Oral History Seminar
History 367/667.001, T 5:30-8:00 p.m. , Ward 203
Office: Battelle 127, 202-885-2159
Fall 2005
Dr. Pamela M. Henson
Office Hours: T 4:30-5:30 p.m. and by appt.
henson@american.edu
Course Goals:
This course is about the theory and practice of oral history. You will learn basic methodological techniques and
study the special characteristics and possible uses of oral history interviews. We will address how to critically
evaluate oral evidence and integrate it with other forms of historical evidence. We will explore the ways oral
history sources have provided new perspectives on old historical debates and how they can bring neglected
subjects to the light of historical investigation.
Lectures, readings, and discussions will emphasize the theory of and practical issues influencing oral history as
well as the legal and ethical issues involved in this methodology. We will examine a variety of historical works
based on oral sources in order to explore the ways they can be put to use in, for example, scholarly
monographs, documentaries, radio shows, exhibits, and other forms of public presentation. Each student will
conduct fieldwork entailing the entire process of oral history, including conceptualization, research,
interviewing, transcribing, editing, evaluating the historical significance of the work, and writing/designing a
presentation of that work.
For graduate students, this class can fulfill many but not all of the requirements of the Oral History Tool of
Research. Please speak with me at the beginning of the semester if you are planning to pursue this Tool.
Required Books:
All books are available for purchase in the University Bookstore. I also encourage you to seek used copies
through half.com or other online used bookstores. Required readings are also on Library reserve.
Baum, Willa. Transcribing and Editing Oral History. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press, 1991.
Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Growing Up in Washington, D.C.: An Oral History. Charleston, SC:
Arcadia Publishing, 2001.
Jones, LuAnn. Mama Learned Us to Work: Farm Women in the New South. Chapel Hill: University of North
Carolina Press, 2002.
Neuenschwander, John. Oral History and the Law. 3rd edition. Carlisle, PA: Oral History Association, 2002.
Portelli, Alessandro. The Order Has Been Carried Out: History, Memory, and Meaning of a Nazi Massacre in
Rome. New York: Palgrave, Macmillan, 2003.
Ritchie, Donald. Doing Oral History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Schneider, William. . . .So They Understand: Cultural Issues in Oral History. Logan, UT: Utah State
University Press, 2002.
Thompson, Paul. The Voice of the Past: Oral History. 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Required Articles: All required articles are on Library reserve.
Blatti, Jo. Review of Field to Factory: Afro-American Migration, 1915-1940. Oral History Review 16:1
(Spring 1988): 194-198.
Henson, Pamela M., and Terri A. Schorzman. “Videohistory: Focusing on the American Past.” Journal of
American History 78:2 (September 1991): 618-627.
Hoffman, Alice. “Reliability and Validity in Oral History.” In David K. Dunaway and Willa K. Baum, eds.
Oral History: An Interdisciplinary Anthology. Nashville, TN: American Association for State and Local
History, 1984, pp. 67-73.
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“Portelli Symposium: History and Memory,” Oral History Review 32:1 (Winter/Spring 2005): 1-33.
Oral History Association. Oral History Evaluation Guidelines, rev. ed. Carlisle, PA: Oral History Association,
2000. http://omega.dickinson.edu/organizations/oha/pub_eg.html
Ritchie, Donald A., and Linda Shopes, “Oral History Excluded from IRB Review,”
http://omega.dickinson.edu/organizations/oha/org_irb.html
Shodell, Elly. Review of The Stone Carvers. Oral History Review 16:1 (Spring 1988): 198-200.
Shopes, Linda. “Institutional Review Boards Have a Chilling Effect on Oral History.” AHA Perspectives 38:6
(September 2000): 34-37. http://www.theaha.org/perspectives/issues/2000/0009/0009vie1.cfm
Additional Books Required for History 667:
Frisch, Michael. A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History. Albany,
NY: State University of New York Press, 1989/1990.
Gluck, Sherna Berger, and Daphne Patai. Women’s Words: The Feminist Practice of Oral History. New York:
Routledge, 1991.
Perks, Robert, and Alistair Thomson. The Oral History Reader. New York: Routledge, 1998.
