Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA3048: Oral History: Principles and Practice

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

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.

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Publications

Das, V. (2000) ‘The Act of Witnessing: Violence, Poisonous Knowledge, and Subjectivity.’ In Das et al. (eds). Violence and Subjectivity, pp. 205-225.

Gershovich, M. (2003) ‘Stories on the road from Fez to Marrakesh: oral history on the margins of national identity’, The Journal of North African Studies, 8:1, 43-58.

Gluck, S and Patai, D. (eds) Women’s Words: the Feminist Practice of Oral History.

Neyzi, L. (2010) ‘Oral History and Memory Studies in Turkey.’ In Kerslake C., Öktem K, Robins P. (eds). Turkey’s Engagement with Modernity: Conflict and Change in the Twentieth Century.

Perks, R. and Thomson (eds) (1998, 2006)The Oral History Reader. 2 editions.

Portelli, A. (1991). ‘What Makes Oral History Different?’ In The Death of Luigi Trastulli and Other Stories, pp. 45-58.

  - (1997) The Battle of Valle Giulia: Oral History and the Art of Dialogue.

Richter-Devroe, S. (2016) ‘Oral Traditions of Naqab Bedouin Women: Challenging Settler-Colonial Representations Through Embodied Performance’ Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies, vol. 15, No. 1 : pp. 31-57.

Ritchie, D.(2003) Doing Oral History: A Practical Guide.

Shryock, A. (1997) Nationalism and the Genealogical Imagination: Oral History and Textual Authority in Jordan.

Teskey, R. and Alkhamis, N. ‘Oral History and national stories: theory and practice in the Gulf Cooperation Council.’ In Erskine-Loftus, Hightower and Ibrahim al-Mulla (eds) Representing the Nation: Heritage, museums, national Narratives and identity in the Gulf Arab States.

Tonkin, E. (1992) Narrating our Pasts: the Social Construction of Oral History.

Yow,V.R. (2005) Recording Oral History: A Guide for the Humanities and Social Sciences. 2nd ed.