nevermind...there's an art fest thing going on i will go check that out. i just thought it'd be interesting to do something in aviation.

PearlPilot you've quite a challenge because modern societies are fast moving in general and folklore is not something they tend to foster or promote. The forming of folklore is associated with primitive societies more than modern ones because in simple society it serves as a way to educate, entertain, and regulate. We're talking about simple agrarian societies. Folklore makes an otherwise routine thing more exciting. In simple societies there is no media pushing OJ or parade of new products. Excitement is a scarce commodity, and one generation tends to lead the same life as the next one.

Human beings have universal needs that folklore serves, so stick with that theme. Even in modern society values, events, and relationships need to be secured. Aviation is a fast-changing topic that experiences a rapid pace of change that tends to minimize cultural traditions. But if you look hard enough you will find traditions like those folklore addresses.

I would suggest looking at the beginnings of folkloric traditions in the aviation mileau rather than looking for mature traditions because there aren't very many. You could draw connections between challenges experienced within the aviation community and the emergence of behavioral patterns, stories, or music in that society. You are going to have to do some thinking because there is not a long history or high degree of folkloric tradition connected to aviation.

How about how explaining the system of "ace" kill status that developed during the world wars in military aviation, and how the system contributes to a verbally passed system of values among aviators and the general public.

Explain how the emergence of modern aviation contributed to the advent of science fiction as a popular genre and what themes it contains.

Explain how the collective public ego is based on aviation-derived ideals and abilities.

Whatever your thesis, assignments like this one illustrate that a liberal arts education encourages thinking about the world while trying to remain objective and make use of accepted/enlightened theories. Courses like this make one look at the world in a fresh way that is revealing and ultimately liberating if you take it seriously. Let me know what your thesis is if you pursue it. People spend thier whole lives studying folklore, I have known one or two. It seems like an abstract topic but truth is ultimately never abstract.