Course Requirements for 367: approximately:
Assignments/Papers 1-5 (8% each) 40%
Paper 6
15%
Final Exam
15%
Final Project
20%
Discussion/Participation
10%
Course Requirements for 667: approximately:
Assignments/Papers 1-5 (7% ea.)
35%
Paper 6
15%
Final Exam
20%
Final Project
25%
Discussion/Participation
5%
Course Requirements for History Tool:
Additional Historiographical Essay
•Letter grade values and meanings:
A+, B+, C+, D+ = 97-99%, 87-89%, 77-79%, 67-69%
A, B, C, D = 94-96%, 84-86%, 74-76%, 64-66%
A-, B-, C-, D- = 90-93%, 80-83%, 70-73%, 60-63%
F = 59 and below
NOTE: Grades are earned, not given.
A grades reflect exceptional work
B grades reflect very good work
C grades reflect average work
D grades reflect inferior work
F grades reflect failing work and/or
work that does not meet the
minimum requirements of or follow
instructions for an assignment.
Difference Between 367 and 667 and History Tool Students:
Graduate students in the History 667 section will encounter additional readings, essays, and class presentations.
Graduate members of the class will more intensively study the literature of oral history. In addition, graduate
students will conduct and transcribe additional interviews and be expected to write with a greater degree of
sophistication, including detailed analyses of the readings and engagement with the relevant historiographical
literature. Graduate Students who have elected to complete the History Tool will be assigned an additional
historiographical essay.
COURSE POLICIES:
1) Academic Dishonesty: Cheating of any kind, including plagiarism, will result in college disciplinary action.
Standards of academic conduct are set forth in the University’s Academic Integrity Code. By registering you
have acknowledged your awareness of the Academic Integrity Code, and you are obliged to become familiar
with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the Code.
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2) Late Work: All assignments are due on the dates indicated in this syllabus and other course documents at
the beginning of the class period. I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK. ALL LATE WORK WILL
RECEIVE AN AUTOMATIC GRADE OF ‘ZERO.’ If you have extenuating circumstances that require an
extension to a deadline, you must speak with me at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline. Extensions will
not be granted lightly. Depending on your circumstances for requiring an extension, work accepted late may be
penalized a 1/3 grade reduction for each day late.
3) Exam Policy: One exam, a final, is scheduled for both 367 and 667 students. You must take the exams when
scheduled, barring any major medical problems or other emergencies. If you miss the exam without making
prior arrangements, you will not be allowed to make up the exam. If you arrive late to the exam, you will
receive only the remaining time left in the scheduled period. Failure to take either exam will result in an ‘F’
grade for the semester.
4) Attendance Policy: ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY ARE MANDATORY. Students should avoid
scheduling other meetings or appointments during regular class time. We have 14 class meetings scheduled this
semester. On your fourth absence (no distinction is made between excused and unexcused absences), you will
automatically lose 1/3 of a letter grade off your final grade for the course; on your sixth absence, you will
automatically lose a full letter grade off your final grade. Seven or more absences will result in an ‘F’ grade for
the semester, regardless of your grades on assignments.
5) Reading Assignments: You should complete all readings before the class for which they are assigned.
Bring texts to class when we discuss them.
6) My Responsibility, Your Responsibility: As professor, my responsibility is to come prepared to class,
facilitate your learning of our topic, evaluate your work, return graded assignments in a timely manner, and be
responsive to your needs and interests throughout the semester. As students, your responsibility is to come
prepared to class, put forth an effort in learning our topic, complete all assignments as scheduled, and be
communicative about your needs and interests throughout the semester. By remaining in this class, you agree to
accept these roles. If you have any questions about the class requirements, please contact me by email at
henson@american.edu during the first week of classes.
7) E-mail, Blackboard, and H-Net: You must establish and regularly check your e-mail account.
If you have a non-american.edu email address (i.e., hotmail.com, aol.com, etc.), you must forward your AU email
address by going to my.american.edu -Communications 0Forward email. You must also “register” for our
class’s Blackboard website. Go to: www.american.edu/, Blackboard, login, and follow the links to our class.
