PLEASE READ FULL DIRECTIONS
I want you to make up a person you are interviewing. Someone who is from San Diego and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.
Academic Interview: Interview someone in your field / major / department on campus, such as a professor, an academic advisor, or grad student. The goal is to learn more about current events, authors, sources, your major.
Assignment parameters:
Prepare about 10 open-ended questions for the interviewee. Several examples are listed here. NOTE: Getting to only 4-5 of them is fine, and probably means you chose good questions, if the answers they elicit are substantial. An interviewee’s responses may lead to other unplanned questions and exchanges, that is usually a good thing! Having more prepared more questions than you get to is just good preparation, and will help you feel more confident and comfortable.
NOTE: Record your interview (audio, using your phone) after asking permission, to ensure you quote the person accurately when writing this Report document later.
Written Report should be >600 words. Lead report with an Introduction of the person, brief bio about who they are, their job(s), their research interests, location, etc. State your interview format (in-person, phone, etc.). Report body should be paragraphs, with optional bullet points containing complete-sentences notesunder each bullet, or similar. Include at least 3 direct quotations, and a few paraphrases in your own words. End report with ~100 words as a summary/brainstorm about what interested you most, and why. List a few source names, research areas, and keywords you plan to look into, that you learned from the interviewee.
Practice MLA Citation by modifying this listing at the top or bottom of your document: Lastname, Firstname. Personal interview. Date. Also, not part of MLA but recommended to include after: Place (if in-person), and Format (phone, in-person, Zoom, etc.).
Here are the 10 questions you can “ask” in your interview. Make up the responses as you deem fit. You can also just put placeholder names in your report.
- What initially attracted you to this particular field or industry?
- How do you stay updated and continue learning in your profession?
- What should undergraduate students be doing during undergrad to prepare for our
- What advice would you give to someone who is considering entering this field?
- What is a controversy in this industry, why is it controversial, whats your position on it?
- What are a couple names of leading or interesting voices in this industry or field? Pioneering, award-winning authors, to research?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of being within your chosen field?
- What type of jobs can you find in this field?
- What are some key challanges that are in this field and how can you overcome them?
Careers?
What was an experience or class you took that you found beneficial?
