Interview Essay - Due 04/13/2020 at 2300 (11pm)

InterviewResearchPaper.pdf

Home >English homework help >Interview Essay - Due 04/13/2020 at 2300 (11pm)

Interview Research Paper Since our interview essay centers around an older person and their experience (either indirect or direct) of the civil rights movements, you’ll have a chance to research some of the events Coates’ mentions in his book. Timeline

Ø Choose interviewee and schedule interview (today)_______________________ Ø Conduct and record interview (this week)_______________________ Ø Transcribe interview (this week/weekend) _______________________ Ø Begin writing your interview essay by Sunday evening)_______________________ Ø Turn in a rough draft of your interview essay for peer-review

_______________________ Ø Final draft of your interview essay due in 2 weeks _______________________

Steps to Write Your Interview Research Paper

This essay has multiple parts, and you’ll have a better experience writing the essay if you plan ahead. Follow these steps to manage the interview and writing process.

Step 1: Choose your interviewee and schedule your interview.

Since you’re interviewing someone about what they remember of the 60s and 70s, you might want to ask them to briefly describe that they remember when you first ask to interview them. This will guide you in setting your interview questions. You’ll ask someone who had experiences through the media different questions than a person who was at a school that receiving bused children or even someone who actively participated in movements.

You’ll interview an older adult who has experienced the civil rights movement and the radical movements in the 70s. Your interviewee does not need direct experience in any of these movements; they just need to have been in the US during these times and have had some exposure to the movements either through the media like TV and radio, personal experiences such as busing, or direct participation. Potential interviewees might be grandparents, older family friends, people in social organizations you frequent, or professional colleagues. If you don’t know anyone who lived during the 60s and 70s, contact me.

Step 2: Develop interview questions.

During your interview, you want to ask open-ended questions that encourage your interviewee to share. An example of an open-ended question is “What has happening in your life during the Birmingham bombing of 1963, and what did your family think about them?” Your questions should encourage longer answers that draw out memories and personal experiences related to the events during the 60s and 70s.

Adjust your questions depending on how familiar your interviewee was with the events during the 60s and 70s. This goes without saying, but

Use the themes that come up during our theme discussion forums or that interest you from BTWAM as a guide for developing your questions.

In an interview, you are in the driver’s seat, so it’s best to direct your interviewee by developing questions about topics you have already researched.

Step 3: Conduct your interview, and record it.

Bring your questions, a note pad, and a recorder (smart phone, recorder, etc.) to keep a record of your conversation. As you conduct your interview, encourage your interviewee to do most of the speaking since their ideas and experiences are the focus of your interview. Write down any follow-up questions you have about what your interviewee states, and wait until your interviewee has finished talking before you ask the follow-up questions.

Step 4: Transcribe your interview.

This step may take some time, so give yourself several hours to listen to your recording and write down what was stated word for word. It’s best to group the speaker’s words into paragraphs, and skip a line when a new person speaks. Write the speaker’s name followed by a colon right before you begin transcribing their spoken words.

For example

Maya Angelou: You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing.

Jessica Morrow: What advice did your mother give you?

Angelou: You may encounter many defeats but you must not be defeated.

Morrow: When was a time in your life where you overcame defeat?

Your transcript is not your essay. It will be included as an appendix at the end of your essay.

Step 5: Write your essay

Your essay will be organized in a similar way as your mindsets essay. You’ll begin with an introductory paragraph and you’ll end with a conclusion paragraph.

Your body paragraphs will be organized around what you learned during your interview. Each body paragraph will begin with a topic sentence previewing what you learned, and the rest of the paragraph will include paraphrases from your interviewee and your outside sources placing your interviewee’s words in a larger historical context. Your topic sentences should NOT be direct quotes, nor will they be questions; your body paragraphs should be statements previewing the "thing" you learned addressed in that paragraph. If you choose interview questions about key events in the civil rights movement or the 70s, it will be MUCH easier for you to find outside sources before conducting your interview.

You’ll need to use reputable sources to write this paper, and I recommend you use the databases for opposing viewpoints in context, The New York Times and American NewsPapers 'USA' among other databases of your choice. If you are on campus, you are automatically logged in. If you are off campus, you'll need to sign in. Your user name is the first part of your Delta student email (example: dgarcia999), and your password is the same as your delta email password; if you have never logged into your Delta student email, your login is your PIN, the same one you used to register.

Be sure to include a works cited page to reference your sources. Use section 56b in Rules for Writers as a reference when creating your works cited entries or use the Purdue Owl MLA Works Cited pages as a guide (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/m la_sample_paper.html). Assignment Guidelines

1. In your introduction, explain who your interviewee is and why you want to interview him/her. In your thesis, briefly list what you have found out or what the interviewee has taught you.

