Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA3048: 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 and in addition to doing an interview you will produce analytical written work which also surveys the scholarship and community projects done in the past. 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 excellent knowledge of the major uses of oral history methodology and of several oral history projects comparable to your own
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
4. Demonstrate a strong knowledge of existing scholarship in your chosen domain of oral history and its relevance to the work you are undertaking
Discipline-Specific Skills5. Demonstrate the ability to look beyond information content to underlying patterns within the material and carry out academic analysis accordingly
6. Demonstrate strong 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 Skills7. Work in small teams to realise a project and support others in realising theirs
8. Generate and manipulate film and/or sound recordings effectively
9. 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 mins1-4, 7Verbal feedback from peers and teacher
Draft list of interview questions and interviewee profile informed by specific methodology chosen (teacher must sign off before interview)2000 words1-4, 6Verbal (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
55045

...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 Assessment (including examples from other oral history projects)202000 words1-2Full written (verbal on request)
Oral History Interview and Reflective/Analytical Presentation35Materials from the interview, comprising: transcribed clip of up to 5 minutes, edited and transcribed version (sound/film) of the entire interview suitable for digital archiving; written draft of presentation with any relevant images. 15-minute presentation (individual or group, as appropriate)3, 5, 7-9Full written (verbal on request)
Analytical Essay contextualising interview project with literature review354000 words1-2, 4-6Full written (verbal on request)
Class Participation1011 x 2hr seminars1-2, 6Oral
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 Assessment (including examples from other oral history projects)Essay to be set by module convenor (2000 words – 20%)1-2August/September reassessment period
Project and PresentationSubmission of materials for archive (see above) plus reflective/analytical essay of 2000 words OR Where no primary interview materials are available, essay (e.g. using open access oral history archives for analysis) to be set by module convenor (4000 words). (35%)1, 4-5August/September reassessment period
Analytical EssayLiterature review/disciplinary contextualisation essay to be set by module convenor (4000 words – 35%)1-2, 4-6August/September reassessment period
Seminar ParticipationSee notes1-2, 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.