Oral History: Community Memory and Passionate Listening May 12, 2011

Instructors: Gregory L. Sharrow, VFC Director of Education and Andy Kolovos, VFC Archivist.

Oral history is a powerful tool for engaging with collective memory, identifying shared values, and understanding how human beings draw on the past to inform action in the present.

Intended for students, community members, staff members of non-profit cultural, community and social-service agencies interested in ethnographic interviewing for oral history research.

This class provides insight into the role of oral history in cultural sustainability, the theories underpinning oral history research, and hands-on training in oral history interview techniques. The class begins with a demonstration interview followed by group discussion of the ethnographic interview process. Attendees will then work as teams to conduct interviews with invited guests using provided digital audio recording equipment. The day concludes with reflection on interviewing and a discussion of project ideas.

Official Website: http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/education/cultural-sustainability/workshops.php