Professor of
Folklore and
Folkloristics in the Department of
Anthropology at the
University of California,
Berkeley (
Cal).
Authorand
editor of several volumes on the subject of folklore, including basic texts and specific case studies. Recent works include
Holy Writ as Oral Lit, an
examination into the
Bible as a written form of a once orally-transmitted
tradition, and
Life is Like a Chicken Coop Ladder, a study of the fascination with
feces and
excrement in the
German-speaking world. Also among his works are a number of volumes on
Xeroxlore, a relatively recent form of folklore that covers such gems as "Shit Happens in different religions."
Professor Dundes received his Ph.D. from Indiana University in the subject of folklore, one of the flagship institutions in the United States in this field of study. U.C. Berkeley has yet to offer a Ph.D. program, although it does offer a Master's Degree in the subject.
Anthropology C160, "Forms of Folklore," offered in the fall semester by Cal, is taught by Dundes, and is perhaps one of the most entertaining and informative classes a student can take; it has the ability to change one's worldview, and expand upon how folklore and folk belief are still enormous parts of being human. Lecturing is one of Dundes' greatest talents.