In Fall 2023, GSLIS will be offering a new class on Oral History. The class emerges from GSLIS’ ongoing curriculum reform process.

In this hands-on class, students will engage with the theory and practice of oral history as a transdisciplinary field in the social sciences and humanities, specifically the fields of memory studies, history, sociology,  anthropology, psychology and the arts. The main objectives of the course are to learn and practice the skills required to  conceptualize, conduct, analyze and disseminate oral history interviews. Students will learn project design, interviewing, audio recording, transcribing,  indexing, and digital archiving. The goal will be to critically engage in interdisciplinary conversation as students become proficient in underlying principles and practices necessary for conducting and designing oral history projects.

By the end of this course, students will:

• Acquire in-depth knowledge of oral history as a transdisciplinary and global field of study and  practice originating in its modern form in the 20th century; exploring its roots in the social  sciences and the humanities, specifically the fields of memory studies, history, sociology,  anthropology, psychology and the arts. 

• Examine the ways in which oral history theory and practice intersect, in order to  enable those we interview to make meaning of their life experiences and the events they witness. 

• Through intensive fieldwork, students will learn and practice the skills required to conceptualize, conduct, analyze and disseminate oral history interviews.

There are no required textbooks for this class.

The learning outcomes will be assessed through weekly reading responses, a recorded oral history, with a legal release and annotated transcription, an archival plan, an essay, and a project design document.

The class will meet in person at Baruch College on Mondays from 3:55pm to 6:30pm. The class will be taught by Dr. Cynthia Tobar. This class is an eligible elective for the Certificate in Archives and the Preservation of Cultural Materials.