Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA3047: Oral History: Principles and Practice

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

You will gain in-depth and nuanced understanding of the potential and challenges of doing oral history. You will become versed in a variety of critical approaches underpinning the methodology. You will gain familiarity with projects which have been completed and those which are under way. You will also develop skills in presentation, using and producing media materials and interpersonal dialogue that are widely applicable beyond the classroom. Each person will do an interview of their own but you will work in groups of 2-3 so your teamwork skills will be developed. All workshops are relevant to the final assessment; full attendance is expected, along with completion of the preparatory reading beforehand.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate good knowledge of the major uses of oral history methodology and of specific projects as examples of these
2. Demonstrate good knowledge of the ethical questions underpinning the methodology and the risks associated with it
3. Demonstrate practical knowledge necessary to carry out an oral history interview
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Demonstrate the ability to look beyond information content to underlying patterns within the material and carry out analysis accordingly
5. Demonstrate awareness of how the methodology is relevant to the discipline of your own programme of studies (this may be History, Anthropology or Area Studies, for example)
Personal and Key Skills6. Work in small teams to realise a project and support others in realising theirs
7. Generate and manipulate film and/or sound recordings effectively
8. Demonstrate effective presentation skills

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Group presentation (reflecting on interviewing each other)15 mins1-5Verbal feedback from peers and teacher
Draft list of interview questions and interviewee profile (teacher must sign off before interview)1000 words1-3Verbal (if requested, written) feedback from teacher

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
30070

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Ethical and Risk Assessment301500 words1-2Full written (verbal on request)
Oral History Interview and Reflective/Analytical Presentation60Materials from the interview, comprising: transcribed clip of up to 5 minutes, edited version (sound/film) of the interview suitable for digital archiving; written draft of presentation with any relevant images. 15-minute presentation (individual or group, as appropriate)3-8Full written (verbal on request)
Class participation1011 x 2hr seminars1-2, 5Written
0
0
0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Ethical and Risk AssessmentEssay to be set by module convenor (2000 words – 30%)1-2August/September reassessment period
Analytical EssayEssay to be set by module convenor (3000 words – 60%) 1, 4-5August/September reassessment period
Seminar ParticipationSee notes (10%)1-2, 5See notes

Re-assessment notes

There can be no referral/deferral of the seminar participation element of assessment (10% of mark) – the original mark will be carried over in the event of referral/deferral of other elements of assessment.