Oral History: New Approaches in Writing a Contemporary Korean History
Course Introduction
Through topics where oral history has been used as an important part of the study of Korean modern history, this course provides an opportunity to examine the flow of Korean modern history from various perspectives and to think about the value of the voices of those involved in historical events from a universal perspective. Also, to perform actual oral storytelling, the course introduces the methodology for conducting actual oral history research in Korean modern history.
Course Structure
This course consists of 11 weeks in total, and the instructor’s lectures will run for 10 weeks. Each week’s lecture consists of 5 to 6 videos depending on the topic of the lecture. Learners are required to watch the lecture videos and complete non-video learning elements such as quizzes and supplementary reading materials to fulfill the course requirements. To complete the requirement of the lesson each week, learners must finish all assigned tasks. In the last week (Week 11), students will conduct an oral storytelling project using the contents of the entire course and submit a final report.
Subtitles
Korean, English, Chinese
1. What is Oral History
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1
1-1. Definitions of Oral History and the Incipient Moments of Oral History in Each Region and Country -
2
1-2. Objectives of Oral History and the Effects and Significance of Speaking and Listening
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3
1-3. Characteristics of Oral Storytelling and the Methodological Differences among Oral Storytelling, Testimonies, and Interviews
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4
1-4. Main Themes of the Course and the Themes of Korean Contemporary History
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5
1-5. About the Final Project
2. Oral History Research Conducted in Korea
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6
2-1. Liberation, National Division, the Korean War, and the April 19 Revolution
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7
2-2. Important Events and Characteristics of the 1960s and 1970s; the May 18 Democratization Movement
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8
2-3. Background of the Democratization Movements during the 1980s and the Significance of the June Democratic Uprising in 1987
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9
2-4. Cases of Recorded Testimonies after 1987
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10
2-5. Characteristics of Oral History Research after the 2000s,
3. The Jeju April 3 Incident and the May 18 Democratization Movement
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11
3-1. Cave Fortifications in Jeju Island, Sites of the April 3 Incident, Size of Victims of the Incident, and the April 3 Literature
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12
3-2. Legal Definition of the Jeju April 3 Incident, Oral Testimonies on the Incident, Investigation of the Truth of the Jeju April 3 Incident, and the Meaning of Oral Histories
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13
3-3. Citizens’ Resistance and the Repression of the New Military Regime in Gwangju during May 1980; Why and How May 18 was Not Reported
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14
3-4. Issue of Firing from Helicopters and Troops Opening Fire on the Citizens
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15
3-5. Enactment of the Special Acts Regarding the Jeju April 3 Incident and the May 18 Democratization Movement
4. Experiences of National Division and the Korean War
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16
4-1. Mian Scenes of the Korean War and Its Aftermath
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17
4-2. The Nogeun-ri Incident, the Tragedies of Bombing and Civilian Massacres
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18
4-3. Stories of Becoming Soldiers of ROK and DPRK; the National Defense Corps or the Second National Corps Incident
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19
4-4. Formation and Characteristics of Camptowns, the Background Behind Women Working in Prostitution, and the Involvement of the State
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20
4-5. Negative Perception of Multiracial Children; the Background and Characteristics of Overseas Adoption
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21
4-6. Issues on Orphans and the Lives of Vagrant Children
5. Refugees and Resettlement after the Korean War
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22
5-1. Time Period and Scale of the War Refugees
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23
5-2. Fleeing Route Designated by the Government and the Regulations Regarding the Accommodation of Refugees
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24
5-3. The Operation to Evacuate Heungnam; Refugees along the Western Coast; Stories about the American Cargo Ships
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25
5-4. The Refugee Resettlement Project, the Implementation, Scale and Operation of the Project
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26
5-5. Land Reclamation and Development as the Result of the Refugee Resettlement Project and the Issues of Aid and Discrimination
6. Violations of Human Rights under the Social Control during the 1960s and 1970s
