We Are What We Tell: Oral History Methods & Meanings

This course explores how families (as well as communities) serve as sites for cultural transmission by gathering and studying family and community stories. Focusing on various traditions or a ‘tradition bearer’ in students’ families (or in the local community), we will collect oral histories and consider how these traditions contribute to our sense of individual, regional, and cultural identity. Students will also be introduced to methods of folklore and ethnography, including interviewing, collecting, and other forms of documentation.