Seminar
ORAL HISTORY 5984: THEORY, METHOD & PRACTICE
Class Meets: Thursday 7-10pm
Dr. Beverly Bunch-Lyons
Office 7054 Haycock Road
Falls Church, VA 22043
Phone: 703.538.8484
Email: blyons@vt.edu
Office Hours: By appt.
GOALS AND REQUIREMENTS:
This course is designed to introduce you to oral history as a significant qualitative
research method. You will learn the methodological techniques of the craft, special
characteristics, theories and uses. While the emphasis is on practice, we will also explore
theoretical, legal and ethical issues. We will analyze scholarly works such as
documentaries, monographs, and radio and news shows that rely heavily on oral history.
During the semester each student will engage in a research project that entails the entire
process of oral history from beginning to end. In other words, you will conceptualize
your project, conduct research, interview, transcribe, edit, and evaluate your work. The
course will consist of readings, discussions, mini lectures, evaluating interviews, writing
critiques, and hands-on activities.
COURSE POLICIES:
Attendance: It is expected that you will be prepared for class, arrive on time, and remain
until class is over.
Work: All assignments are due on the date indicated on the course calendar. You may
submit your work electronically to our Scholar site, or you may hand in hard copies at the
beginning of class on the due date.
Reading Assignments: Complete all reading assignments before class. Bring the
appropriate text(s) to class for discussions.
**PLEASE TURN OFF CELL PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES
BEFORE CLASS BEGINS**
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Booth, Wayne. The Craft of Research, 3rd Edition, Univ. Chicago Press, 2008.
Hoopes, James. Oral History: An Intro. for Students, UNC Press, 1979.
Perks, Robert. The Oral History Reader, 2nd Edition, Routledge Press, 2010.
Rubin and Rubin. Qualitative Interviewing, 2nd Edition, Sage Press, 2005.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS:
Discussion Facilitator:
Once during the semester you will serve as discussion facilitator. In this capacity you
will decide the direction of the discussion. You should provide an opening statement or
argument, and have specific questions that you want to address as they relate to the
readings. Your questions must be posted no later than the Wednesday before our
Thursday class. Everyone should be prepared to critically engage the literature. It is
imperative that everyone participate regularly; the success of the course depends on it.
Reading Analysis Notes (RAN):
1. RAN are short analytical summaries of the assigned readings. You should aim to
make your RAN 2-3 pages in length. Please do not exceed three pages. The
RAN are not meant to be exhaustive. You should aim to demonstrate your
understanding of the more important arguments the author(s) is (are) making in
the assigned readings. RAN are intended to: 1) help you prepare for in-class
discussion; 2) help you improve critical thinking skills by identifying arguments,
engaging with arguments, and integrating arguments across readings. Details
will be provided on the first evening of class.
Oral History Research Project:
Choose a topic that is of interest to you. You will go through the process that most
scholars use in writing papers. After preliminary research you will write a brief
description (1-2 pages) of the topic you intend to research. You will then conduct a
literature review of primary and secondary sources on your topic and create a working
annotated bibliography. You will identify a minimum of three possible individuals to
interview about your topic. These interviews will form the basis of the work you
perform in the course. Your final project will consist of 12-15 well crafted pages. A
complete description will be provided on the first evening of class.
Film Analysis Worksheets
We will view 4 films in class during the semester. You will complete a film
analysis worksheet for 3 of the 4 films. The film analysis worksheet can be found
on Scholar.
GRADING:
RAN: 25%
Discussion Facilitator: 25%
Research Project: 25%
Film Analysis: 25%
GRADING SCALE:
A-90-100
B-80-89
C-70-79
D-60-69
F-Below 60
The Plus/Minus system is used for final grades
2
3