To Don - all my known forebears were born in England; yes, England is/was an old old blend of mostly European cultures, until about 50 years ago when the mass immigration you refer to began; and you may like to read my poem #76 LAND RIGHTS.
To Howard: that, very unlikely, hypothetical manuscript would have on it a composed folk song - NOT a traditional folk song. With Ewan MacColl, I think you are referring to the radio ballads, where he put together others stories into lyrics - these are composed folk songs.
NEW!: It is also possible that those who started the course wanted it to be an English folk degree, but were prevented by other powers-that-be: e.g., a lot in England still wish to keep the UK together, and expect English culture to suffer for this end.