Oral History 101: Method, Craft & Uses

In this workshop, learn what oral history is; how it can be used in, and on behalf of, nonfiction projects (including journalism, nonfiction writing, and film); and the fundamentals of practicing the form—skillfully and ethically—in the field.

History, as most of us are taught in school, has long been written by, and for, the powerful, and historical archives are often considered fixed bases for “fact.” Oral history turns these notions on their heads. In this course, we’ll embark on understanding both how to do oral histories, and some of the ways they can be used in crafting narratives in various genres and forms. Together, we’ll look at exemplary oral history interviews, nonfiction narrative projects that build off oral histories, and develop relational interview skills that foreground trust and rapport, power-sharing, careful questioning, deep listening, and consider the notion of co-creativity. Students will be introduced to, and have an opportunity to practice, a variety of oral history skills they may apply to projects and pursuits—narrative or archival in nature; in written word, radio, or film—of their own.

This course is suited for all levels, from the oral history “curious” coming to the method for the first time to experienced writers, journalists, filmmakers, educators, and scholars.

We will spend our mornings together in an intimate, seminar-style class, in which we will explore oral history as a form—where has it come from, what does it look like and sound like when it’s done well, and what are some of the narrative forms in which it can be used?—as well as learn and practice a variety of oral history skills. We will break for lunch, then reconfigure for listening and reading oral histories with group reflection and/or fieldwork exercises (a.k.a. practice interviews). We will end each day with one-on-one consultations between students and instructor to discuss how oral history can be fitted into, and used to amplify, existing projects, or think through pursuing and structuring future oral history work, based on each student’s particular work and needs.

Students must come with a recording device, either a digital audio recorder or a smartphone with an audio-recording app. Headphones are recommended, as is a laptop or tablet. No other materials, save a notebook and pen, are required for this course.

Students will complete the course equipped with the fundamentals of oral history that will enable them to pursue, and utilize, oral history projects of their own.

Testimonials:

“Sara’s oral history class was the best I’ve taken in my entire educational career (truly). She didn’t just teach us methodology—she showed us how oral history lives in the real world and what it can do. I’m carrying those tools directly into my own work, and that’s entirely because of Sara’s teaching.”
-Amanda Najib, PhD Candidate in Teaching & Learning, New York University

“Sara’s oral history workshop was extremely informative and helpful. I so appreciated how her work is grounded in empathy and ethical considerations of her interviewees.”
-Dr. Miki Kaneda, Associate Director, New York University Center for the Humanities

“Sara’s oral history course completely reframed how I think about storytelling and the ethics of listening. Her teaching invited us to approach interviews not as data collection, but as an act of relational care: one that reveals how people make meaning of their own lives. I left the class with a deeper appreciation for presence, narrative, and the subtle power dynamics of bearing witness.”
– Aubrey Aust, Psychology & Philosophy MA Candidate, New York University