Texas Communities Oral History Project

HIST 30803/30813 – Spring 2013 – Sign Up Today!

(see full course info below)

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Two Classes for the Price of One! (OK, not exactly…)

• Learn about community organizing and civil rights direct from the source!
• Even though it looks like two courses, it is in fact a single combined section worth six credits.
• The class centers on students working independently in small groups to conduct research projects based on oral history interviews with community activists in Fort Worth.
• Although it officially meets Tu/Th from 2pm to almost 5pm, class will end early most days. Most of our class time will be workshop time in which you work with your small groups on your own oral history project.
• Students will have input in choosing a specific topic and group partners, but most projects will deal with African American civil rights, Mexican American activism, or labor issues (the focus of the class).
• It’s a great opportunity for folks to get off campus and learn about the world around us (and it counts as a service-learning course).
• The course is part of the larger Texas Communities Oral History Project.  Click here to read a recent article about the project in the TCU Skiff.
• Students must sign up for both courses at the same time (see formal names and descriptions below).  Email me at m.krochmal@tcu.edu if you have any problems.

Enroll Now!

Official Course Description: HIST 30803 – Recent U.S. Urban History: Race, Space, and Community Activism

Using books, articles, and seminar discussions, students will be introduced to recent U.S. urban history, with a focus on race and racism as well as theories of community activism and grassroots social movements.  Students will complete weekly reading journals, two synthetic essays, and a semester-long small-group library and archival research project on urban community activism.  The course fulfills upper-division credit for the History major or minor, the Urban Studies minor, and the Latina/o Studies minor.  It also satisfies Cultural Awareness (CA) or Citizenship and Social Values (CSV) TCU Core Curriculum requirements.  Students must enroll in both this course and HIST 30813.

Official Course Description: HIST 30813 – Oral History Field Research Seminar

This service-learning field research course introduces students to community-based research and oral history theory and methodology, including interviewing techniques and debates within the discipline.  Students will conduct extensive independent research outside the comfortable confines of the university.  With the professor’s guidance, and in collaboration with community partners, students will hit the pavement to interview Fort Worth-area community activists and leaders.  They will then compile and interpret the results and finally synthesize their findings by creating a multimedia website. Students must enroll in both this course and HIST 30803.