Real World History: Intergenerational Learning & Student Oral Histories of The Great Migration

By Max Peterson

Part retrospective, part analysis, and part lesson plan, this thesis is an investigation of an ongoing student oral history project in Washington, DC. The Real World History program is a year-long, after-school, applied history course open to DC high school students attending public and public charter schools. Since 2014, Real World History students have preserved local history through a community-engaged oral history project. Collaborating with older adults in their community, students engage in inter-generational relationship building, contribute to the oral history resources of the DC region, and learn to think like historians.

Alongside the course creator, Cosby Hunt, I have co-taught the course since the fall of 2017. In three parts, this thesis will trace the development of the Real World History program, interrogate the historical contributions of student oral history projects, and outline a new structure for the class’s oral history project.

Max Peterson Born and raised in New Hampshire, Max Peterson studied History and African American Studies at Boston University. Since graduating from BU (CAS ’16), Max has been working in the museum field and teaching at the secondary level. His research interests include 19th & 20th century African American history, Black women’s history, and oral history education.