ORAL HISTORY

The course is among the Core Educational Activities of the Master's degree course in History; 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

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

The foundamentals of oral history. The practice of in-depth interviewing. Historiography that used oral sources. The technologies of speech: orality, writing, recording. Oral archives. Digital turn in oral history. Oral history and public history.
In addition, each student will have to conduct an interview on a common theme, this year inspired by Studs Terkel's classic book, Working (1974), recently translated into Italian.
Detailed information on the texts and activities required for the examination will be added near the beginning of the lessons within the ‘Learning Agreement’ published on the course's Moodle page.

1. Bruno Bonomo, Voci della memoria. L'uso delle fonti orali nella ricerca storica, Roma, Carocci, 2013.
2. Alessandro Portelli, Storie orali. Racconto, immaginazione, dialogo, Roma, Donzelli, 2007 (pp. 3-126, pp. 235-250, pp. 323-340, pp. 349-448).
3. Studs Terkel, Working. Le persone parlano di ciò che fanno tutto il giorno e di quel che pensano di ciò che fanno, Bologna, Marietti 1820, 2024.
4. Texts and materials shared on the course Moodle page.

Detailed information on the texts and activities required for the examination will be added in the "Learning Agreement" published on Moodle at the beginning of classes.

The learning assessment will be a written examination on the reference texts. The examination aims to check that the reference texts and documents presented in class have been read and understood.
In an oral examination following the written examination - on a date to be agreed upon - individual work consisting of a paper of approximately 8-10 thousand characters or an audio essay will also be assessed.

written and oral

Written exam (75% of the overall grade).
Paper or audio essay discussion (25% of the overall grade).

Lectures and seminar discussion on texts.