Have you heard the story about the choking Doberman? You know, the one where the Doberman bit off the fingers of a man who had broken into the home—but the police didn’t know about the crime until the dog coughed up the fingers at the vet? This is an urban legend, and if you haven’t heard this particular story, you’ve certainly heard others like it. Is it true? Maybe, maybe not. The veracity is less important than what these stories tell us about ourselves, our emotions, and the world as we see it.
In the 12 fascinating lectures of Urban Legends Explained, you’ll hear all types of stories that are being circulated right now, right where you live. Your professors, Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman, will share some of the wildest stories circulating now, maybe the wildest you’ve ever heard, and explain why we continue to tell them.
Urban legends are contemporary legends. They can be set in a downtown skyscraper, a suburban school, or on a deserted country road—anywhere really. But they are always:
- Current. These stories take place now or in the very recent past. If your neighbor down the street didn’t report the story, your grandmother might have. They are part of the folklore of daily life—scary, silly, and sometimes dangerous.
- Told as truth. Not everyone believes every urban legend they hear. But the people propagating the stories tell them as if they’re either true or could be true. It’s commonly assumed there’s a reliable witness just a few people back, i.e. a “friend of a friend” or FOAF.
- Human. Urban legends involve normal human beings having extraordinary encounters and experiences. They depict realistic events or alleged events with an eventual ironic, bizarre, or supernatural twist.
Humans are storytellers by nature. Urban legends, like all other legends, work to help create and maintain invaluable social connections.
