Instructor: Richard LeCouteur, Department of Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine
Description: UNESCO has a convention that recognizes the importance and value of folklore as a means of understanding culture and heritage. It classifies languages, music, rituals, performing arts, craftsmanship and folklore as 'Intangible Heritage.’ Australian folklore is based on the traditional beliefs, legends and customs of a group, handed down through generations. Folklore tells the stories and experiences of people in ways that factual accounts cannot - conveying emotions, hopes and fears though time and place. Some are literally true and some are not. Australian folklore, its traditions, customs and beliefs are based on both Indigenous and also non-Indigenous people's knowledge and experience of history in Australia. The Indigenous Australians' knowledge base goes back tens of thousands of years. Indigenous knowledge, law, and religion, that provide the basis of their folklore, are rich in stories of the land, its animals and plants. Australian folklore since European settlement has established a folk identity of Australians as resilient people who laugh in the face of adversity, face up to great difficulties, and deliberately go against authority and the establishment. The bush and the outback are also identified as characteristic of Australian life along with bushrangers, shearers and drovers. The goal of this seminar series is to provide students with an overview of the rich and diverse nature of Australian fauna, flora, folklore and culture, with emphasis on the Australian bush, Aboriginal heritage, Australian slang, Australian pioneers, and other related topics. In summary, this course encompasses “(almost) everything you wanted to know about Australian folklore but were afraid to ask.”
Format: The group will meet for one hour each week. Field trips are not planned. Students will be expected to actively participate in classroom discussions, to research topics in advance of class (estimated time one hour per week), and to produce a final report (8-10 pages) on a topic selected by the student (with the instructor’s approval). Grading: A letter grade will be earned based on class participation and attendance (50%) and completion of oral or written assignments (50%).
About the Instructor: Professor LeCouteur is Australian by birth. He is a member of the faculty in the School of Veterinary Medicine. He is a neurologist and neurosurgeon of cats, dogs and horses. His research interest is the development of novel therapies for brain tumors in people. Dr. LeCouteur teaches several courses in the veterinary curriculum and is a passionate and enthusiastic educator.