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You may choose to repeat the first Interviewing assignment, finding a second discipline to study, or digging into more depth on the first one you studied.
Instead you may do an in-depth Oral History Interview with someone
Or Interview someone with an interesting story to tell from the news or from a discipline or profession you are interested in. This might be an interview with a noteworthy person from the news or someone noteworthy who can talk about a current issue in the news or the culture. Musicians work, so do artists, so do professors. Remember it has to be interesting.
For requirements for Interviewing Interviewers, consult the previous entry.
If you choose to do an oral history or talk to an important person from your life, read on.
Oral History
Purpose: Develop techniques for stimulating memory. Gain interviewing experience. Get stories. Get new perspectives on the news or current cultural or social events.
Find someone who has lived through an historic event, recent or past. What is an historic event? Did it change their lives? Did it change the world around them? Did it affect them personally? Maybe they lived through an economic collapse, fought in a war. Maybe they were in a flood, a shipwreck. Maybe they attended a major rally, etc.
Senior centers are a good locale, so is a family member.
p. 185 of Anderson will give you helpful hints.
The books of Studs Terkel are a great resource
Consult Oral History for ideas.
Use Sample Interview Report for Interviewing.pdf
as your template. Write up a compelling story.
Read the papers for story ideas. Read magazines. Talk to friends and colleagues about interesting people in their lives. You might want to produce a profile of a coach, or you might want to explore free speech on campus. Find people with expertise, find people who are passionate and informed and writing or speaking about issues or events that interest you.
How to Do The Assignment.
You will choose the topic.
Contact your subject. You will do a short pre-interview with them to determine their relevance to the assignment, their interest and their availability. You will arrange for an interview. You will be sure to tell them exactly what this is for, what you expect from them and how long it will take. If you are going to record the interview, be sure to get their consent.
Write up a focus statement and purpose for the interview. (i.e. If an Oral History, Focus: "My grandfather left Vietnam during the evacuation of Saigon and never saw his sister again.”)( Purpose: My father watches my sister and I very closely. I wonder how much his own experience with his father has shaped his feelings about family safety today.")
Do research. Find out about the person. Find out the context of the events. Write up citations for your research. 3 sources minimum to get the 3 points, but they should be valid and useful sources.
Write up your question set. 5-10 is a good number.
For two questions, do more work. We are calling these super questions and they have their own template of you to follow. They are worth 4 points out of the total. Use this template to help you think develop the 2 questions. Super Questions 2016 .docx
Write up your interview using the sample Interview Report as your template. Sample Interview Report for Interviewing.pdf. The length of your written report should be approximately 3 -5 pages.
Write up a short concluding paragraph. This should follow an academic style- the last paragraph in an academic essay and generally summarizes the essay, presents the main idea of the essay, or gives an overall solution to a problem or argument given in the essay. Or a more journalistic, creative writing approach- Signal this is the last thought, nail the central point for the reader, find a twist, don't sermonize. Use a snappy quote, a story or an idea that you want to leave the reader ( me) with about the topic and or the person. Check out the examples I posted for ideas on how to conclude.
Write up a self-critique. What did you do well, what could you have done better in conducting the interview. What did you learn about the discipline and its use of the interview.
If you are so inclined, you can record these interviews as audio or as video and edit them. However I will still be expecting the rest of the written material. Write up your purpose for this assignment and have it at the top of the page of your report, include your prepared introduction (even you don't use it in the recording), your written question set (including Superquestions,) your conclusion and your self critique
Write or produce as if for a magazine, a newspaper or multimedia programs. Include at least one picture. A well-written background/introduction/summary and conclusion do show how well you have thought through the implications of your questions and the answers you received.
A news story, an interview, any story really, is someone doing something for a reason. That can be your lead, or introduction. The interview report to follow will go into detail and depth, the how and why, based on that introduction.
Remember include 4-5 sentence paragraph of self critique. Assess your performance- what worked, what didn't, did you create rapport? Did it go off topic? Did it follow your plan? Did you like what you ended up with?
Turn in
(The Grading will break down this way.)
1) A clearly stated purpose and focus. ( write both out ) ( 2 points)
Examples:
A) Purpose: My purpose is to find out how this artist uses interviews to get his work in front of the public.
B) Focus: Award winning Digital Visual Artist Ziye Liu Believes Social Media Helps Artists Break Boundaries Between The Artwork and The Audience.
2) A well-written, "background section" as the Sample report labels it, or a "lead or introduction" as I call it. (Check out the example: Sample Interview Report for Interviewing.pdf or any newspaper or magazine article. ( 1 point)
4) Your organized sections,- (Use the sample Interview report handout, or one of the examples I shared from other web sources or your relevant edited audio or video) ( This could be organized by topic, by chronology, by questions - but be sure to take us on a journey from beginning to middle to end) Again, Sample Interview Report for Interviewing.pdf (4 points)
This will reveal your efforts at probing and bringing out details that reveal the story.
