Though historically one of the strongest departments in the world, it was eliminated in 2004. It is still possible to get a graduate certificate. There are two faculty from the department who are active on in the School of Arts and Sciences. One is in the History Department and the other is in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.
Research is conducted in the entire array of the folklore discipline. Current faculty have published in all its aspects including oral literature, festival behavior and material culture. Likewise, the places in which field work has taken place are diverse. It must be remembered that folklore is conceptually regarded as aesthetic expression and therefore has broad interdisciplinary concerns.
Since folklore has appeared as a separate academic department in the United States only since World War II, library collections almost always need evaluation.