Part 1:
Please choose two oral histories from UC Berkeley’s Oral History CenterLinks https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/bancroft/oral-history-center/projects to an external site. collections to review, compare, and analyze. The only condition is that the oral histories should address some aspect of California history. Above all, they should interest you! See the March 1, 2023 class presentation in Module 2 for additional guidance.
In 200 words (one paragraph), explain why you have chosen the two oral histories to review, compare, and analyze in this Module.
Use polished prose and reporting verbs. Continue to work to be more concise and eliminate extraneous verbiage or unnecessary words.
Part 2:
In 300 words, provide brief summaries of each of the two oral histories plus 20 annotations (10 quotes from each oral history)
Your 300-word summary can build upon the paragraph you submitted on Monday, March 6, by providing additional detail about the oral histories you have selected.
Select 10 direct quotations from each of the oral histories you have selected, for 20 total direct quotations.
Briefly annotate each quote you have selected, by trying to identify common themes you are finding in the two oral histories. This should help you begin to see the outlines of your analysis due later in this module. While these themes can vary in their particulars (we will discuss further on Monday, March 6) , they should generally address the question of what makes someone a good member of society.
Part 3:
1. Summarize (300 words, or one paragraph), summarize the Pew Research Center study’s findings;
2. Select 4 quotations from the study that you think might be relevant to your oral history analysis. Provide a brief annotation for each selected quote, about the possible relationship between the quote and your oral history selections;
3. Use polished prose, with reporting verbs.
Part 4:
In this 1,000-word assignment, you will revise your existing draft historical analysis to:
Choose ONE oral history to analyze from the UC Berkeley Oral History CenterLinks to an external site.. This oral history should be one you have already identified in the most recent course assignments and drafts.
Drawing on evidence from the oral history transcript, answer these two questions through your analysis: How does this individual understand what it means to be a good member of society? How did they practice their citizenship and community participation in California?
The structure of this historical analysis should take this format:
First paragraph: Introduce the individual you have selected to study and your thesis (1-2 sentences), addressing these questions:
How does this individual understand what it means to be a good member of society?
How did they practice their citizenship and community participation in California?
Second paragraph: Provide brief context for the oral history source: When did the interview take place? Why was the individual interviewed? What topics, overall, are covered in the interview (as you can best describe them from the table of contents or description)?
Body of narrative: In the next 3-4 paragraphs, provide your analysis of a minimum of 3-4 selected quotations (your primary source evidence) taken from the oral history transcript. Make reasonable inferences from the selected quotations/evidence to analyze how this individual understands what it means to be a good member of society, and how they practiced their community participation. You can think expansively here, from this person’s life, about how they understood being a good member of society, etc.
Last paragraph/conclusion: Summarize your analysis here, and extend the significance to potential larger meanings about California and Bay Area history. It is ok to suggest potential larger implications in your conclusion.