Class Schedule and Readings

Week 1: August 22, 24 Introduction to class; Basic understanding of oral history

Req.:

Ritchie, pp. 1-10 (An oral history of our time)

Rec.:

"The voice of the past: oral history," by Paul Thompson, in Perks: 21-28

"Oral history and hard times: a review essay," by Michael Frisch, in Perks: 29-37

August 29: Individual appointments begin

Req.:

Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett: "Ordinary People, Ordinary Lives," in Gmelch & Zenner, Urban Anthropology; Reserve

"Urbanism," by Gmelch and Zenner: in Gmelch & Zenner: 2-13; Reserve

"Urban fieldwork: anthropologists in cities," by George Gmelch: in Gmelch and Zenner: 130-134; Reserve

"Anthropological fieldwork in cities," by George Foster and Robert V. Kemper: in Gmelch and Zenner: 135-150; Reserve

Rec.:

"Urban danger: life in a neighborhood of strangers," by Sally Engle Merry: in Gmelch and Zenner: 47-59; Reserve

Assignment: This week students begin thinking about and analyzing their current neighborhoods. Walk and drive around your neighborhoods. Talk to friends and neighbors about what you observe.  Think about how you would construct a study of your neighborhood, based on an insider's perspective. Write your comments on the class discussion list. We will discuss your insights in class on August 31.

Sept 5 & 7 Individual appointments continue

Req.:

Ritchie, pp. 11-17 (Memory and oral history)

"What makes oral history different?" by Alessandro Portelli: 63-74, in Perks

"What is social in oral history?" by Samuel Schrager: 284-299, in Perks

"Oral history as a social movement: reminiscence and older people," by Joanna Bornat: 189-205, in Perks

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Req.:

Transcripts from People and Place in 20th-Century St. Louis-Skinker-DeBaliviere project; Reserve

Harleman, Kathleen M., et al. The neighborhood: a history of Skinker-DeBaliviere, TJL Reserve

Wolford, John B. "People and Place in 20th-century St. Louis," TJL Reserve

Fox and Sandweiss, "Skinker-DeBaliviere," TJL Reserve

read issues of The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere (handout)

Assignment: This week students begin to pair off to explore the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood. Walk and drive around the neighborhood. Talk about what you observe. Write your comments on the class discussion list.

RESEARCH GROUPS WILL BE FORMED THIS WEEK: ESSENTIAL ATTENDANCE FOR ALL STUDENTS

Req.:

Ritchie, pp.23-26 (Starting an oral history project); 34-40 (Equipment); 51-56 (Legal concerns); 207-209 (Principles and Standards of the Oral History Association)

Rec.:

Ives: Preface (ix-xii); "The Game" (21-23); "Immediate Action" (23-24); Chapter 2: Interviewing (25-73); Chapter 3: Processing (74-88);  TJL Reserve

Note Well--September 19: The class will meet at 6008 Kingsbury Boulevard, at the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council; guest speaker will be Laure Porterfield, Executive Director of SDCC

Req.:

Ritchie, pp. 57-83 (Conducting interviews)

"Learning to listen: interview techniques and analyses," by Kathryn Anderson, Dana C. Jack: 157-171, in Perks

Rec.:

"Introduction to the in-depth interview," in Recording oral history, by Valerie Yow: 1-31;  TJL Reserve

"Ways of listening," by Hugo Slim, P. Thompson, Olivia Bennett, et al.: 114-125, in Perks

"The anthropological interview and the life history," by Sidney Mintz: 298-305, in Dunaway;  TJL Reserve

Req.: NO READINGS

Assignment: This week students begin to pair off to conduct taped pilot interviews with one another. Contingent on students to make all arrangements. To be taped and indexed by October 17, when we will get together and discuss them.

Professor out of town at OHA conference; NO FORMAL CLASS

Assignment: Students are to be conducting and indexing pilot interviews this week.

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Oct 17: PILOT INTERVIEW REPORTS AND INDEXES TO BE HANDED IN

Assignment: Students call and interview potential interviewees on their lists. Must produce phone interview sheets by October 31.

Req.:

"Perils of the transcript," by Raphael Samuel: 389-392, in Perks

Oct 17: Discussion of phone interview sheets, phone interview process

Oct 19: Discussion of taped interviewing, transcribing

Assignment: Students begin making appointments with their interviewee and begin conducting interviews.

Req.: NO READINGS

October 24: All members of Group 1 to meet with Professor Wolford to discuss their project

October 26: All members of Group 2 to meet with Professor Wolford to discuss their project
 

Oct 31: Final due date for notes from phone interviews

If done, students can begin to turn in 5 page transcript excerpt, plus all forms, from taped interview

Req.: NO READINGS

October 31: All members of Group 3 to meet with Professor Wolford to discuss their project

November 2: All members of Group 4 to meet with Professor Wolford to discuss their project
 

Groups continue to meet independently

If done, students can continue to turn in 5 page transcript excerpt, plus all forms, from taped interview

Req.: NO READINGS

November 7: Class meets to discuss progress and problems in their work. This can include discussioin of the pilot interviews, phone interviews, background research for the group projects, and other matters relating to the group project.

November 9: If the discussion is not exhausted on Tuesday, we will meet again to continue the discussion about our work. If no more discussion needs to be held, groups will meet independently during class time.

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Groups continue to meet independently

If done, students can continue to turn in 5 page transcript excerpt, plus all forms, from taped interview

Req.:

"Theory, method, and oral history," by Peter Friedlander: 311-319, in Perks

"'That's not what I said'": interpretive conflict in oral history, by Katherine Borland: 320-332, in Perks

November 14: Guest Lecturer, Lee Patton Chiles, Artistic Director of Historyonics, a theater company specializing in scripting plays from verbatim texts [visit their website at http://www.historyonics.org]. We will meet in our usual classroom at the usual time.

November 16: Video:Through the eyes of a childand discussion with the project leader, Jacquelyn Dace, Missouri Historical Society. We will meet in our usual classroom at the usual time.

If done, students can continue to turn in 5 page transcript excerpt, plus all forms, from taped interview

Req.:

November 21: Class DISCUSSION concerning progress and problems of the four different groups

ANY CLASSWORK STILL DUE MUST BE TURNED IN BY December 5 AT THE VERY LATEST

If done, students can continue to turn in 5 page transcript excerpt, plus all forms, from taped interview

Req.:

November 28: Class presentation by Groups 1 and 2; each one 30 minutes, with five minutes each for discussion

November 30: Class presentation by Group 3 and 4: 30 minutes, with five minutes for discussion

Dec 5: Final date for turning in 5 page transcript excerpt, plus all forms, from taped interview

Dec 5: Final date for turning in 10 page final paper

Req.:

December 5: Synthesis of the class's group projects