ORAL HISTORY

The course is among the Core Educational Activities of the Master's degree course in History and ACEL; it is also among the Related or Additional Studies of other Master's degree courses.
The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to oral history and to the use of oral sources for historical and social research.

Knowledge and understanding:
- knowledge of research practices with oral sources: interview, transcription, interpretation, conservation
- knowledge of the evolution and of the main exponents of oral history, especially in Italy
- knowledge of the theoretical and epistemological debate related to oral history
- knowledge of ethical, deontological and legal issues involved in oral history
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- ability to apply the research methodology with oral sources
- ability to choose the most appropriate ways to do it
Communication and relational skills:
- know how to present and discuss a theoretical or historiographical text in a seminar context orally
- knowing how to interact in a peer group
- know how to express the results of a research in a short written text

A voice recorder.
At least elementary knowledge of the Italian language.
Knowledge of the essential lines of contemporary history.

The foundamentals of oral history. The practice of in-depth interviewing. Historiography that used oral sources. Oral history and public history. Oral archives.
Each student will have to carry out an interview, taking care of the different phases: registration, transcription, presentation in written form (paper).
This year's monographic theme is Small Voices, because oral history deals with the voices of individuals and groups who have little listening or who are on the margins of society.

1. Alessandro Portelli, Storie orali. Racconto, immaginazione, dialogo, Roma, Donzelli, 2007.
2. Buone pratiche per la storia orale. Guida all'uso, a cura di Alessandro Casellato, Firenze, Edit Press, 2021.
3. A book chosen from a shortlist that will be presented in class.
Further short texts in pdf format will be made available on the e-learning platform moodle.unive.it.

Students who do not attend classes, in addition to the texts above, will study:
4. Bruno Bonomo, Voci della memoria. L'uso delle fonti orali nella ricerca storica, Roma, Carocci, 2013.
5. Testimonianze e Testimoni nella storia del tempo presente, a cura di Gabriella Gribaudi, Firenze, Edit Press, 2020.

Written exam on the reference books + oral exam on the paper.
It's also required a short paper from an interview.
Attending students: 15/30 written exam on the reference books + 10/30 on the paper + 5/30 on participation in lessons.
Not attending students: 20/30 written exam on the reference books + 10/30 on the paper.

Lectures and seminar discussion on texts.
Laboratory on the practice of the interview.

Italian

written and oral