Oregon Folklife Network provides a range of opportunities to aspiring and early-career folklorists. Undergraduate and graduate students have options for unpaid, credit-bearing internships and practica, paid work study, and graduate employment. Recent graduates with folklore master's degrees can apply for one-term fellowships and contract fieldwork positions.
Please note: Due to COVID-19, OFN student offerings are subject to change based on guidance from the University of Oregon and the Oregon Health Authority. Get in touch to learn more.
INTERNSHIPS
FisherPoets fieldwork (1 credit, winter term)
Join the Oregon Folklife Network as we journey to coastal Astoria, Oregon, each February to document the FisherPoets Gathering, an annual celebration of fishing traditions featuring poetry, prose, song, and visual art. Through photographing performances, interviewing fisher poets, and developing newsletter content about the event, students deepen their documentation skills and gain valuable field experience in a folk arts setting.
Read about previous students' experiences.
Shadow a professional fieldworker, (1 credit, variable terms)
Learn how opportunities unfold in the field. OFN students accompany professional folklorists as they meet and interview folk and traditional artists as part of our statewide folklife survey. You can practice interview, photography, and audio recording skills while developing relationships with mentors who are among the finest folklorists in the profession.
Read about previous students' experiences.
PRACTICA
Earn professional experience and college credit without leaving the UO’s Eugene campus. With offices conveniently located in the Knight Library, undergraduate and graduate students alike help support OFN programs while learning 21st century workplace skills tailored to their learning goals. Contact us prior to registration to explore how you can build your resume in arts, culture, nonprofit management, museum studies, grant writing, project management, media production, activism, field research, public policy, and more.
GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT
OFN partners with University of Oregon departments like Folklore and Anthropology to place graduate students in employment opportunities in our office. Funding comes from academic units or colleges, so check with your graduate director or faculty advisor to see if you are eligible for a GE position at OFN.
PAID FELLOWSHIPS
OFN partners with the Folklore Program to nominate a recent graduate with an MA in Folklore for a one-term, paid position working at OFN. Selected nominees have worked with OFN during their graduate studies and are highly familiar with the organization. Graduates are only eligible for a fellowship for the single term directly following their term of graduation.
WORK STUDY
OFN offers work study opportunities to UO students of all majors and all levels. Positions are determined by OFN programming needs. Past examples include video editing, database management, and event coordination.
CONTRACT FIELDWORK
OFN offers contract positions to emerging, mid-career, and veteran folklorists. They are typically announced in fall or winter on UO-Folk and Publore listservs for spring contracts connected to our statewide folklife survey.