Educational offer - University of Padova

Syllabus

Prerequisites:	No special prerequisites are required (to know the English language).
Target skills and knowledge:	Educational Goals 1. To acquire and demonstrate an understanding of the theory and method of oral history. 2. To acquire and demonstrate proficiency in conducting, interpreting, and processing (abstracting and transcribing) an oral history interview. 3. To acquire an understanding of the nature and function of individual and collective memory, and of their roles in shaping oral testimony.
Examination methods:	Final assessment will be based on a presentation concerning methodological principles acquired during the lessons applied to the specific research topic of the student
Assessment criteria:	Part of the course will be a seminar format. Readings will be provided by the students followed by presentation and discussion in class. The personal reflection and critical analysis of the themes and participation in class discussion will be elements of assessment along with tests in progress and the final exam.
Course unit contents:	This course will explore the purpose, value, theory, method and achievement of oral history and cultural anthropology, focussing on the use of oral sources in the fields of business history, labour history and industrial archaeology. In particular, attention will be paid to the preservation of the memory of the production processes of both handcrafted and industrial goods. The course is intended to provide students with opportunities to become familiar with theoretical and practical issues in collecting, interpreting, and preserving oral remembrances. Students will also gain experience in conducting, processing, and interpreting their own interviews. Furthermore, this seminar will deal with the various steps that need to be taken when one embarks on an oral history project, focussing on the preparation, conducting and processing of the interview. First of all, the different types of interview – especially the life story and the structured and semi-structured interview – will be illustrated. After discussing possible topics for an oral history project, we will concentrate on the selection of potential informants and the importance of conducting preliminary reading to collect background information about the subject under investigation. Such information, in fact, proves very useful when preparing a list of relevant questions to be asked during the interview. From this we will proceed to the analysis of question lists and interview guidelines employed in major oral history projects. Students will then be offered practical advice on how to carry out successful interviews, on the best ways to establish a fruitful relationship with informants and maintain it throughout the interview. The second part of this course will adopt a hands-on approach to the subject, furthering students’ knowledge through a process of learning by doing. In fact, participants in the seminar will be asked to put into practice what they have learnt, preparing for, conducting, processing and interpreting their own interviews.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods:	Students are expected to master the required readings and to participate in the discussion. Working in team, students will develop an oral history project on a subject of their choice approved by the course organizer. They will present the topic and main objectives of their project along with a draft list of the questions they intend to ask their informants. Class discussion will help team to sharpen his objectives and refine his questionnaire before starting his project. Students will then conduct, transcribe and summarize their own interviews. Finally, they will write down a detailed report of the various steps followed in designing and carrying out their project.
Additional notes about suggested reading:	In addition to the reference texts other material will be provided in class by the course organizer
Textbooks (and optional supplementary readings)	Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson, eds., The Oral History Reader. London: Routledge, 1998. Paul Thompson, The Voice of the Past: Oral History, 3rd ed.. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Sommer, Barbara W. and Mary Kay Quinlan. . :, The Oral History Manual. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Charlton Thomas. L., Lois E. Myers and Sharpless, Rebecca (eds.), The Handbook of Oral History. Walnut Creek, CA:: AltaMira Pr, 2006.