ACTUAL INTERVIEW OPTION

Instead of viewing the oral history videos, you can choose to interview anyone who has lived through a significant historical event or period. This person can be a man or woman, young or old, American citizen or foreign. In addition to providing the person’s name, age, and occupation, have them answer questions and write down their responses in 4-5 pages (please include the questions that you used). YOU MUST write about your own thoughts about this person’s experience and their recounting of the story. Try to find out how international and national historic events have influenced them and how they have influenced events.

1. Introduction: Why did you choose that person? Where did you conduct the interview? When? 2. The actual interview written as a transcript (your question and their answer) or as a narrative with quotes. Be sure to include your thoughts. 3. Conclusion: What was most interesting? What did you learn? What inspired you? You can use the following questions or you can design your own interview questions (at least 8-10 questions minimum). Please adapt the questions for the person you are interviewing and feel free to edit or have your own. Where were you born? What was life like growing up? What hardships did you face? Where did you go to school? What was your first memory of a national or international event outside of your own family? What was your first job? Did you serve in the military? If so, was it during wartime? If not military, what did you do after high school? What career did you pursue? How did events outside of your own family influence your family and you? (e.g., war, economic depression, immigration, etc.). What is one of the most humorous events in your life? What was one of the most tragic? (ease into this question, it is an emotional one) What are the most important lessons you have learned from your lifetime of experience? How have historical events or eras influenced your thinking about today or the future?