Contact IT Helpdesk if you have difficulties.
Communications about course business will be conducted via e-mail and via the announcements section on the
course Blackboard site.
H-NET INTERNET DISCUSSION GROUP, H-Oralhist: All students are required to become members of the
listserv discussion group H-Oralhist sponsored by the Oral History Association. Membership is free and simple
to apply for. Go to http://www.h-net.org/~oralhist/, click on “Subscribe,” and complete the brief form. You
should set your subscription to “Digest” once messages start coming (instructions will be provided with one of
the first emails). While you’re there, take a look at some of the other lists to see if anything else interests you
(like, H-Public). Subscribe to H-Oralhist by the second class on September 6.
8) Classroom Behavior—Respect for other students and tolerance of differing opinions are requirements for
remaining in this class. Out of courtesy to other students and the professor, please turn off cellular phones or
beepers before class begins.
9) Special Needs—Students with special needs of any kind are encouraged to meet with the professor at the
start of the semester.
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Assignment Instructions:
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: For 367 Students: Six short essays and one long paper are assigned and due in
class on the dates listed below. For 667 Students: Six short essays, one analytical essay, and one long paper
are assigned and due in class on the dates listed below. For 667 Students who are electing the Oral History
Tool: Six short essays, one analytical essay, one historiographical essay, and one long paper are assigned
and due in class on the dates listed below. Essays are to be analytical in nature, and should include a thesis,
organized arguments, and conclusion. It will help you to focus your essay if you take the time to select an
appropriate TITLE for it.
ALL ESSAYS SHOULD ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING FORMAT: All essays and papers must be submitted
in hard copy, typed, double-spaced, normal-size font (i.e., Courier or Times New Roman, 12 pt, etc.), with 1”
margins all around, pages numbered, cover pages unnecessary. Students should use The Chicago Manual of
Style in their essays. Students who do not follow the format or page-length instructions may be asked to correct
and resubmit their essays or may have their grade penalized.
ALL ESSAYS SHOULD ADHERE TO COLLEGE-LEVEL STANDARDS OF WRITING, GRAMMAR, AND
SPELLING: Both the content/substance and writing mechanics of your essays are important. You should get in
the habit of proofreading and spell-checking all essays—sloppy mechanical mistakes will result in lower
grades. I highly recommend Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, as a writer’s manual.
ASSIGNMENT/PAPER 1: DUE 9/13—After conducting your half-hour interview with a classmate, write a
1-2 page reflection of the interview. What did you learn about the social interactions involved in an interview?
Use specific examples to make your points, and pay special attention to nuances in tone, gesture, and
expression, as well as language. If you were the one being interviewed, did the questions lead you in one
direction and not another? Did you hold back information? Why? Did you learn anything new about the
subject? Did you learn anything new about your interviewer? If you did the interviewing, did your familiarity
(or lack thereof) with the interviewee’s background, aptitudes, and ideas affect the interview? Were important
things left unsaid? Are there questions you wished you had asked? What are they? What lessons did you learn
about doing oral history?
ASSIGNMENT/PAPER 2: DUE 10/18—Write a 2-3 page paper about the results of your first taped
interview. Include reflections on the interview process, evocative quotations, and a discussion of why these
quotations might be useful to historians as evidence, or why they provide insights into the process/theory of
oral history.
ASSIGNMENT/PAPER 3: DUE 10/25—Transcribe 10 minutes of one of your first interviews. Complete the
assigned readings before beginning for things to think about. Turn in the tape cued to the place where the
transcript begins (will be returned).
ASSIGNMENT/PAPER 4: DUE 11/8—Write a 2-3 page critique of your classmate’s interview
tape/transcript. Ask the same questions you did of your own interviews in Papers 2 and 4. Submit two copies.
ASSIGNMENT PAPER 5: DUE 11/8—Write a 2-3 page critique of your best interview. What went well?
What do you wish had occurred differently? Why do you consider this your best one?
FINAL PROJECT: For more details, see the project handout.
