Mastering Oral History:A Concise Guide
International Workshop

There will be two groups (same workshop, different time).

Group 1: 11:oo am Amsterdam time (+UTC 2) for participants from Europe, Africa, Asia & Australia
Group 2: 19.00 pm Amsterdam time (+UTC 2) for participants from the American continent
Find your timezone here

Course Facilitator: Konstantinos D. Karatzas, Ph.D

The Idea

GIRES, the Global Institute for Research, Education and Scholarship is committed to offering the tools that support the endeavors of global scholarly community.
Oral history, a highly significant source of information, has been underestimated for decades.We, in GIRES, believe in the power of personal testimonies and that we ought to understand, explore, respect and preserve history. Local history and oral testimonies can have a great magnitude and affect our understanding of the past. Global history is shaped by such clusters of information; personal stories can offer clear view of past events, describe a forgotten reality and even help us re-write history. Despite if we consider such information important, oral history can be instrumental in the formation of collective memory and the shaping of national identities.

The Aim

Our workshop offers a step-by-step guide that will help you find your way through the maze of an oral history project. During the workshop you will learn about the essential tools and actions so you organize, manage and lead a successful project. We designed the workshop in a dynamic way so it can be beneficial for all participants despite their experience in such a field. Students, young scholars independent researchers and history, culture and tradition enthusiasts are welcome in our friendly and welcoming GIRES environment.

The Outcome

Participants will improve their academic skills, introduce oral history in their work, engage with oral tradition and also record and preserve unwritten stories in a professional way. During the workshop we will explore all the techniques an oral historian uses and we will cover all the steps from beginning to the end of project. A substantial part of our workshop is dedicated to discussing your personal projects and through our Q&A you will find all the useful information that will improve your work. With more than 2,500 interviews in four countries (United States, Canada, Greece and Spain) our facilitator, will share his experiences and advice and through the dialogue he will try to answer all your questions. We hope that our workshop we will help you create the project of your dreams!

Thematics

-Framing a Project
-Organizing and Preparing
-Interviewing Techniques
-Essential Equipment and Software
-Voice and Video Recording
-Documentation and Legal aspects
-Interviewer and Interviewee: Setting the Outline
-Note Taking and Interview Basics
-Transcription, Indexing and Citing Oral History
-Preserving and Protecting Material
-Disseminate your Project- Blogging and Sharing
-Oral History in Scholarly Projects- Dos and Don’ts
-Oral History in Education & its Role in Memory Preservation

** After the session, all participants will be provided with the relevant material presented during the workshop**

Due to the restrictions of Corona Crisis our event (for the time being) will take place virtually

Duration: 4 hours
Format: Live Zoom Sessions
Accreditation: Official GIRES certificate