It is through interviews with people such as Reverend Wright, Reverend Brown, and Isaac Martin that students have collected information and provided primary source material on these areas for future generations. The Oral History class is designed to train students to conduct interviews through readings and observations, and to provide practical experience through the assignment of a research project. Some of the projects that have been researched include Lydia Moreten's prize-winning research on textiles in the Seabrook community, Steve Gonser's work on the history of the Palmira Baptist Church building, a Civil Rights project completed by Dan Fornea, and The Women of Irene project by Gail Whelan. All history majors are encouraged to take the oral history class at AASU because it brings in an integral part of history that lies outside of the traditional textbook. According to Dr. Fertig, oral history, itself, is a way to make history more populist, and it gives a different perspective of a particular subject or event.
Oral history is one more valuable method of research.
Back to the top For More Information Contact Dr. Barbara Fertig in the Armstrong Atlantic State University History Department.