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27
6-1. Background behind the Formation of the Pioneering Group and the Experiences of the Victims before and after the May 16 Military Coup
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28
6-2. A Mass Marriage to Resettle the Men of the Pioneering Group; Issue of Distributing the Questionnaires in Advance
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29
6-3. Size of Farmland the Pioneering Group Created and the Problems in the Distribution of the Farmland
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30
6-4. Disbandment of the Pioneering Group in Seosan; Stories about the People Who Left after Land Distribution in Jangheung; the Current State of the Issue of the Pioneering Group
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31
6-5. Fishermen Who Returned after Being Kidnapped to North Korea, Background, Arrest, and Forced Interrogations
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32
6-6. Surveillance, Isolation, and Stigma That Extended to the Families and Relatives of the Fishermen Who Returned after Being Kidnapped to North Korea
7. The Sabuk Uprising by Miners and the Female Concentration Camps in the 1980s
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33
7-1. What is the Sabuk Coal Mine Struggle
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34
7-2. Collusion between the Government and the Mining Company; Control, Torture, and State Violence
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35
7-3. Women Living in Coal-Mining Towns and Their Struggle; Changes in Sabuk after the Struggle
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36
7-4. The Act on the Prevention of Prostitution, the Social Purification Movement, and the Women’s Institutions
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37
7-5. Human Rights Violations Occurred in the Women’s Institutions and Women Who Tried to Escape from the Institutions
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38
7-6. Social Background from the 1960s to the 1980s and the Meaning of Oral Narratives in Korean Contemporary History
8. Act of Speaking by the Families of the Victims of MV Sewol
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39
8-1. How the Sewol Ferry Disaster Turned into a Social Disaster; Last Contact between the Victims and Their Parents
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40
8-2. Jindo after the Disaster; Ansan and the Stories of the Victims; Organization of the Victims’ Families at Paengmok Port and Jindo Gymnasium
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41
8-3. Rescue was Not Happening; Sadness and Grief of the Parents Who Lost Their Children
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42
8-4. Activities Carried out to Urge an Investigation for the Truth
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43
8-5. Government’s Reaction to the Bereaved Family Members’ Demand for the Enactment of a Special Act; Damages Caused by the Sewol Disaster
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44
8-6. Problems of the Press and the Political Circle; Changes in the Social Perception; Difficulty of Remembrance and Commemoration; Lives of the Bereaved Family
9. Preparation for Oral Storytelling
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45
9-1. Method of Oral Storytelling; Types of Storyteller; Issue of Contacting the Storyteller
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46
9-2. Necessity, Methodology, and Issues Regarding Preliminary Meetings
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47
9-3. Issues of Choosing a Place to Conduct the Storytelling; Method of Writing a List of Questions
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48
9-4. Example of a List of Questions: A Member of the Pioneer Group from an Orphanage and a Female Citizen from Chuncheon
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49
9-5. List of Questions and Equipment to Prepare; Points to be Careful about When Filming
10. Methodology of Oral History and Conclusion
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50
10-1. Types of Questions That Should be Avoided and Open Questions
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51
10-2. How to Ask Questions Well; Importance of Taking Notes
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52
10-3. How to Write the Interview Log; Significance and Use of the Recorded Oral Storytelling
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53
10-4. Significance, Necessity, and Method of Writing Transcripts
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54
10-5. How Oral Material is Used by Public Agencies and Museums
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55
10-6. Review of Each Lesson
A Ram Kim
A Ram Kim is a researcher of contemporary Korean social history. She earned a doctorate from the Department of History at Yonsei University for her research on the influx of refugees and the Refugee Resettlement Project in Korea. She is currently a professor of the Department of Global Convergence Humanities and History at Hallym University. Her research endeavors to elucidate power, society, and the lives and wills of subjects in a multi-layered manner. She is also seeking ways to interpret the experiences of the person involved at local fields through research and education.