Anthropology 291, Honors 353: Oral History of the City |
Professor John B. Wolford
|
| Ref. No. 10340 (Anthro
291) 3 credits
Ref. No. 25830 (Honors 353) 3 credits Fall semester, 2001 University of Missouri-St. Louis Class room: Clark Hall 417 Class time: TR 4:00 - 5:15 p.m. Wolford's web page: http://www.umsl.edu/~wolfordj |
Office Hours: TR 5:45 - 6:45 p.m.;
and by appointment on TR Anthro Dept. Clark Hall 516 JBW Phone: 516-6474 (TR) 746-4560 (MWF) 516-6020 (dept.) |
Email: wolfordj@msx.umsl.edu
Week 1: August 23 Introduction to class; Basic understanding of oral history
Req.:
Class attendance; class participation; getting to know one another
Rec.:
Ritchie, pp. 1-10 (An oral history of our time)
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett: "Ordinary People, Ordinary Lives," in Gmelch & Zenner, Urban Anthropology; 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
"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
Fox and Sandweiss, "Skinker-DeBaliviere," TJL Reserve
read issues of The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere (handout)
August 28: Individual appointments begin
| August 28: Panel of some former students who will come and provide some insights into managing your time, approaching a community study, integrating the academic with the empirical research, and (overall) how to do well and to benefit from this class. They will also provide some personal and professional observations about the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood. |
Req.:
Ritchie, pp. 1-10 (An oral history of our time)
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett: "Ordinary People, Ordinary Lives," in Gmelch & Zenner, Urban Anthropology; 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
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
"Introduction: the interdisciplinarity of oral history," by David K. Dunaway, in Dunaway and Baum (1996): 7-22. Reserve
Fox and Sandweiss, "Skinker-DeBaliviere," TJL Reserve
read issues of The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere
Transcript from People and Place in 20th-Century St. Louis-Skinker-DeBaliviere project; Reserve
Assignment 1, due August 28: 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 28.
Assignment 2, due August 30: This week students also begin thinking about and analyzing the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood. Before going there, read some of the background literature on the neighborhood, go to websites dealing with the neighborhood, be sure you know the boundaries of the neighborhood. Go to and walk around the neighborhood. Feel free to casually talk to people who are out and about in the neighborhood. Stop by the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council (at 6008 Kingsbury Boulevard) and pick up a copy of The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere (and any back issues they may have). Feel free to identify yourself to anyone in the office as a member of this class. Keep notes about your observations. Talk to friends and neighbors about what you observe. Think about how you would construct a study of the neighborhood, based on an outsider's perspective. We will discuss your insights in class on August 30.
Sept 4 & 6 Individual appointments continue
Sept 4 Req.: Memory work, and oral history's singularity
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
Sept 6 Req.: Planning a project
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
"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
"Urban danger: life in a neighborhood of strangers," by Sally Engle Merry: in Gmelch and Zenner: 47-59; Reserve
Assignment 3: On September 4 the professor will pair off students for their practice, or pilot, interviews. The idea here is to give students a quick intro into what it is like to conduct an interview and what it is like to be interviewed. Students should devote some time prior to their interviews to get to know one another a bit so they can feel more comfortable in the interview situation.
Req.:
Ritchie, pp. 57-83 (Conducting interviews)
"Learning to listen: interview techniques and analyses," by Kathryn Anderson, Dana C. Jack: 157-171, in Perks
"Perils of the transcript," by Raphael Samuel: 389-392, 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
Assignment 4: This week students should be conducting their pilot interviews with one another and compiling their documentation. The pilot interview material will be due the following week.
Sept 20: RESEARCH GROUPS WILL BE FORMED THIS WEEK: ESSENTIAL ATTENDANCE FOR ALL STUDENTS
Sept 20: PILOT INTERVIEW REPORTS AND INDEXES TO BE HANDED IN
Req.:
"Perils of the transcript," by Raphael Samuel: 389-392, in Perks
Sept 18: Discussion of phone interview sheets, phone interview process
Sept 20: Discussion of taped interviewing, transcribing
Note Well--September 18: The class will meet with guest speaker Laure Porterfield, Executive Director of SDCC , in our classroom at the regular time
SEPT 25: NO FORMAL CLASS HELD; GROUPS 1 & 2 SHOULD MEET AT THIS TIME TO SOLIDIFY YOUR PLANNING
SEPT 27: FORMAL CLASS WILL BE HELD WITH PROFESSOR IN THE REGULAR CLASSROOM; GROUPS WILL REPORT ON THEIR PROGRESS; DISCUSSION WILL BE HELD TO TROUBLESHOOT POTENTIAL PROBLEMS AND TO POOL BENEFICIAL OR PROMISING PROCEDURES
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
Groups begin to meet independently, for at least one meeting this week. Notes must be taken and submitted to the professor by the end of the week. This activity will continue weekly through the end of the semester, or until the group presents its group project.
