Anthropology

DREXEL UNIVERSITY- ANTH 101: Cultural Diversity:

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

INFORMED CONSENT FORM FOR INTERVIEWS

Once you have identified a person whose experiences or story can contribute to your understanding of your topic, you will need to set up a date to interview them. You should approach them expressing your interest, why you’d like to interview them, why their interview can contribute to your knowledge of a topic. Once you have established your interviewee, and have set up a date for the interview, you will need to obtain their “informed consent” which grants you permission to interview them. Often times the interviewer records and transcribes the interview, as it can help with note-taking and matters of memory. If you record the interview, you need to ask permission from your interviewee to do so. NB: This option requires that you submit your questions, transcript of the interview or the audio or videotape of a 45 minute to one hour interview along with your final paper.

Prior to your interview, go over the following points with your interviewee:

1. Share with your interviewee that this project is for the educational purposes of familiarizing students with interviewing as an ethnographic research method for a course at Drexel University. Discuss how they will be asked to answer questions posed by you (the student-interviewer) as part of an interviewing process in order to gain understanding about a particular topic _____.

A. Discuss with your interviewee the value you will gain as a result of listening to their experiences or story. Acknowledge how their participation will contribute to your (the student’s) knowledge of a particular topic or subject matter discussed in a course at Drexel University. As such, “their voice” will add a qualitative dimension to a topic that you or your research team is researching.

B. Stress that participation in the research project is totally voluntary.

C. Orient the interviewee to the expected timeframe for the interview i.e. the interview will take a total of 45-60 minutes. They may stop at any time, if they feel any discomfort about any proposed questions. The student-interviewer should be prepared with several appropriate interview questions ahead of time. Recognize that there may be times the interview may go off track, but honor the interview; follow the responses. Listen carefully to what your interviewee wants to share. Gently return to your interview questions (s). In listening, you may be inspired to ask questions to clarify, explain or elaborate.

D. Inquire if they have any questions about the interview or the interviewing process? All questions should be directed to the student-researcher. (In the event that the interviewee has any questions that the student cannot answer, the interviewee can contact the course instructor at 215-406-0507 or email at [email protected] ).

2. Discuss how their signature indicates that they are giving their informed consent to participate in research for your project:

Participant:

I agree to participate in the interview as an educational program affiliated with a course in the Department of Anthropology of Drexel University.

I understand the information given to me, and I have received answers to any questions I may have had about the research procedure. I understand and agree to the conditions of this research as described.

__________________________________________________ _______________

Interviewee signature Date

_________________________________________________ _______________

Photo consent Date

NB: you may want to ask permission for taking a photo so as to bring in a visual dimension to humanize your qualitative research, or perhaps take a photo of the two of you collaborating on the interview.

If you are going to record the interview, ask your interviewee’s permission to audiotape or videotape the interview.

Student-Researcher Section: The informed consent procedure has been followed, and that I have answered any questions from the participant[s] above as fully as possible.

_____________________________________________ ____________________

Student-researcher signature Date

*Be sure to thank your interviewee for sharing their experiences, and ask if you can contact them if you should have any follow up questions after your interview.

**Transcribe your interview.

*** You can draw from your interview to support key points in your Final Paper. You can cite in the References section of your paper Example: Doe, Jane. Personal interview. November 17, 2018, and you can reference the interview within your paper as an in-text citation in parentheses. Example: (Doe, J. Interview, 2018).

Course instructor: Jenna Musket, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology

Department of Anthropology

Office: Suite 340. 3201 Arch Street

e-mail: [email protected]