5) A short concluding paragraph. A story or a quote can help end a story. So an a smart insight from you about person and the topic. ( 1 point).
--------------------Also turn in as a second separate document(s)---------------------------------------
( These can be one single file, or separate files) )
6) Your research in the style of a simple bibliography. 3 sources minimum. (3 points)
7) Your pre-planned questions. 10 is a good number. Organize this into some form of an arc- for example- a beginning, middle end, or by topic) (4 points)
8) Include your two super-questions in that list of questions. Remember, the question should show your research. Include the citation. (4 points)
9) Short self-critique. Analyze how you did at executing the entire assignment. What worked? What didn't work? How will you improve? (1 point)
If we have time, we will have presentations in class. Choose your best segment, or edit a few exchanges together: Q and A from one part of the interview, followed by Q and A from another part, followed by Q and A from a third. Present enough to adequately share the story you want to reveal. But Short. Your presentation should not be longer than 5 minutes.
Important Person
The topic is up to you. This is wide open. The point is for you to get a sense of what you want to talk about, focus it, arrange for the interview, take a half an hour to an hour and do the interview. You may even need to come back to the person with follow up questions.
Background
An interview is not a conversation, though it feels like one. The skill you are practicing is to be focused, to be clear and to be able to draw a person out. This is about sublimating your ego, listening, wondering and delving into interesting, even perhaps painful conversations.
While doing this, think about how you might answer the very questions you are asking. Which ones seem too hard, which ones make you confused or uncomfortable.
Use some of the out of the box questions you can find thru these links. Just as a way to get folks thinking and talking.
If you've ever watched "The Actor's Studio," with James Lipton, you have heard these questions.
http://www.wowzone.com/pivot.htm (Links to an external site.)
Think about how you would answer them.
Here is another set of questions to consider.
Also, watch how James Lipton interviews Dave Chappelle. All open questions, but in-depth, based on research. Sometimes Lipton knows the stories he wants Chapelle to share and when he doesn't get them, he prompts. It shows the value of research.
https://youtu.be/tITqBhLkZRw (Links to an external site.)
You may choose to repeat the first Interviewing assignment, finding a second discipline to study, or digging into more depth on the first one you studied.
Instead you may do an in-depth Oral History Interview with someone
Or Interview someone with an interesting story to tell from the news or from a discipline or profession you are interested in. This might be an interview with a noteworthy person from the news or someone noteworthy who can talk about a current issue in the news or the culture. Musicians work, so do artists, so do professors. Remember it has to be interesting.
For requirements for Interviewing Interviewers, consult the previous entry.
If you choose to do an oral history or talk to an important person from your life, read on.
Oral History
Purpose: Develop techniques for stimulating memory. Gain interviewing experience. Get stories. Get new perspectives on the news or current cultural or social events.
Find someone who has lived through an historic event, recent or past. What is an historic event? Did it change their lives? Did it change the world around them? Did it affect them personally? Maybe they lived through an economic collapse, fought in a war. Maybe they were in a flood, a shipwreck. Maybe they attended a major rally, etc.
Senior centers are a good locale, so is a family member.
p. 185 of Anderson will give you helpful hints.
The books of Studs Terkel are a great resource
Consult Oral History for ideas.
Use Sample Interview Report for Interviewing.pdf as your template. Write up a compelling story.
Read the papers for story ideas. Read magazines. Talk to friends and colleagues about interesting people in their lives. You might want to produce a profile of a coach, or you might want to explore free speech on campus. Find people with expertise, find people who are passionate and informed and writing or speaking about issues or events that interest you.
How to Do The Assignment.
You will choose the topic.
Contact your subject. You will do a short pre-interview with them to determine their relevance to the assignment, their interest and their availability. You will arrange for an interview. You will be sure to tell them exactly what this is for, what you expect from them and how long it will take. If you are going to record the interview, be sure to get their consent.
Write up a focus statement and purpose for the interview. (i.e. If an Oral History, Focus: "My grandfather left Vietnam during the evacuation of Saigon and never saw his sister again.”)( Purpose: My father watches my sister and I very closely. I wonder how much his own experience with his father has shaped his feelings about family safety today.")
Do research. Find out about the person. Find out the context of the events. Write up citations for your research. 3 sources minimum to get the 3 points, but they should be valid and useful sources.
Write up your question set. 5-10 is a good number.
