Another Definition of Folklore Studies

This is direct from the Elphinstone Institute course description:

Ethnology and Folklore are concerned with the question of how cultural identity is transmitted, maintained, and adapted. Ethnologists analyse the social, political, economic, and psychological forces that shape cultural life in its widest sense - from customs, oral tradition and beliefs to artefacts and food production. They investigate how the traditions of a community, region or country relate to contemporary issues of identity and community, and how these issues are represented in public and private life.

The Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen is the only research centre specialising in the vigorous vernacular culture of the North East and North of Scotland, and one of very few centres of excellence in the UK for the study of ethnology and folklore.

North East Scotland is known for its traditional singers and fiddlers, and for the Greig-Duncan folksong collection. It is the main European centre for offshore oil and gas activity. Consequently, it offers unmatched opportunities for examining how cultural identity is created, maintained and modified in the face of major demographic, social and economic change.

I will be taking the following courses:
History and Core Genres of Ethnology and Folklore
Oral Traditions
Intellectual Backgrounds and Methodologies
Scottish Contexts and Practical Fieldwork
Dissertation