CORE Discovery War and Our World

Oral History Project

The Oral History Association defines Oral History as “a systematic collection, arrangement, preservation and publication of recorded verbatim accounts and opinions of people who were witnesses to or participants in events likely to interest future scholars.”  

Important elements of a successful oral history interview include: 

1.       Research—prior to the interview to allow you to be familiar background and with the period so that you are able to ask intelligent questions and understand answers. 

2.       A release form is necessary for you to use the interview for scholarly purposes. 

3.       Sensitive listening is probably the most important quality for an interviewer.  The narrator must know that you are listening.

Some hints: 

Be a good listener—this involves careful attention.

Be sensitive to the interviewee

Be prepared for the interview

BEWARE OF INTERJECTION OF PERSONAL OPINION

Avoid open-ended questions

Try to ask fairly specific questions

Try to ask objective questions

Source:  Idaho Oral History Center

Idaho State Historical Society
War and Our World Exhibit Calendar

The general theme for this project is “The University of Idaho and the Military”

Each group has an interview assignment.  Each group is responsible for making the actual interview arrangements.  Please ask your interview subject if they have any items that would make sense for our exhibit. I have some ideas and you will find things in your Library Special Collections research. Each group has a Library Special Collections research assignment I will distribute these on October 8.

October 1        Introduction to Oral History

                        Group assignments

                        Begin Question Formulation

October 6        List of 8 interview questions due

October 6-

Nov. 1             Schedule and conduct interviews

                        Research in Special Collections

                        Plan Exhibit

Nov. 3 & 5      Mount Exhibit

Nov. 10           Reflection paper due

                        No more than 2 pages

                        Assess this experience in terms of the following:

                        Was the actual interview what you expected?

                        Assess your group experience.

                        What did you learn from the interview?

                        What did you learn from your Special Collections research?

                        What conclusions about the University of Idaho and the military can you make?

                        Evaluate your oral history exhibit effort.

Attach a copy of your team interview questions and your team release form (highlight and print the form below).

RELEASE FORM

UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO CORE DISCOVERY ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

NAME___________________________________________

I hereby give permission for the University of Idaho Core Discovery Class, War and Our World, to use quotations from my oral history interview in their exhibit—November 3—November 20—and in their course presentations.

Signature

Date__________________________________________