Folklore and Public Culture

Through fellowships, the Oregon Humanities Center at the University of Oregon works to promote innovative humanities research produced by faculty members at the UO. The fellowships are for tenure-track faculty and are awarded on an annual basis. The 2025-26 fellows include CAS faculty members in the Divisions of Humanities and Social Sciences.

FOLKLORE AND PUBLIC CULTURE - Nearly 50 years after his death, Steve Prefontaine still motivates Eugene and University of Oregon runners to honor him. Professor Daniel Wojcik remembers running with the iconic runner in the May-June issue of CAS Connection.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, FOLKLORE AND PUBLIC CULTURE - After a recent week in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, five UO graduate students have returned ready to use what they learned to help local communities plan for a more sustainable future.

FOLKLORE AND PUBLIC CULTURE - Graduating students offer parting words and reflect on their time at the University of Oregon.

FOLKLORE & PUBLIC CULTURE - Iryna Stavynska, a Fulbright scholar from Ukraine, is bringing some of the art and culture of her country to the UO as she makes one last stop on an educational journey that will soon take her back to her war-torn homeland.

FOLKLORE - When folklorist Michael Atwood Mason walks into work each day, he’s greeted by the legendary Emancipation Proclamation room, where President Lincoln wrote his famous 1863 presidential speech. As CEO and executive director of the Lincoln Cottage, Mason plays a pivotal role in the operations of the National Trust for Historic Preservation site.

ENGLISH - Visitors to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History will be able to explore unicorn horns, witch bottles and more at the “Magic in Medieval Europe” exhibit, on view beginning Saturday, Oct 23. Curated by Martha Bayless, professor of English and director of the Folklore and Public Culture Program at the UO, the exhibit offers an enchanted journey through the Middle Ages.

FOLKLORE - The UO campus, which is dotted with buildings built in the 19th century, has its fair share of ghost stories. While some of them are far-fetched, others have developed lives of their own among students and faculty members.