Oral History Interview Project Guidelines

This project is meant to connect students to modern world history through people they know, especially parents, other relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Students should first find an interview partner or partners, who would be willing to talk about how their lives relate to world history in some way, and who would be willing to share those stories in recorded interviews. Possible partners include, but are not limited to parents, relatives, neighbors and/or acquaintances.

Students should inform their interview partners of their rights beforehand, including the right to stop the interview at any time, ask that certain conversations not be recorded, and review and edit the interview transcript before final approval, and students should ask interview partners to read and sign release form (included in handout packet, shared online).

Students should then do some background research on the history that their interview partner(s) want to share in preparation for the interview, and plan on a 30 minute to one hour interview with potential questions ready to ask.

Initial questions about where the interview partner(s) grew up, what life was like at home, in their neighborhoods, schools, and communities, education, work and how things have changed are a good way to break the ice of the interview, learn more about the interview partners, and help set up additional questions that explore important events and experiences related to world history.  Make sure to allow the interview partner to

Open-ended questions (instead of YES/NO questions) usually allow the interview subject to offer more interesting answers. Interview subjects should also keep follow up questions in mind and note questions to come back to later if possible.

Students are encouraged to record the interviews, but should make sure that they have their interview partner(s)' permission recorded before proceeding, and interview partners maintain the right to review final recordings and transcripts and rescind their offer to share their stories.

Make sure to have the interview subject(s) read and sign the interview release form.

Final products MUST include a typed interview transcript that includes a title for the interview, the names of the interviewer and interview partners, and the date and place of the interview.

Final products are DUE Friday, May 16, 2014 by the end of the day. Please see instructor about extenuating circumstances. Email copies of the transcripts to the instructor and the student oral history collection editor for the oral history archival project.

For more information, please check out one or more of the following links below:

 

1. The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide:

This is one of the standard and most comprehensive guides for conducting oral history interviews in the US.

2. UC Berkeley Regional Oral History Tips:

This is a good compact set of tips for conducting oral history interviews.

3. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Oral History Interview Guidelines: 

This is a good guide for those who might conduct interviews with Holocaust survivors, or the survivors of other forms of trauma.