this call for contributions
will seek to answer the need for a digital, searchable, and efficient
research tool in the discipline of folklore. Simultaneously, this call
will provide graduate students a valuable opportunity to become
published in both electronic and print formats, but more importantly
facilitate cooperation and interaction among the upcoming generation of
folklorists and other humanities scholars from various programs.

The idea: to create a collaborative publication with a supplemental and
complementary electronic database to aid researchers studying urban
legends. Graduate students are asked to select a genre, motif, theme, or
actual legend itself, and then write an encyclopedia-style entry. The
list of available topics (distributed via email upon receipt of student
interest) is a work-in-progress and as this project is geared toward
facilitating ideas from grad students everywhere, there are no
limitations to what can be covered. Topics not listed on the provided
list are welcome for submission so long as the topics are approved as
relevant to the project by the editor(s). Collections such as Brunvand?s
Encyclopedia of Urban Legends report legends and their variations, and
the ever-popular Snopes.com routinely debunks circulating urban legends.
This project, however, will be focused primarily on analysis of the
genre, though entries on actual legends are welcome as well. Preferably,
submissions will focus upon a particular topic while providing examples
of relevant material. For example, an entry on the portrayal of
disability in urban legends may cite ?The Hook? or ?The Blind Man? legends.

It is important to note that the end result of this project is not
clearly defined. The outcome, be it a website, CD-ROM, book, or special
issue of a journal, will depend largely on the quality, quantity, and
relevance of the submissions, as well as the valued opinions and
suggestions shared amongst contributors in deciding the evolution of the
project.

Interested graduate students should contact Trevor Blank, at
tjblank at indiana.edu to express their interest in submitting/ getting
involved. While I am currently heading the editing effort, I welcome
volunteers to step up to help steer the course of the project. Feedback
is always welcome from faculty, students, and fans alike.

	Trevor J. Blank
President, Folklore Student Association
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47408

Please contact via email for additional submission information.
Email: tjblank at indiana.edu <mailto:tjblank at indiana.edu>