Vietnam: The Oral History Assignment

Assignment objective: To create a primary historical source and to discuss how that source fits into your larger picture of the Vietnam war.

Part 1. A taped interview with a Vietnam veteran.

Ask your subject for a 30–40 minute interview and plan your questions carefully so that you elicit concrete description, vivid memories, anecdotes, and perhaps explanations. Record your interview. Tape the interview. Ask you subject for the pertinent information so that you can fill out the Biography form.

Have your subject sign the subject release form. As you play back the interview, fill out the audio recording log. Go over the check list and make sure you’ve completed all of the paperwork for the Library of Congress. Make sure that the tape itself is clearly labeled with your name, your subject’s name, and the date of the interview.

Part 2. A three-to-four-page oral history based on an interview with a veteran of the Vietnam War.

Transcribe a meaningful section of the interview into a first-person narrative (you do not have to transcribe the entire interview). Omit your own questions. Edit the transcript so that it is grammatical and readable but also preserves the "sound" of your subject. Use the various sample oral histories I have handed out as models for this.

Part 3. An short essay analyzing the oral history in the larger context of the Vietnam war.

Write a two-to-three-page essay--with a thesis--in which you discuss and explain how your source contributes to your knowledge of the war. For instance, you might consider how your subject does or doesn't fit in with our current knowledge or interpretations of the period. Does your subject agree or disagree with other sources you may have read? Use--indeed, show off--your knowledge and reading from this course.

Due date: Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the beginning of class.

Format: Use 1” margins, paginate and double-space. Give your paper an original title.