Research Seminar in Gender & Sexuality Studies (350-4-20)

Topic

Queer Oral History

Instructors

Martha Allegra Robinson Rhodes

Meeting Info

555 Clark 230: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

"Oral histories are particularly vital to gay history, since written records of our past rarely exist or have been destroyed", wrote the San Francisco Gay History Project in 1979. The belief that oral history interviews are the primary way to overcome archival erasure has shaped feminist, radical and LGBT history projects. However, the advent of queer theory has called some of these assumptions into question. How far does oral history privilege the voices of those who are "out", visible and confident? How is the relationship between interviewer and interviewee altered when both parties are LGBTQ (or assumed to be)? Finally, how can historians build a complex picture of the past when we are reliant on those who are willing to speak?
This class provides a unique opportunity to unpack queer theory through the practical methodologies of conducting and analyzing your own interview projects. We will work on this step by step throughout the term, with consistent feedback and support to enable you to become an independent researcher.

Learning Objectives

1) Identify and explain oral history theories and methods
2) Evaluate the relationship between oral history, queer theory, and queer activism
3) Interpret primary sources in context
4) Conduct independent research

Teaching Method

Class discussion, readings, and an independent research project

Evaluation Method

Participation, writing assignments, presentation, final paper

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Distro Area