456 The Traditional Ballad in America
Literature/Film Studies | This program is completed
This four-session class will investigate the various traditional ballads found in America. These include the Child Ballads (named for Francis Child and have nothing to do with children), American Balladry from British Broadsides, and Native American Ballads, whose compositions are native to America and have nothing to do with actual Native Americans. The format will be lecture, Q&A, and listening to a selection of the ballads.
Michael Lofaro
Michael A. Lofaro is emeritus professor of American Literature and American and cultural studies at the University of Tennessee. A specialist in regionalism and southern literature and culture, in the frontier, and the frontier hero in American life, with allied interests in the literature of the discovery and exploration of the Americas, and in Euro-American and American cultural studies and folklore. He’s authored or edited 24 books, an online database, and over 75 articles. Lofaro has received over 60 fellowships, grants and awards. He has served as a senior Fulbright lecturer at the University of Vienna, as a consultant for National Geographic, a lecturer for the Smithsonian, and has been featured and interviewed on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”, The History Channel, A&E, and NBC’s The Today Show.