AIST 365

WEEK 6

OVERVIEW OF FINAL PROJECT

TODAY

• Overview of Final Project
• Quickwrite and Pair Share
• California Indian History
• In Class activity
• Reading Questions

ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Oral history projects are a powerful tool to learn more about a member of your family or community. Interviews will reveal personal, social, economic or cultural factors that affect one’s experiences, perspectives, and identity.

In AIST365 You will work on an oral history project. In class you have been presented multiple forms of oral history and storytelling. Oral history is an engaging way to learn about history from the people who lived it. You should identify 1-2 people you would like to interview. You will have the opportunity to sit down with someone in your life who you would like to learn more about. Ideally, this person will be able to share information of unique perspectives about their lives or events that have shaped them.   

Some prep work will be done in class. However, you will be tasked with completing a folder and submitting documents that will not be done in class. The project will help you build intrapersonal skills and encourage you to think about other ways of knowing and doing that are not just in the classroom. This opportunity will encourage you to reach out to an individual who you want to get to know more or who you think has lived an impactful life.  

Throughout the class you should keep a folder dedicated to the assignment. The folder is due in week 16.

• Contents of the folder should include  
• Title Page 50 points
• Index 50 points
• Proposal 100 points
• Interview Questions 100 points
• Interview Transcripts 100 points
• Reflection 100 points

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E-FOLDER 100 POINTS

• Title Page 50 points
• Index 50 points
• Proposal 100 points
• Interview Questions 100 points
• Interview Transcripts 100 points
• Reflection 100 points

PROPOSAL 100 POINTS

• The purpose of the proposal will provide an overview of your project. The proposal will go in your e-folder.
• Your Proposal should include:
• Project Title:
• Project Coordinator: YOU
• Interviewee:
• Provide a brief overview of the project.
• What is the goal of the project?
• What would you like to find out about your interviewee?
• Is there anything you are interested in learning about them or their life?
• Why do you want to interview you this person? What motivated you?
• How will this information be used?
• Discuss the goals of the project and what you want to uncover
• How do you plan to use this information in the future?
• What topics will you like to cover in the interview?

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 100 POINTS

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You will create interview questions that you are interested in knowing about your interviewee. These questions should be well-thought out. In class, we will develop some interview questions you can use in your project. However, some questions will be specific to your interviewee and you will need to create them at home. You will also do 2 practice interviews in class with fellow classmates.

Interview Tips:

• Allow the interviewee to do the talking.
• Ask "open-ended" questions, such as, tell me about, describe, etc., what do you remember about?
• If the interviewee responds with just a yes or no, ask how, why, when, where, who.
• What the interviewee chooses to tell you and how they choose to tell it is just as informative/revealing as the actual answers they give.
• Avoid “closed-ended” questions that can end in a yes or not, or single fact.
• Examples, were you there?  What was date of that?  Did you like that?
• If you get a short answer, follow up with tell me more, who, what, when, where, how and why.
• Do not ask leading questions – was it this or that? Or I thought that the most important thing was…..These have been demonstrated to affect interviewee’s answer and will taint your interview.
• Ask one question at a time and try to ask simple questions.
• Try to ask follow-up questions – tell me more, who, what, where. 
• To stimulate their memory, use “statement questions” such as, “In 1956, you traveled to Tibet to conduct research.  How did that trip come about?” 
• Focus on recording their personal experiences, rather than stories about others or that they have heard. If you’re getting general stories, say tell me about your role, describe how you felt that day or dealt with that crisis, etc.
• Don't worry about silences. Let the interviewee think and take time before they answer.  Look at your outline and check off topics if the interviewee needs time to think.
• Note what types of questions your interviewee responds best to and try to adapt your style to what works best with them.
• Let the interviewee suggest topics to you that you might not have thought of.
• Allow the interviewee to drift off to topics not on your outline. These can be the best part of your interview.
• After an hour or less, ask interviewee if they would like to take a break. Write down the last words as you turn the recorder off.
• Provide the interviewee with feedback by nodding, smiling, listening attentively. Try to avoid too many verbal responses that will record over the interviewee, such as “Really!’ or “Uh-huh, uh-huh.”
• Don’t be afraid to politely question information that might be incorrect – ask for a clarification, or say something to the effect, “Oh, I’m confused, I thought that Mrs. X was involved in that.”
• Reword questions that the interviewee does not answer – they may not have heard what you thought you asked.  But they have the right to not answer if they don’t want to.
• Do allow the interviewee to tell “THE STORY.” Most interviews have a favorite story. They will fit it in somehow, so let it happen!  Allow some repetition since additional details may emerge with a second version, but don’t allow your interviewee to keep telling the same story over and over.