The class will conduct interviews for the Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project,
http:/capitolhillhistory.org/ourmission.htm. Graduate students who wish to conduct interviews on another topic
may do so after consultation with the instructor.
1) PROPOSAL: DUE 9/13— Submit a 1-2 page project proposal, a short list of questions about the topic, and
a bibliography of the relevant secondary literature—familiarity with this literature is necessary in order to be
able to ask appropriate questions and to have some sense of the historical contributions of your interviews.
Make sure your bibliography is correctly formatted.
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2) PAPER 6: DUE 12/6 —Write an analysis (367: 6-8 pages, 667: 10-15 pages) of your fieldwork experience
and your project. What were the strengths and weaknesses of your oral history project? What new historical
contributions do your interviews make to your subject (to answer this you will need to include both quotes from
the interviews AND some discussion of the existing historical literature—at least 3-5 books from your
bibliography). If you don’t think your interviews make any new contributions, analyze why this occurred and
what you could have done to change it. (Was the problem with the topic you chose generally, how you defined
the topic, the questions you asked, etc.?) How representative were the people you talked with for your topic? If
you were to continue doing additional interviews on your topic, what kinds of people would you like to talk to
in order to improve the representativeness or balance of your sample? Discuss any other factors that could
strengthen your project and your interviews’ usefulness to historians.
667 STUDENTS: THIS PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE AN ANALYSIS OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:
Include a close reading of your interviews to reflect on the construction and role of historical memory in them.
Also discuss examples of advocacy and empowerment.
3) PROJECT MATERIALS: DUE 12/9—667 students should conduct a minimum of two interviews, 367
should conduct a minimum of one interview. These should be subject-specific interviews (not life interviews).
Tapes and transcripts should be labeled, have a summary and index, and be appropriately documented,
including legal documents, ready for deposit in an archive. Transcription: 667 students must transcribe and edit
at least 2 of their interviews; 367 students must transcribe and edit one interview in full. Interviews should be
on audio tape (preferably standard size). Any non-transcribed interviews must be abstracted and indexed.
4) 667, TOOL OF RESEARCH STUDENTS, ONLY: Graduate students wishing to complete the
requirements for the Oral History Tool of Research should prepare a historiographical essay on a specific topic.
Meet with the instructor by the sixth class to discuss your essay topic.
DISCUSSIONS:
You should expect (and feel free to initiate) spontaneous discussions on the various readings and issues we
cover in addition to the more formal discussions. Formal discussions on the readings and project will form a
regular component of this class. You are expected to complete the entire reading assignment before the
discussion class. You will be graded on quality (not quantity) of participation in the discussion. Although I
understand that some students are “quiet learners,” all students are expected to contribute questions, ideas, and
comments. Unexcused absences will result in an automatic zero grade for that discussion.
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Course Outline:
Week 1
Introduction and Course Business
(8/30)
Introduction to Oral History—Definitions, History, Achievements
READ: Ritchie, Doing Oral History, Ch. 1;
Thompson, Voice of the Past, Chs. 1-3;
Oral History Association, Oral History Evaluation Guidelines,
http://omega.dickinson.edu/organizations/oha/pub_eg.html
667 READ: Above plus Perks and Thomson, The Oral History Reader, Part I
Week 2
(9/6)
GUEST SPEAKERS: Overbeck Capitol Hill Oral History Project
Review website: http:/capitolhillhistory.org/ourmission.htm
DISCUSSION: The Oral History Process: Project Selection
READ: Neuenschwander, Oral History and the Law;
Ritchie, Doing Oral History, Ch. 2, 3, and 5;
Ritchie and Shopes, “Oral History Excluded from IRB Review,”
Shopes, “IRBs Have a Chilling Effect”;
Thompson, Voice of the Past, Chs. 4-5;
667 READ: Above plus Frisch, Shared Authority, Part I;
Perks and Thomson, The Oral History Reader, Part II
Week 3
(9/13)
The Interview: Preparation, Format, Interview Technique
The Narrator’s Construction of History
READ: Henson & Schorzman, “Videohistory”;
Schneider, . . .So They Understand, Chs. 1-4;
Thompson, Voice of the Past, Chs. 6-7; , and “Model Questions”;
667 READ: Above plus Frisch, Shared Authority, Chs. 4, 6, and 7;
Perks and Thomson, The Oral History Reader, Part IV
9/13: ASSIGNMENT/PAPER 1 DUE: Conduct a half-hour interview with one of your
classmates. See assignment instructions above for more information.
