Ruth Olson

Ruth Olson is Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, and teaches in the Department of Comparative Literature and Folklore Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Olson holds a PhD in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. She has frequently instructed teachers and other adult learners about folklore studies and documentation methods. Olson is one of the founders of Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture (WTLC), a network of educators interested in integrating local culture into existing curricula. Recent publications include articles in Western Folklore, the 2011 book Through the Schoolhouse Door: Folklore, Community, Curriculum, Wisconsin People & Ideas, Wisconsin Academy Review, The Encyclopedia of Women's Folklore and Folklife, The Encyclopedia of the Midwest, Midwestern Folklore, and The Journal of Museum Education. With Mark Wagler and Anne Pryor, she co-authored A Kid's Field Guide to Local Culture.