The Programme PG Diploma in Folklore and Culture Studies primarily focuses on time, geography, space and literature of the folklore and culture of the world in general, and of India in particular. The Programme aims to find out the relation between folk culture and context through various frameworks borrowed from disciplines such as Literature, History, Sociology, Anthropology, Folklore Studies and emerging disciplines such as Culture Studies. This Programme is a result of the interdisciplinary approach to the paradigms of knowledge. The Programme focuses on themes such as oral literature, material culture, social customs, performing arts, the theories and methods of folklore employed so far such as historical-geographical, historical-re-constructional, ideological, functional, psychoanalytical, cross-cultural, structural and contextual — all of which demand an inter-disciplinary approach. The social relevance of the Programme may be categorized as:
- In a vast and diverse country like India, it is important that policy planners are sensitive to the impact of the developmental processes on the marginalized communities. This programme can contribute to that since it has two major concerns, first, to study the marginal society in their specificity, second, the impact of the contact with more complex societies on the marginal communities as tribes. This Programme seeks to address to that section of students who are not covered by formal education, mainly those students who seek to join the NGO circles or intend to pursue higher education in trans-disciplinary subjects such as Ethnography, Migration Studies, Marginal Studies, etc.
- It has the objective of appreciating culture and folklore in all their composite forms and of evaluating the social and political context in which culture manifests itself. It has the object of study and the location Iof political criticism by its focal points such as Marginal Studies, Tribal and Folklore Literature, Language Death and Preservation, etc.
- It has an obligation to an ethical appraisal of traditional as well as the modern society.
- Some of the important faculty in this Programme may be categorized as Critical Theory, Cultural Critic, Cultural Geography, Cultural History, Culture Theory, Ethnography, Feminism, Gender Studies, Museum Studies, Orientalism, Popular Culture Studies, Post-structuralism, Social Structuralism, Language Studies, History and Anthropology, etc.
Target Group
Any graduate who wants to enter tourism, archaeological development or management of museums, NGOs working for Tribal Rights, academic institutes offering programmes on Folklore and Culture Studies.
Teleconferencing
Teleconferencing is a one-way video and two-way audio facility. Teleconferencing will be held every month. During teleconferencing session, you will get an opportunity to interact by phone in facility or fax with the resource persons/experts who participate in teleconferencing session and clear your doubts immediately.
The teleconferencing facility will be available at the Regional Centre and Selected Study Centres. The teleconferencing schedule will be sent to the Programme In-charge and Regional Director who would inform the students. Teleconferencing is done through Gyan Darshan Channel. Students must regularly attend these sessions. These will help them clarify doubts and interact with other learners all over the country.
Radio Counselling
Radio counselling will be held through FM and students can ask questions free of cost with phone in facilities right from their homes. A toll free telephone number 110012345 has been provided for this purpose.
Telecast
The Programme will also be telecast through DD Metro channel and schedule will be infored to students in advance.
Audio-video Programme
Audio and video programmes for each course have been prepared to support learning for the students. These Audio-video programmes in the form of cassettes are available at all Programme Study Centres. These Audio and video cassettes will be provided for viewing and listening. They can also hire the cassettes for viewing and listening.
Attendance
Students will be required to complete seventy-five percent attendance in theory counselling to become eligible for appearing in Term-end Examination. Similarly, they will be required to complete ninety percent attendance in practical contact sessions to become eligible for appearing in practical examination.
Continuous Evaluation of Theory Component
Assignments
Assignment is a means of continuing assessment of theory and practical. Assignments will help you to recapitulate the theory and go back to the text again in case students are unable to answer a particular question. Thus assignments also help to reinforce learning in distance learning system of education. These assignments consist of a set of questions and activities that you will answer at your own place by referring your blocks.
The assignments will cover all types of questions (long answer type, short answer type, objective type, multiple choice questions and case studies).
The assignments will carry thirty percent weightage. Students will be required to obtain fifty percent marks as pass percentage in each assignment separately. Each assignment will carry 100 marks. In the final result assignments will carry thirty percent weightage.
Term-end Examination
As stated earlier, term-end examination is the major component of the evaluation system and if carries seventy percent weightage in the Final result. The University conducts term-end examination twice a year i.e., in June and December. They can take the examination only after completion of the course, failing which students can take the same in December or June of subsequent years years within the total span of the programme. In case any student fail to get a pass score in the Tern-end Examination, the person will be eligible to reappear at the next Term-end Examination for that course as and when if is held, within the total span of the Programme.