Oral History: From Theory to Practice

Course Timetable:

Registration: Fall 2025

Course duration: January - March 2026

AABC Anti-Racism Bursary

This course is eligible for the AABC Anti-Racism Bursary which covers the course registration cost and required textbook(s). More information about the bursary, eligibility, and a link to apply can be found HERE.

Bursary application deadline: T.B.D.

Course Description:

Oral history is undergoing a resurgence, thanks to the digital environment and the Internet.  What are the components of an oral history program? How should an oral history interview be conducted? What documentation is required to ensure that an archives has acquired the rights to ownership and use of the interviews? Using the publications: Curating Oral Histories and The Oral History Reader,  students will be introduced to the theory and practice of conducting a successful oral history program.

Topics for the course modules include:

Module 1.   Introducing Oral History

Module 2.   Administration

Module 3.   The Interview

Module 4.   Description and Transcription

Module 5.   Technology and Preservation

Module 6.   Public Outreach

Module 7.   Case Studies

Students will receive, by electronic mail, a Self-study Guide which includes instructions, supplementary readings (where applicable), self-study questions, and in most modules, a practical project. The self-study questions and projects will be submitted to the Instructor for evaluation. Upon successfully completing all the course assignments, students will receive a certificate of completion for the course.

Students can expect to work about 10-12 hours per week on readings and assignments for the duration of the course.

Instructor: Lisa Glandt, AABC Education and Advisory Services Coordinator

Cost: AABC members $350.00 (CAD) / Non-member $500.00 (CAD); plus the cost of the course textbooks

Textbooks: print and digital versions of the 2 textbooks are available

• Nancy Mackay. Curating Oral Histories (Routledge, 2nd ed; 2016)
• Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson, eds. The Oral History Reader (Routledge, 3rd ed; 2016)

Student Comments on the Course:

“I just want to say how appreciative I am of you running this course, and also a big thank you for all the valuable information I have learnt over the last few months. I have officially pitched developing an oral history program at my current place of employment and I will be using the resources and knowledge I have studied here to help get it started. So thank you!"

"I'm excited to take what I've learned and apply it in a more practical setting in the future. The course material was very interesting and has inspired me to seek out oral history projects of my own, both personally and professionally."