UCSB Hist 4C, Spring 2024, European History, 1650-present

发布时间：2024-05-23

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UCSB Hist 4C, Spring 2024, European History, 1650-present

ORAL HISTORY PAPER ASSIGNMENT

Purpose: What is the use of history? Perhaps the best way to understand the present is to know what

happened in the past, and how and why it happened. Our understanding of who we are increases as we learn more about those around us. In the first paper you practiced one thing historians do: finding sources of information about a person shaping or illustrating modern history. For this assignment you will practice another method of historical research: creating a primary source by performing an oral history interview, and then interpreting it--that is, drawing meaning from it. I hope you will learn something about how historical forces shape our lives, implicitly and explicitly. Maybe you'll even come to see why practicing and studying and knowing about history is important.

How does this project connect to the "European history" topic of this course? You should ask what your interviewee considers to be world-historical events, and to what extent (if at all) they affected that person's life. Also, migration is a powerful world-historical force, and many of us have family origins outside of the United States (or outside of California). Your analysis may assess effects of a migration experience (or lack of one).

Note: the purpose of this assignment is not to find out about any historical event, but to discover which kinds of events affect individuals' lives, in what ways.

Range of Possible Topics: For this assignment you have lots of flexibility: while most students will

interview one person in their family, you may also interview non-family members you know, whose life experience you would like to learn about. If your family or friend lived through a noteworthy event, you may interview multiple family members about their experience of that event. If your family has documents such as photos, letters or other artifacts, snapshots of those documents maybe included in your paper as illustrations or as resources you interpret.

I. Prospectus (due Tuesday May 21, 11:59pm on Canvas). Length: 1 page single-spaced. The prospectus should include:

1. Who you will interview for this paper, and when, where and how will you interview them. (It's ok if you end up changing the scheduled time and place, but you must have a plan.)

a) Ideally, this person will be an older member of your family, but can also be an older friend or

community member. Older interview partners are usually more suitable because they have experienced a longer range of history. You can also aska parent about what they know about their parents'and grandparents'lives. Try to explore how far back you can take your family history. Another possibility is to interview someone younger, like a veteran, or a sibling who has taken a different life course than you did. If a single historical event turns out to be the focus of the assignment/interview, you can interview multiple people/family members about it. That can be done in a group setting, individually, or both.

b) When & how you talked to your interview partner(s) to set this up. You need to do this to be sure they are willing, and to setup an interview time. That is the purpose of the prospectus. A weekend is usually a good opportunity for the longer interview. In person interviews are better than Zoom or phone. The window for this interview is basically May 23-May 31.

. Let the person know that you are interviewing them for a college assignment, and that the interview will last at least half an hour, but maybe up to two hours.

You should offer that they can choose a pseudonym if they want to preserve anonymity. c) Aska few preliminary questions about their background, which you will need for no. 2:

2. A brief biographical sketch of the person--as much as you can say without going into an

extended, formal interview with them. For example: when and where they were born, into what kind of family, where they have lived, what they have done and do for a living, and most importantly: What were the especially meaningful or transformative events they experienced?

3. Given what you wrote in no. 2, think of some historical events that your person has lived through, which may have affected their life. Research and summarize some information about those events. Note how you think those events might have affected that person's life. (In your final paper, you can compare your expectations as recorded here to their actual answers.)

4. Formulate and include some (3-6) additional open-ended questions to ask in the interview. "Open-ended" means the questions can't be answered yes or no, but require an "essay" explanation. The National Day of Listening website has lists of great questions: storycorps.org/participate/great-questions; a tailored list is available on Canvas.

II. The Interview (sometime between May 23 and May 31)

A. Especially if you don't know the person well, introduce yourself and explain the purpose of the interview again. Let them know they don't have to talk about anything they don't want to.

B. Take notes, even if you record and transcribe the interview. Notes do not need to be typed. If you do record the interview, California law requires that you get the person's consent first! (There are many good apps for recording and transcribing, for exampleotter.ai.)

Note the date, time, location and situation at the top of your notes or recording. (I recommend not using a laptop--it creates a barrier between you and your interview partner). As an appendix to your final paper, you will submit at least 1-2 pages (scan or photo) of these notes.

C. As needed, confirm or get more detail about the basic background information in I.2, above. D. Ask your interviewee to tell about their life, from the beginning. Tell them you are interested in

hearing what milestones they consider to be most important and memorable. When they are done you will have a few more specific questions. It is best to let the person talk, without interrupting. Some people may need prompting; others may need to be steered back to telling their life story.

E. Once they have told you about their life, ask them your questions in I.4. above, and about the following questions, in order. In each case, be sure to ask them why.

i. What personal event(s) or people have affected your life the most? How did those events

shape your values? Why? Examples? Can they pick 2-4 pick events that were key to shaping who they are? (If you interview a parent about a grandparent, modify accordingly.)

ii. What was the most significant change of residence in your life? Why? If never moved, why

not? How many generations back do you have to go before you find a migration experience? Which? iii. If you could go back and give yourself advice, what would you suggest doing differently?

iv.What "big history" (world-historical) events occurred during your lifetime? (You may need to talk about what such an event is—major political or economic change, war, disease, natural disaster, etc.) To what extent did any of these affect your life? Why--or why not? If so, how?

III. The Paper (due Sunday June 2, 11:59pm on Canvas)

a. Your paper should be 1200- 1600 words (4-5 text pages) in length, not including the appendix (that is, one page of your interview notes). It may include photos.

b. You must insert the word count with your name and section info at the top.

c. Give your paper a title: what main theme emerged from the interview, what is the theme of your interpretation? Your title choice should indicate one or both of them. You might include an especially striking quotation as a subtitle. Craft a strong leading sentence/paragraph to explain it.

d. About half of your paper should be a summary of the life story as told in your interview, and

about half analysis and interpretation. (These can be intermingled.) You cannot recap an entire life story in detail, since that would leave no space for analysis. IF a historical event turns out to be a main focus, you should do more research for relevant background, and cite any sources you use.

e. Appendix: at least the first page of your notes. Scan, photograph or photocopy the original. IV. Grading

o You will be graded partly on the quality of your interview and life summary (including grammar & style), but especially on how you analyze, interpret, explain and assess the story you were told, relating it to the course content and concepts (any paradigm shifts? EIEIO factors at work?), and drawing meaning and insights about the effects (or not) of world-historical events.

o A: well-written, focused narrative with historical context, and insightful analysis & conclusions.

B: good narrative with historical context and some analysis, error-free writing.

C: merely summary narrative, perfunctory historical context, little or no analysis, mediocre writing.

D: shows little effort in interview or write-up, lacking historical background, no analysis.