Life Course Interview paper
Life Course Interview (100 points total; Interview Proposal = 25 points & Final Interview Paper = 75 points): This is a three-part assignment. You must: 1) submit the “Interview Proposal” as described below; 2) conduct the interview using feedback you receive on the interview proposal; and 3) submit the “Final Interview Paper.”
You MUST focus your interview on a specific theme or topic and interview someone age 50 or over. For example, you may want to interview your person of choice about their experience growing up during the dust bowl, the great depression, or during the 1960s. You may also want to interview someone about their work experiences, perhaps someone in the field you hope to be in one day. Be sure that your interview questions are based on the overall theme of the interview. Then be sure to let the person know what that theme is, for example, “I would like to do this interview to learn more about your experiences growing up with 11 siblings” OR “It is my goal to run a non-profit agency some day and I am eager to learn more about how you came to be in your position.” You will want to ask as many questions that you will need to complete a high quality reflection paper. You can choose from the example questions below or come up with your own. Please be sure to ask open-ended questions (not questions that are answered with “yes” or “no”).
When asking questions, please remember that certain topics may be sensitive. Therefore, you need to make sure the questions are appropriate and approached in a sensitive manner. This is one of the main purposes of receiving feedback on your proposal. Please also remember that what is sensitive or difficult for you may not be for someone else. And, more importantly, what is not difficult for you may be for someone else. It is essential to let the person you are interviewing know that they can choose not to answer any question at any time.
THE INTERVIEW PROPOSAL (25 points): You will need to submit a typed, one to two page summary of your plans for the Life Course Interview (the proposal) on or before February 17th, 11:00pm (via the D2L Dropbox). This write-up must include: 1) information about the person you plan to interview; 2) the focus/purpose/theme of the interview; and 3) the specific questions you plan to use to guide the interview and the order in which you plan to ask them. We will give you feedback on this proposal in order to make your interview most effective.
Example questions (Please be sure to ask open-ended questions, not questions that are answered with “yes” or “no”) 1) Who was your role model and how have they impacted your life??2) What is your career, how did you choose it, how much education did it take??3) What do you believe was the greatest influence on your life and how has it influenced where you are today?
4) How have your relationships (marriage, siblings, parents, grandparents, etc.) impacted your career??5) What stage of your life was the most memorable and why??**Please remember that these are simply examples. You must choose and create questions that are appropriate for the person you are interviewing and the specific topic of your interview**
THE INTERVIEW PAPER (75 points): The key element required for the paper is that you explicitly link the interview responses directly and clearly to the course content (not just the text but the course lecture material as well). Simply put, it must be absolutely clear that you have taken the material from this course and applied it throughout your written paper. You MUST specifically and clearly address how the course material is reflected (or contradicted) in the interview material you collected. DO NOT give me a transcript of the interview. You can provide quotes from the interview that were stated by the person, but what I am most interested in is how you apply and reflect on what you learned in the course in light of the interview material. If you directly quote the book, you are expected to cite it and put the page number. Otherwise it is acceptable to say things like, “according to Santrock…” and paraphrase text segments. Paraphrasing, instead of quoting, actually demonstrates your deeper understanding of the course material…and that is a plus.
Note that you will not cover the entire life course. You will likely focus on major topic areas like retirement or parenthood… and I fully expect that. You are encouraged and expected to reflect thoughtfully and apply the course content to the interview. I do not expect you to cite resources other than your assigned materials for this course (lecture and assigned readings).
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