UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025: Download PDF Now!

Having a thorough understanding of the UGC NET Folk Literature syllabus 2025 is vital for comprehensive and in-depth preparation for the examination. The UGC NET Folk Literature syllabus serves as a roadmap, guiding candidates to familiarize themselves with all the topics in detail that they must study to attain the highest marks. Specifically, the UGC NET syllabus for Folk Literature Paper 2 is divided into 10 units, each comprising several sub-units that further delve into specific aspects of the subject matter. It is crucial to thoroughly read and comprehend all the topics and sub-topics mentioned in the UGC NET Folk Literature syllabus 2025 to ensure a well-rounded grasp of the subject. By diligently covering the entire UGC NET Folk Literature syllabus, candidates can enhance their knowledge and perform to the best of their abilities in the UGC NET Folk Literature examination. UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus For Paper II.

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UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus Highlights

Before knowing what all details the UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus holds, let us quickly go through the exam pattern and key points about the same below:

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Download the UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025 PDF for Paper II in English

Download the UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025 PDF for Paper II in Hindi

UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Below are the units of UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025:

• Folklore - Definition, Concept and Classification
• Historiography of Folkloristics
• Folk Literature
• Theories of Folklore – I - Diachronic Approaches`
• Theories of Folklore – II - Synchronic Approaches
• Folklife and Cultural Performances
• Public Folklore and Mass Media
• Folklore and Globalisation
• Indian Folk Cultural Practices
• Fieldwork, Documentation and Archival Practice

Unit 1: Folklore - Definition, Concept and Classification

• Who are the Folk? - Concepts of Folklife and Folkloristics - Ethnicity - Family types - Natal, Conjugal, Nuclear, Extended (Generational and Polyandrous) - Types of relationships in Family – direct, shared, sexual and descent - Functions of Family - Kinship Terminology: Types of Kinship, Role of Kinship - Social Categories and Social Organization in the creation, transmission and sustenance of Folklore / Folklife. 
• Conceptual shift from ‘Popular Antiquities’ to ‘Folklore’ - Genres and Functions of Folklore: Ethnic Genres and Analytical Categories - Classification of Folklore: Verbal, Nonverbal and Intermediary Genres - Genre Theory: Alan Dundes, Richard Dorson, Ben Amos, Richard Bauman, Roger Abrahams – Functions of Folklore: William Bascom, Louri Honko – Characteristics of Folklore.

Above are the topics of Unit 1 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 2: Historiography of Folkloristics

• Folk, from ‘Savage’ to ‘Imagined Group’ - Folklore as Data and Folklore as Study – Oracy Vs. Literacy – Classical Vs. Folk - Emergence of Folklore as an Academic Discipline - Folklore Studies in Abroad - Folklore Studies in India – Subaltern Studies – Tribal Studies – Diaspora Studies – Green Studies.

Above are the topics covered in Unit 2 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 3: Folk Literature 

• Definition and Epistemology of Folk Literature – Fields of Folk Literature: Myths, Epics, Legends, Folk Tales, Folk Songs, Proverbs, Riddles, Tongue Twisters, Speech Acts – Verbal Art in Performances (Theatre, Dance Drama, Medicinal Chants, Verbose in Play Genres, etc.) – Literary Devices - Ethnic Slurs, Rumor, Personal Narratives – Oral History.

Above are the topics in Unit 3 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 4: Theories of Folklore – I - Diachronic Approaches

• Evolutionary Theories - Concept of Evolution – Unilinear and Multilinear Approaches - E.B. Tylor, George Mudrock, Lewis Morgan, James Frazer - MythRitual Theory - Solar Mythology or Comparative Philology. 
• Devolutionary Theories - Concept of Devolution - Types of Devolutionary Theories - Marxists and Elitists. 
• Diffusion Theories (Monogenesis) - Concept of Diffusion - Indianist Theory or Benfy’s Migration Theory – Egyptians School and Finnish School or HistoricalGeographic Method. 
• Diffusion Theories (Polygenesis) - Psychic Unity - Convergence Vs. Parallelism Theories – Romantic Nationalism and its Manifestations.

Above are the topics covered in Unit 4 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 5: Theories of Folklore – II - Synchronic Approaches