2. In each of your body paragraphs, describe one thing that you have learned through the interview. This should correspond with the order of previews in your introduction. It can be what you have found out about the person, or what the interviewee has taught you.

3. Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence previewing the main idea and purpose of the paragraph.

4. Use paraphrases from your interview and your outside sources. It’s okay to use direct quotes where appropriate, but the majority of your paper (90% or more) should be your words and paraphrases.

5. Add comments after a quotation to connect the quote to your writing. If a quotation does not deserve comments, it does not need to be there. Your essay should not be just a series of quotes from the person. Rather, the quotes should be an integral part of your essay, in your description of things you have learned through this interview.

Ø When you introduce outside sources, remember the three steps of citation: Introduce your citation before you cite. Tell the reader who the person is. This adds credibility to your citation. Cite. After citation, comment

connecting the citation to your essay. This is an area many of us need to work on. Please remember to do this.

6. Incorporate the larger social historical context of the person’s life as part of your essay. It should flow naturally with the rest of the content. You need to make connections between your research and your interview findings. Your research can serve as background information, comparison, or support of your interview. The key is integration. What you have found through research should enhance and strengthen your essay.

7. Your essay will be 3 or more pages, MLA formatted, double spaced, typed, size 12 font. Attach your interview question, notes and transcripts at the end.

8. Use MLA in-text citations for the content related to your research. Include a “Works Cited” page at the end of your paper.

9. Include at least five outside sources - one book, one magazine article, one newspaper article, one online database or electronic article.

Basics about MLA works cited entries

According to MLA style, an interview that you conduct should be included on the Works Cited page. List the interview by the name of the interviewee. Include the descriptor "Personal interview" and the date of the interview, as in the following example:

LastName, FirstName. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2018.

Imagine I conducted an interview of Rita Ora for my interview essay on September 31, 2019. My works cited entry would be

Ora, Rita. Personal interview. 31 September 2019.

In the body of your paper, the interviewee's last name should appear in a parenthetical citation where needed. For example: (Ora).

Here is a sample citation for an article from a database. See pages 431 and 440 in Rules for Writers for additional guidance.

Garcia, Andrea. "Congress funds 1st year of college for all students." New York Times 15 Feb. 2016: 18. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times. newyorktimes.proxy3.noblenet.org/article/595609.

Here is a sample citation for a magazine article. See page 442 in Rules for Writers for additional guidance.

Crosby, Francisco. “The meaning of life.” Salon, 15 Oct. 2019, pp. 32-37, www.salon.com/2019/10/15/the_meaning_of_life.

Here is a sample citation for a book. See page 446 in Rules for Writers for additional guidance.

Crosby, Francisco. “The meaning of life.” Salon, 15 Oct. 2019, pp. 32-37, www.salon.com/2019/10/15/the_meaning_of_life.

ESSAY OUTLINE

Introduction Paragraph

o Hook o Background

§ Your background sets the stage for your thesis and what comes in the body of your essay. You might describe why you chose to interview this person or provide basic information about their lives.

o Thesis should preview the categories, or things, you learned during your interview (i.e. the focus of each body paragraph)

Body Paragraphs (3 or more)

o Topic sentence previewing what you learned during your interview. Some students choose to write a body paragraph about each questions they asked during their interview since this is a logical grouping, but remember to focus on what you learned. Don’t use your interview questions as topic sentences, and don't use a direct quote as a topic sentence. Your topic sentence is names the main idea of the paragraph.

o Supporting sentences include paraphrases from your interviewee with information about the historical events related to your question sprinkled throughout. The goal is to place your interviewee’s experiences and words in a larger historical context.

o Use paraphrases whenever possible and a minimum of direct quotes. 90% or more of your essay should be your own words including paraphrases of other's ideas.

Conclusion

o Bring closure to your essay by restating the main ideas of the essay. o Add in a “So What” statement explaining why this interview was important in a

larger context.

Here is an example of an interview essay that a student in a previous semester wrote. As you read the essay, you'll notice some errors, but this essay will give you a better idea what you're essay might look like.

Outline Template

You're welcome to use the following outline when writing your interview essay.

Attention Getter (quote, question, startling statement, general fact, etc.)

______________________________________________________________________________

Background (explain who your interviewee is and why you interviewed the person. Give basic demographic information about your interviewee)

______________________________________________________________________________

Thesis Statement: preview the categories, or things, you learned during your interview

Previews:

Topic Sentence #1 ______________________________________________________________________________