"Within this very small department, we have avery diverse group of people," says Deborah D.Foster, lecturer in Folklore and Mythology.

Concentrators are required to take only sixsemesters of Folk and Myth courses, includingthree tutorials. Their other courserequirements--which total 14 semesters--arelargely determined by their "special fields,"which each student creates for him or herself.

Most of these classes are offered in otherareas of the Faculty, since students can draw frinalmost any other department at Harvard.

"It has kind of tentacles everywhere," saysProfessor of Music Kay K. Shelemay, anethnomusicologist. "Folklorists are likechameleons," because they can fit in anywhere andconstruct their own opportunities.

The intellectual justification for such abroadly-based concentration is the "naturalaffinity" between its topics, says Patrick K.Ford, Robinson Professor of Celtic Languages andLiteratures and a member of the Committee onFolklore and Mythology.

Mitchell says Folk and Myth really supplies anapproach which students then apply to theirindividual interests.

Folk and Myth also offers a "midpoint" betweenthe social sciences and humanities, Mitchell says.Students can focus more on anthropology or onliterature, or anything in between the two.

Students and faculty members praise thestructure of Folklore and Mythology, which is acommittee, not a department, for allowing studentssuch a broad sampling of courses.

But the structure has disadvantages as well,Mitchell says.

Mitchell, Foster and Professor of English andFolklore Joseph C. Harris--on leave thissemester--are the only faculty members appointedin Folklore and Mythology.

The other six members of the committee are notappointed professors of Folklore and Mythology.

And Mitchell and Harris must divide their timewith other departments.

Mitchell said that "a marginal increase in[their] teaching allotment" would be a one way tostrengthen the committee.

According to Mitchell, it would be difficultfor the committee to accommodate any more studentsthan they currently do without the addition offaculty members.

The committee has no power to appoint newfaculty members, even in fields where they areneeded.