Your Assignment: A Historical Interview
Note: Your topic will be need to relate to this course and be approved by the Professor.
Interview an older person about a specific event or set of events. Please name your source, and give at least a brief biography of the person. Disclose your relationship to the person. Explain why they were important, and why you chose the person as well as the significance of the event(s). Write a report summarizing your findings. Examples: The attack on Pearl Harbor (a specific event); the Cold War (a set or series of events). Please understand that you do not need to track down a war hero; any person with a memory about an event is fine. Please restrict your topic to before 2010, as I want you to cover an event of which you have little or no personal memory (Please make it earlier if you are a nontraditional student.) Almost any topic is acceptable, with one exception: the assassination of President Kennedy.
Specifications
Your term paper should be at least four pages typed (more than 1000 words). The paper should follow a standard style. Papers must be typed and double-spaced, using only ten or 12 point type. We need a heading which includes the title of your paper, your name, the class number, and the date. Include a separate bibliography or works cited page with all relevant information on your sources. The paper should be submitted (uploaded) to me by going to the Term Paper Submissions link under the Term Paper Module.
Citations
History papers are based on historical information. The source of that information must be cited. Sources should be cited within the paper; failure to do so will require a revision, and an automatic grade penalty. Please use a standard style.
Paper Format
A) Begin with an introduction, explaining the topic of the paper B) Continue with the main body of the paper, which will be the majority of your work C) An opinion section, in which the student should note their interpretations. D) A conclusion, reviewing the student’s general thesis.
Sources
At minimum, the use of six sources is required. Any combination of legitimate sources, such as books, newspaper/magazine articles, computer information resources, and television programs, is acceptable. Do not use Wikipedia. Papers having less than six sources will be penalized 10% for each shortfall.
Expectations:
Your paper should be written carefully with attention to the subject matter, style, spelling, and punctuation. Papers are expected to be clear and coherent, of college level quality. Sources should be cited within the paper. Your paper should be grammatically correct and free of typographical errors. Papers with large numbers of errors will be returned ungraded for correction. Carefully proofread your paper, and then have a friend proofread for you. Use your spell check program, your grammar check program, and even a dictionary. Ask for help (as early as possible) from the instructor if you need it. Students who have concerns regarding their writing skills are urged to seek assistance, beginning with the Success Center, which provides a variety of academic services to all students.
Please proofread your paper to make sure you do not do any of the following:
Avoid all contractions in formal writing. Be especially careful with the usage of its/it’s: “Its” is a possessive form of “it.” “It’s” is a contraction for “it is.” (five point penalty)
Cite all sources within the text. (automatic ten point penalty) • Avoid tense shifts. Ordinarily, history papers should be written in the past tense, since history is the study of the past.
The paper must be a creative and original work – that is, written by the student for this assignment. (automatic failing grade) • Use your own words. Papers that consist of a series of quotations, with little original content, will not be accepted. (automatic failing grade)
Do not use Wikipedia. (automatic five point penalty)
Do not write about the assassination of President Kennedy. This topic is a problem as otherwise rational people turn into raving conspiracy theorists when asked about this subject. Plus, this topic leads itself to unreliable sources and misinformation in books and on the internet; I want students to deal in facts.
Organizing and Conducting the Interview
When preparing to conduct the interview, try to plan ahead to know what topic you want to focus on. Examine several sources beforehand to familiarize yourself with the topic at hand. Prepare a list of questions for the interview. Put the simplest questions, like biographical data, at the beginning, and the more complex or sensitive questions at the end. You need not follow this list exactly as other questions will arise during the interview. Interviews are generally improved by giving the interviewee a list of your questions beforehand.
Some tips to make your interview as thorough, accurate, and successful as possible:
Know as much as you can about the interviewee before you go to the interview. • Arrange to conduct the interview in a place and time comfortable for the interviewee, away from noise and distractions.
Be polite and respectful. Be sure the interviewee understands what will be done with the interview, and be careful to protect his/her privacy and rights.
Start your interview with simple biographical information.
The use of recording equipment- audio or video- can enhance the experience and make writing your paper easier. Keep in mind that some people are nervous about being recorded. This recording could become an important piece of family history.
Be aware that there can be subject areas out of your reach. Do not alienate the interviewee by pressing too hard for information he or she does not want to share.
Interviewing can be a stressful and tiring process.
Say “thank-you” and/or send a thank-you note to your interviewee. Remember that they are assisting you.
Evaluation and Grading Criteria
Content 30%
Grammar 30%
Style 20%
Effort/Thoroughness 20%
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