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. The technologies of speech: orality, writing, recording. Oral archives. Digital turn in oral history. Oral history and public history.
Each student will have to carry out an interview, taking care of the different phases: registration, transcription, presentation in written form (paper).
More information will be added as classes begin.

1. Alessandro Portelli, Storie orali. Racconto, immaginazione, dialogo, Roma, Donzelli, 2007 (saggi scelti).
2. Buone pratiche per la storia orale. Guida all'uso, a cura di Alessandro Casellato, Firenze, Edit Press, 2021 (saggi scelti).
3. Testimonianze e Testimoni nella storia del tempo presente, a cura di Gabriella Gribaudi, Firenze, Edit Press, 2020 (saggi scelti).
4. Walter Ong, Oralità e scrittura. Le tecnologie della parola, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014.
5. Texts and materials shared on the course Moodle page.

Detailed information on the texts and activities required for the examination will be added as classes begin.

Written exam on the reference books + oral discussion of a paper from an interview, which must be agreed with the lecturer and will be discussed during the examination.

Lectures and seminar discussion on texts.

Italian

written and oral