AHCOCM404 Record and document Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community history
WHEN: 8th & 9th February 2025
WHERE: King Street Arts Centre, 357-365 Murray St. Perth
Who should attend?
Anyone interested in learning how to do professional oral history interviews.
Beginners, intermediate and advance, those wanting to gain an accredited oral history qualification:
- artists
- musicians
- playwrights
- choreographers
- community members
- historians
- history teachers
- museum and interpretive centre staff
- librarians
- archivists and curators
- students
- academics
- organisations and individuals working to document significant sites
- aged care workers
- health workers
- ranger and land management groups
- language centres and any organisations or community working to preserve languages, stories and cultures
- tour guides
- archaeologists
- broadcasters and producers
- anyone working or wanting to work in the creative industries
The nationally accredited oral history training will be delivered over two days by Dr Elaine Rabbitt. Elaine has developed the oral history training package for AHCOCM404 Record and document Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community history, drawn from the wealth of oral history teaching materials that are available in Australia and overseas.
Too busy to treat yourself to a couple of days of oral history – think again? This is a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in the practicalities of oral history and gain nationally recognised certification. This is a stepping stone for further learning and possible employment opportunities.
The two workshops are practical and hands on. Students will learn how to use professional recording equipment and they can bring their own recording devices. Prior to the workshops students are asked to research and find an oral history and listen to it.
WORKSHOP CONTENT
Workshop One – 6 hours
- Introduction to Oral History and getting started
- What is oral history?
- Guidelines for ethical practice: writing an invitation to participate and informed consent
- Preparing for the interview: interview techniques and questions,
- Cultural protocols
Workshop Two – 6 hours
- Recording stories and how to use a professional recorder
- The interview
- Practice recording: interviewing each other
- Concluding the interview
- After the interview – reflections, storing the interview and uses
- Summaries, transcriptions
Practical tasks to be completed to gain the qualification include:
- Complete assessment workbook containing activities including answering questions re ethical practice.
- Learn how to write a letter of invitation and informed consent to suit your project.
- Use professional recording equipment
- Complete an interview.
- Keep a reflective journal to evaluate the interview context.
Each student will be given individual feedback on their interview.
CERTIFICATION
Those who complete the workshop, an interview and their assessment workbooks, will be awarded their certificate issued by the Goolarri Media Enterprises (GME) Registered Training Organisation No.51278.[i]
COURSE COSTS: $395 (incl. GST)
Oral History Australia members & students: $360 (incl. GST)
Includes enrolment fees, resources, participant handbook, and assessment.
STUDENT TESTIMONIES
A recipient of the State Library of WA’s Terry Campbell award for excellence said:
“It was lovely meeting yourself [Elaine], Doug and the Workshop participants and to be involved with and to complete the Workshop training. It was fascinating being shown the equipment, to have yourself and Doug explain the processes for Oral History Interviewing and then to be involved in the practical aspects.
A 25 year old Singaporean PhD student attended the course:
“This was an extremely comprehensive and informative course, well worth the expense and travel. All the issues we dealt with were important and stimulated lively debate and conversation facilitated well by the experienced Dr Elaine Rabbitt: that of ethics, of technology, of interview etiquette and so on. The assessments were also practical and useful, particularly drafting invitation letters/consent forms and also a mock interview which made me realise I had underestimated how complex the oral history interview exchange was. Although I had a strong grasp of oral history in theory, I came away much better equipped to do it in practice.”
Another student said:
The structure of the course was very interactive and not what I thought it would be. I have been to courses where you have to look at the screen for ages as someone drones on for what seems like hours and hours reading the words on the screen to you. I am glad this course was not like that.
Everyone in the room had an opinion and as we were all from different parts of the world as far as occupation and past interests go it was a fun and interactive two days.
It was good that the instructor was “not from round ‘ere” as it opened us up to her world and brought to mind things we had not even considered. One of those things was dealing with different cultures and some of the ethical issues that have to be considered.
Two days was not really long enough when I think about it but now with the knowledge, I have gained I am more confident that I can move on with my passion to be an Oral Historian.
Recognition of prior learning
If you have completed other oral history courses, workshops or interviews you can apply for ‘recognition of prior learning’ (RPL).
RPL is a way of using your existing skills, knowledge and experience to gain your formal qualification. You will be required to meet the performance criteria for the unit of competency AHCOCM404 Record and document Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community history. RPL cost: $180 incl. GST
To register contact: Elaine Rabbitt [email protected]