• Structural Approaches – Basic concepts – Syntagmatic Structuralism – Concepts of Ferdinand de Saussure and Theory of Vladimir Propp –– Application of Proppian Model to Folklore – Paradigmatic Structuralism – Concepts of Roman Jacobson and Theory of Claude Levi-Strauss – Application of Straussian Model to Folklore. 
• Functional Approaches – Basic Concepts – Social Functionalists: Bronislaw Malinowski, Radcliffe-Brown, Emile Durkheim – Symbolic Functionalists: Clifford Geertz, Victor Turner. 
• Psychological Approaches - Psychoanalysis – Basic Concepts - Sigmund Freud – Freud’s Theoretical applications to Folklore – Analytical Psychology – Basic Concepts – Carl J. Jung – Jung’s Theoretical Applications to Folklore – Jacques Lacan’s Theory. 
• Contextual Approaches – Basic Concepts – Verbal Art as Performance – Linguistic and Communicative Models of Roman Jacobson – Oral Formulaic Theory or ParryLord Theory – Lauri Honko’s concept of ‘Multiforms’. 
• Poststructural and Postmodern Approaches - Meaning and Tenets of Poststructuralism, New Hermeneutics, Text, Textuality, Textual Analysis - Paul Ricoeur and Theories of Interpretation - Historical Milieu of the Theories - Concept and Theory of Deconstruction - Derrida, Lacan, Foucault - Gender Theories and Approaches - Gender and Genre - Feminism and Gender Perspectives – Queer Theory. 
• Semiotic Approaches - Semiotic Approach to Folk Culture Studies - Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles S. Pierce on Sign System and Culture - Perspectives on Discourse Analysis. 

Above are the topics in Unit 5 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 6: Folklife and Cultural Performances 

• Culture as Performance – Erving Goffman, Clifford Geertz, Milton Singer - Rites of Passage and Territorial Rites – Arnold van Gennep, Victor Turner - Performance Centered Approach - Roger D. Abrahams, Richard Bauman, Richard Schechner - Dell Hymes’s Ethnography of Speaking Approach - Analysis of Folk Narratives.

Above are the topics of Unit 6 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 7: Public Folklore and Mass Media

• Basic Concepts - Folklore, Folklorism, Folklorismus, Folklorization, Applied Folklore, Public Folklore and Second Life of Folklore - Folklore in Public Sphere – Folklore and Communication – Folklore and New Media. 

Above are the topics of Unit 7 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 8: Folklore and Globalisation

• Theories of Global Culture - Discourse on Modernity, Post-Modernity and Globalisation - Ideologues of Globalisation – Emergence of Populism. 
• Influence of Globalisation in Socio-cultural Life - Issues and Concepts of Identity - Glocal vs. Global, Homogeneity Vs. Heterogeneity and Hybridization - Changing Dimensions and domains of Folklore Genres and Folk Performances - Cultural Tourism – Neo-Folk Formations and Protest Movements – Challenges to Native Cultures – Bio-politics.

Above are the topics in Unit 8 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 9: Indian Folk Cultural Practices

• Genres of Folk Theatre – Narrative Enactments – Puppet Theatre – Dance Dramas - Musical Traditions and Life Style Patterns – Naming System and Onomastics – Occupational Folklore - Family Folklore - Folk Religious Practices – Pilgrimage and Ritual Practices – Fairs and Festivals – Folk Medicinal Practices – Folk Art and Craft – Folk Architecture – Folk Foodways and Culinary Practices – Folk Games – Dress and Clothing – Manners and Customs – Customary Law and Jurisprudence – Worldview - Regional Variations and Versions. 

Above are the topics covered in Unit 9 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Unit 10: Fieldwork, Documentation and Archival Practices

• Categorization of Fieldwork Operations: Pre-fieldwork, Fieldwork and Postfieldwork – Notions of ‘field’ and ‘data’- Thick and Thin Data - Methods and Techniques – Survey Method, Observation Method – Ethnographic Method - Postmodern Ethnographic Method – Dialogical and Discourse Methods - Focus Group Method - Documentation and Archival Practices – Preservation and Conservation of Tangible and Intangible Cultures – Fieldwork Ethics and Copyright Issues – Patent Rights.

Above are the topics in Unit 10 for UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus 2025

Also Read: UGC NET Paper 2 Syllabus

UGC NET Folk Literature Syllabus - Important Topics

Aspiring candidates preparing for the UGC NET examination in Folk Literature must be well-versed in a wide range of topics as per the UGC NET Folk Literature syllabus 2025. Below is a concise list of crucial topics that candidates should focus on during their preparation:

• Definition and Characteristics of Folk Literature
• Types of Folk Literature: Myths, Legends, Folktales, Ballads, etc.
• Oral Tradition and Transmission of Folk Narratives
• Role of Folk Literature in Preserving Cultural Heritage
• Folk Literature and Regional Identity
• Comparative Study of Folktales across Different Cultures
• Folk Rituals and Celebratory Narratives
• Archetypes and Symbols in Folk Narratives
• Supernatural Elements in Folk Literature
• The Evolution of Folk Literature in Modern Times

Also Read: UGC NET Important Topics

UGC NET Folk Literature Exam Pattern 2025

The UGC NET Folk Literature Paper-II examination is being conducted in the Computer Based Test mode since June 2019. In Paper II, questions will be asked in English or Hindi, as opted by the candidate in the application form. Only multiple-choice questions will be there in Paper II. You must be well aware of the UGC NET exam pattern for Folk Literature along with the UGC NET Folk Literature syllabus 2025 so that you can prepare in accordance with that.