OCT 2 & 4: NO FORMAL CLASS HELD; GROUPS 1 & 2 SHOULD MEET AT CLASS TIME TO SOLIDIFY YOUR PLANNING
Groups continue to meet independently, for at least two meetings per week. Notes must be taken and submitted to the professor by the end of the week.
Progress by this point:
- Group Project thesis solidified and agreed upon
- Research Assignments designated and work begun
- Phone interview topic guide created and submitted to the professor for his input and OK
- At the least, initial work compiling list of potential phone interviewees
- NOTE: Phone interview sheets will be due to the professor by October 25; these sheets are worth 10% of your individual grade
Assignment 5: Groups will meet with the professor to discuss their progress and their concerns
Group 1: Meeting on October 9OCT 9 & 11: THE GROUP NOT MEETING WITH THE PROFESSOR SHOULD BE HOLDING ITS OWN MEETING. SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS SHOULD BE OCCURRING AT THIS POINT.Group 2: Meeting on October 11
OHA conference; NO FORMAL CLASS
Oct 25: Final due date for notes from phone interviews
Assignment 6: Phone interviews should be completed. Copies may be turned into the professor whenever they are done. If not begun already, students must begin making appointments with their narrator and begin conducting interviews.
Groups continue to meet independently, when they are not meeting with the professor this week. Notes must be taken and submitted to the professor by the end of the week.
Req.: NO READINGS
Group 1: Meeting with the professsor on October 23OCT 23 & OCT 25: THE GROUP NOT MEETING WITH THE PROFESSOR SHOULD BE HOLDING ITS OWN MEETING. SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS SHOULD BE OCCURRING AT THIS POINT.Group 2: Meeting with the professsor on October 25
If done, students can turn in transcripts, plus all forms, from taped interview
Groups continue to meet independently, when they are not meeting with the professor this week. Notes must be taken and submitted to the professor by the end of the week.
Req.: NO READINGS
Group 1: Meeting with the professsor on October 30OCT 30 & NOV 01: THE GROUP NOT MEETING WITH THE PROFESSOR SHOULD BE HOLDING ITS OWN MEETING. SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS SHOULD BE OCCURRING AT THIS POINT.Group 2: Meeting with the professsor on November 01
Groups continue to meet independently, when they are not meeting with the professor this week. Notes must be taken and submitted to the professor by the end of the week.
If done, students can continue to turn in transcripts, plus all forms, from taped interview
Req.: NO READINGS
November 6: Class meets to discuss progress and problems in their work. This can include discussion of the pilot interviews, phone interviews, background research for the group projects, and other matters relating to the group project.
November 8: SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER: Jacqueline K. Dace, historian at the Missouri Historical Society and member of the Nominating Committee of the Oral History Association, will talk about constructing a multifaceted oral history project, based on her award-winning St. Louis-based project, Through the Eyes of a Child. She will show a video and will discuss the project's history and its various end-products (archival material, play, video, middle school curriculum, and exhibit).
Groups continue to meet independently, for at least two meetings per week. Notes must be taken and submitted to the professor by the end of the week.
If done, students can continue to turn in transcripts, plus all forms, from taped interview
Groups continue to meet independently, for at least one meeting this week. Notes must be taken and submitted to the professor by the end of the week.
If done, students can continue to turn in transcripts, plus all forms, from taped interview
Req.:
November 20: Class DISCUSSION concerning progress and problems of the four different groups
Thanksgiving holiday November 22
ANY CLASSWORK STILL DUE MUST BE TURNED IN BY December 5 AT THE VERY LATEST
If done, students can continue to turn in transcripts, plus all forms, from taped interview
Req.:
November 27: Class presentation by Group 1; 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for discussion
November 29: Class presentation by Group 2: 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for discussion
Dec 4: Final date for turning in transcripts, plus all forms and material, from taped interview.
Dec 4: Final date for turning in 10 page minimum final paper
Req.:
December 4: Class meeting to synthesize our impressions, data, insights, etc. from the class's group projects
NOTE WELL: NO FINAL TO BE GIVEN
| Return to HC353 Page | Go to Class Syllabus | Go to CourseInfo at mygateway.umsl.edu | Return to Professor Wolford's Homepage | Return to Top |
Created: August 2001
Previously revised: September 22, 2001
Last revised: October 25, 2001