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THE INTERVIEW & TRANSCRIPT 100 POINTS

You will conduct an interview with the person you identified to do the project with. After the interview you should provide a written transcript to go in your e-folder.

• Helpful tips
• If interviewee is interested, set up a time and place for the interview. Also request any background information the interviewee might want to provide.  Check about the best place – somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed.  Request at least two hours for the interview session.
• Write a follow-up email confirming plans for the interview that discusses the goals, and how the interviews will be handled. Provide a very general list of topic areas and ask them to think about topics they would like to cover.
• Conduct basic biographical research on your interviewee. Conduct internet searches.  Ask others about topics you should cover, stories they should tell.
• Develop a chronology of the important events in their life. Develop lists of personal names and terms important in their life, such as geographic names where they traveled, names of important family or community members. 
• Rework the question outline, making it relevant to this interviewee, deleting topics that don’t pertain to them, and adding areas, such as organizations they were involved in, etc.
• With the equipment, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE until you can use it in your sleep. Practice interviewing family members and friends.  Make sure that you have all the necessary pieces of equipment, such as the recorder power cord and an extension cord.
• The day before the interview, confirm time and place.
• Bring with you: equipment, extension cord, cell phone (in case of equipment problems), question outline, chronology, terms, etc., extra paper for notes and a pen.  Also bring throat lozenges or hard candy, in case throats get dry.  If possible, bring a camera and take photograph of the interviewee at the interview.  Ask for permission.
• When you arrive, assess room for sound. Turn off equipment, close doors, and rearrange furniture into a comfortable arrangement facing each other close enough to hand photos but not too close.  Set up equipment so you can monitor it constantly and discretely, without turning away from the interviewee.
• Go over the list of topic areas again and permissions again.

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REFLECTION 100 POINTS

Write 3-5 page Reflection paper should focus on the student’s experiences throughout the project. Your paper should be formatted to include an introduction, body and conclusion. You paper can include the following themes: 

• Paper should focus on the student’s experiences throughout the project. You should provide the answers to your questions in essay format. Some of the questions you can address, include:
• Discuss the evolution of the project
• Process and difficulties in research or question development;
• Experience of conducting the interview.
• Did you have to improvise questions? Why or why not?
• What did you learn about the interviewee that wasn’t revealed during preparatory research?
• Did the interview meet your expectations?
• What was challenging about the interview process?
• Would an in-person interview have been different?  
• What would you do differently next time? 
• What can your whole family/friend group learn from this interview? 
• How does this individual’s history contribute to the overall history of your family? 
• If you had to opportunity would you conduct another oral history interview? Why or why not? 
• New knowledge you gained about their topic and history. 
• *Please provide thoughtful discussion.  

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PRESENTATION 100 POINTS

• You will present to the class in week 15
• Share your Experience
• What worked? What didn’t work?
• Show an example (transcription, voice recording, etc.)

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BREAKDOWN OF THE ASSIGNMENT IS AS FOLLOWS:  

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• What are some things in your life that you hold important and have a deeper story too that others just don’t know.
• How can we integrate the knowledge we gain from listening to stories into the actions we perform in the real world?

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