Recording 'Oral Histories' as a pedagogical tool in media studies: A case study

Abstract

This paper introduces 'Recording of Oral History' as a suitable pedagogical tool to inculcate the spirit of inclusiveness, respect for History, feeling of community, bridging knowledge gaps, understanding the importance of public opinion, understanding the meaning and nature of interpretation, respect for diverse perspectives besides learning the skill to conduct fruitful interviews. The pedagogy also sits well with the advances in the digital humanities in liberal arts. The students of 'Interpretative Reporting' Semester III of MA, Mass Communication and Journalism, School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, interviewed senior citizens to collect and record their memories of changing circumstances with time. The interviewees recounted their experiences - historical and personal - creating a veritable memory bank of, 'Then' and 'Now'. As unique as they are similar, their stories are oral histories that were recorded and presented using 'Guide to Transcribing and Summarizing Oral Histories of the Columbia River Highway Project' (Mershon, 2010).At the end of this exercise the effort to bridge the gap between the digital native students and digital immigrant adults around them is successful.