For two questions, do more work. We are calling these super questions and they have their own template of you to follow. They are worth 4 points out of the total. Use this template to help you think develop the 2 questions. Super Questions 2016 .docx
Write up your interview using the sample Interview Report as your template. Sample Interview Report for Interviewing.pdf. The length of your written report should be approximately 3 -5 pages.
Write up a short concluding paragraph. This should follow an academic style- the last paragraph in an academic essay and generally summarizes the essay, presents the main idea of the essay, or gives an overall solution to a problem or argument given in the essay. Or a more journalistic, creative writing approach- Signal this is the last thought, nail the central point for the reader, find a twist, don't sermonize. Use a snappy quote, a story or an idea that you want to leave the reader ( me) with about the topic and or the person. Check out the examples I posted for ideas on how to conclude.
Write up a self-critique. What did you do well, what could you have done better in conducting the interview. What did you learn about the discipline and its use of the interview.
If you are so inclined, you can record these interviews as audio or as video and edit them. However I will still be expecting the rest of the written material. Write up your purpose for this assignment and have it at the top of the page of your report, include your prepared introduction (even you don't use it in the recording), your written question set (including Superquestions,) your conclusion and your self critique
Write or produce as if for a magazine, a newspaper or multimedia programs. Include at least one picture. A well-written background/introduction/summary and conclusion do show how well you have thought through the implications of your questions and the answers you received.
A news story, an interview, any story really, is someone doing something for a reason. That can be your lead, or introduction. The interview report to follow will go into detail and depth, the how and why, based on that introduction.
Remember include 4-5 sentence paragraph of self critique. Assess your performance- what worked, what didn't, did you create rapport? Did it go off topic? Did it follow your plan? Did you like what you ended up with?
Turn in
(The Grading will break down this way.)
1) A clearly stated purpose and focus. ( write both out ) ( 2 points)
Examples:
A) Purpose: My purpose is to find out how this artist uses interviews to get his work in front of the public.
B) Focus: Award winning Digital Visual Artist Ziye Liu Believes Social Media Helps Artists Break Boundaries Between The Artwork and The Audience.
2) A well-written, "background section" as the Sample report labels it, or a "lead or introduction" as I call it. (Check out the example: Sample Interview Report for Interviewing.pdf or any newspaper or magazine article. ( 1 point)
4) Your organized sections,- (Use the sample Interview report handout, or one of the examples I shared from other web sources or your relevant edited audio or video) ( This could be organized by topic, by chronology, by questions - but be sure to take us on a journey from beginning to middle to end) Again, Sample Interview Report for Interviewing.pdf (4 points)
This will reveal your efforts at probing and bringing out details that reveal the story.
5) A short concluding paragraph. A story or a quote can help end a story. So an a smart insight from you about person and the topic. ( 1 point).
--------------------Also turn in as a second separate document(s)---------------------------------------
( These can be one single file, or separate files) )
6) Your research in the style of a simple bibliography. 3 sources minimum. (3 points)
7) Your pre-planned questions. 10 is a good number. Organize this into some form of an arc- for example- a beginning, middle end, or by topic) (4 points)
8) Include your two super-questions in that list of questions. Remember, the question should show your research. Include the citation. (4 points)
9) Short self-critique. Analyze how you did at executing the entire assignment. What worked? What didn't work? How will you improve? (1 point)
If we have time, we will have presentations in class. Choose your best segment, or edit a few exchanges together: Q and A from one part of the interview, followed by Q and A from another part, followed by Q and A from a third. Present enough to adequately share the story you want to reveal. But Short. Your presentation should not be longer than 5 minutes.
Important Person
The topic is up to you. This is wide open. The point is for you to get a sense of what you want to talk about, focus it, arrange for the interview, take a half an hour to an hour and do the interview. You may even need to come back to the person with follow up questions.
Background
An interview is not a conversation, though it feels like one. The skill you are practicing is to be focused, to be clear and to be able to draw a person out. This is about sublimating your ego, listening, wondering and delving into interesting, even perhaps painful conversations.
While doing this, think about how you might answer the very questions you are asking. Which ones seem too hard, which ones make you confused or uncomfortable.
Use some of the out of the box questions you can find thru these links. Just as a way to get folks thinking and talking.
If you've ever watched "The Actor's Studio," with James Lipton, you have heard these questions.
http://www.wowzone.com/pivot.htm (Links to an external site.)
Think about how you would answer them.
Here is another set of questions to consider.
Also, watch how James Lipton interviews Dave Chappelle. All open questions, but in-depth, based on research. Sometimes Lipton knows the stories he wants Chapelle to share and when he doesn't get them, he prompts. It shows the value of research.
https://youtu.be/tITqBhLkZRw (Links to an external site.)