THDA 265 - The Oral History Project

This seminar trains students in the methods and theories of Oral History which have become so important for contemporary artists engaging with “real” subjects and social locations. Of particular concern for the course are questions about what it means to work between orality, work in the field, and the documentations of writing. Secondary, primary, and other sources are all used for this research project, in which students learn to evaluate their deployments of sources, as they contribute to critical reflections on their own critically creative working processes. Throughout the semester, students examine theories and methods of oral history, orality, performance, and writing - at the same time that they develop research for their own ‘oral history’ projects in Theatre and Performance research. Alternate years. (4 Credits)