Advanced Oral and Community History History 400 (03) & 579
Dr. Jon Hunner jhunner@nmsu.edu 646-2490 Breland 242
Fall 2001 T/Th 11:45-1 Office hours: Thursday 10-11 & by appt.
Course Description
This is a course on the methods and practice of oral history. It will introduce you to oral history by considering the principles of oral history research and interview techniques and the use of oral testimony in creating community histories. This course will first explore the theory and methodology of oral history, and then prepare you for designing, researching, and conducting an oral history interview. During the semester, you will conduct and transcribe an interview of a person. Thus, both the theoretical foundation and the practical skills of oral history will be examined through lectures, readings, class discussions, and field work.
Course Schedule
Week Topic
8/20 Introduction to oral history. Oral history in modern historiography. Explanation of syllabus and semester project.
8/27 Oral history theory. Readings: OHR, 1-62; Ritchie, 1-21.
9/3 Oral history methodology. Readings: Frisch, 1-80; OHR, 63-100. Due: written proposal for your semester project.
9/10 Researching your interviewee.
9/17 Designing an oral history project. Readings: Ritchie, 23-56.
9/24 Mechanics of the interview-- recording machines and release forms. Interview techniques, part 1. Readings: Ritchie, 57-129. Due: Biography of your interviewee.
10/1 Interview techniques, part 2. Readings: OHR, 101-182. Due: appointment schedule for your pre-interview and interview.
10/8 Interviewing practicum. Readings: OHR, 183-268. Due: question sets for your interview.
10/15 Classes canceled for interviews.
10/22 Classes canceled for interviews and logging interview.
10/29 Transcribing. Readings: OHR, 389-392; Frisch, 81-146. Due: tape log of
interview.
11/5 Archiving oral histories. Readings: OHR, 357-378; Ritchie, 131-159.
11/12 Interpreting oral histories. Readings: OHR, 269-355. Due: 5 pages of transcription.
11/19 Class canceled for transcribing.
11/26 Community history. Readings: Frisch, pp. 147-201. Due: tape and transcript of your interview.
12/3 Presenting Oral History. Readings: Frisch, 203-263, Ritchie, 185-215; OHR, 414-464.
12/10 Final Exam, 12/11 10:30 am -12:30. Presentation of your interview to the class.
Required Readings
Michael Frisch, Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History (New York: State University Press of New York, 1990).
Donald Ritchie, Doing Oral History (New York: Scribners. 1995).
Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson, editors, The Oral History Reader (London: Routledge, 1998).
Optional reading: “Preserving Community/Cuentos del Varrio Oral History Manual,” at PHP web site-- http://web.nmsu.edu/~publhist/ohindex.html
Course Grading Policy
Oral history interview 20%
Tape log and transcriptions 20%
Biography 10%
Question set 15%
Final exam presentation 15%
Class participation 20%
Course Guidelines
Lack of attendance will affect your final grade.
Withdrawals from this course are the responsibility of the student.
Incompletes will be given only if the student has passed the first half of the course and can not complete the course due to documented illness or family crisis.
Academic misconduct in this course will cause the student to fail the course.
Students with disabilities should provide documentation to me about their status.