The alleged "weiredness" of classes andconcentrators, however, has hurt no one lookingfor post-graduation employment, according toMitchell.
There are opportunities for those concentratorswho want to stay in the field, says Rebecca M.Joseph, former state folklorist for Connecticut.But "you have to create opportunities foryourself."
Joseph, who has a degree in anthropology, saidthat state folklorist jobs have been establishedin almost every state by the universities, privateorganisations, or the National Endowment for theArts.
"There are very few jobs with the job title'Folklorist," she says.
But she and Mitchell both say the field isexpanding. Folklorist can often address issues"that are concerns of the public agencies orprivate sector firms" Joseph says.
Most students, however, defy the Folk and Mythreputation and go from the classes in witchcraftto law school, medical school, the entertainmentindustry, or even Wall Street, Mitchell says.
Despite this evidence of "normality," Folk andMyth is unlikely to be mistaken for the Governmentdepartment anytime soon.
"I have plans for the future," Kaplan says. "Ihave been doing research on the Berserker. This isthe next thing that has caught my interest."
In these rituals, a young warrior, dressed inan animal skin, ritually fights and kills ananimal or person dressed as an animal.
"It is something that really wants to be doneagain in an outdoor ritual," Kaplan says.