Week 4
(9/20)
In-Class Discussion of Student Projects
DISCUSSION: The Social Purposes of History: Advocacy and Empowerment
Schneider, . . .So They Understand
READ: Schneider, . . .So They Understand, Chs. 5-8
667 READ: Above plus Gluck & Patai, Women’s Words, Introduction and Chs. 1-3
9/20: PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE: Submit a 1-2 page project proposal, a short list of
questions about the topic, and a bibliography.
Week 5
(9/27)
GUEST SPEAKER: Don Ritchie, Historian, U.S. Senate Historical Office
Oral History as a Research Tool
READ: Ritchie, Doing Oral History, Ch. 4;
Schneider, . . .So They Understand, Chs. 9-12
667 READ: Above plus Perks and Thomson, The Oral History Reader, Part III
Week 6
(10/4)
Processing the Interview: Abstracting, Transcribing, and Preserving Oral Memories
READ: Baum, Transcribing and Editing Oral History, all chapters;
Ritchie, Doing Oral History, Ch. 6;
Thompson, Voice of the Past, Ch. 8-9
667 READ: Above plus Frisch, Shared Authority, Ch. 5
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Week 7
(10/11)
NO CLASS, FALL BREAK
READ: Begin Growing Up in Washington, D.C.
667 READ Above plus Gluck & Patai, Women’s Words, Chs. 4-6
Week 8
(10/18)
DISCUSSION: Students’ Interviewing Experience
DISCUSSION: Growing Up in Washington, D.C.
READ: Finish Growing Up in Washington, D.C.;
Hoffman, “Reliability and Validity”
667 READ: Above plus Perks and Thomson, The Oral History Reader, Part IV
10/18: ASSIGNMENT/PAPER 2 DUE
Week 9
(10/25)
DISCUSSION: Baum and Students’ Experience with Transcription
READ: Begin Jones, Mama Learned Us to Work
10/25: ASSIGNMENT 3 DUE: 10-minute transcription of one of your project interviews
10/25: SUBMIT ORAL HISTORY TAPE & TRANSCRIPT FOR PEER REVIEW
Week 10
(11/1)
DISCUSSION: Jones, Mama Learned Us to Work
READ: Finish Jones, Mama Learned Us to Work;
Begin Portelli, Order Has Been Carried Out, Chs. 1-4
667 READ: Above plus Gluck & Patai, Women’s Words, Chs. 10-13
Week 11
(11/8)
DISCUSSION: Uses of Oral History
DISCUSSION of Peer Review
READ: Continue Portelli, Order Has Been Carried Out, Chs. 5-7;
Blatti, Review of Field to Factory;
Ritchie, Doing Oral History, Chs. 7-8;
Shodell, Review of Stone Carvers;
View one video on reserve in library
667 READ: Above plus Frisch, A Shared Authority, Chs. 8, 11, and 13;
Perks and Thomson, The Oral History Reader, Part V
11/8: ASSIGNMENTS/PAPERS 4 and 5 DUE: Critique of your best interview;
Analyze/critique classmate’s oral history tape/transcript.
Week 12
(11/15)
DISCUSSION: Portelli, Order Has Been Carried Out
READ: Portelli, Order Has Been Carried Out, Chs. 8-10
Oral History Review, special issue on Portelli’s Order Has Been Carried Out
Week 13
(11/22)
Student Presentations on Final Project I
Week 14
(11/29)
Student Presentations on Final Project II
Week 15
(12/6)
Student Presentations on Final Project III
12/6: PAPER 6 DUE: Overall project analysis.
BY 12/9: FINAL PROJECTS DUE TO HISTORY OFFICE
Week 16
(12/13)
Reading Week – no classes
Week 17
(12/20)
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, December 20, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
667 Take-Home Exam Due by 5:30 p.m.
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