SEM - 453 Caring and the Human Experience in Society

Students will meet with a person of their choice to complete a conversational interview. The objectives for this assignment include using analytical and interpretive skills, as well as reflection, to describe the meaning of human responses associated with human caring.

Interview Guidelines

The resulting conversation should be compiled as a narrative report.

  • Summarize the interview, incorporating the responses of the person interviewed. Do not write a verbatim interview.
  • Reflect on the interview and incorporate personal reflection on the conversation and the experience.
  • Address all the prompts.
  • Incorporate links or connections with the ideas of one or more scholars/themes from our class discussions. 
  • Interviews are anonymous; do not include names.  
  • Be sure to use the reflection guidelines distributed during our first class. The guidelines are also posted in Blackboard.

Refer to the Interview Grading Rubric for grading guidelines. Total point value: 13 points. Refer to the syllabus for course Evaluation Methods.

Criteria:

  • Summary of interview, including responses of the person interviewed, incorporating connections with the ideas of one or more scholars/themes from our class discussions. (2 pages maximum)
  • Personal reflection on the conversation and the experience (1 page minimum)
  • Address all prompts (see below)
  • Minimum of 900 words/3 pages
  • Include a title page. The title page is separate from the rest of the document and does not contribute to the final page count.
  • Times Roman Font - 12
  • Double space, 1-inch margins
  • Proof using Grammarly and submit the completed interview via SafeAssign in Blackboard.
  • Bring a paper copy to class on the day we are discussing the interviews to use as a reference during the discussion

Interview Suggestions

Asking the right way    

Being an interviewer involves more than just asking a few questions. It’s important to ask in a way that will lead your subject into longer stories.     For example, if you just ask, “Did you have fun as a kid?” the person can answer “Yes” or “No” and stop there.     But you can get more interesting stories by asking more open questions, such as “Tell me about the kinds of games you played as a kid. What were your favorites? Why? What sports did you play?”

Consider recording the interview, with permission from the interviewee, to allow you to return to the conversation and support deeper reflection.

Interview Assignment Prompts

Questions to Guide your Interview and Written Discussion

  1. Describe what it means to care for another human being?
  • Describe what it means to be a nonviolent human being?
  • Why should a society care?
  • Describe one of your first memories of being cared for by another?
  • What is the relationship of caring and nonviolence?
  • Describe an idea/s for creating a more caring and less violent society?

Incorporate links or connections with our class discussions and/or the ideas of one of the scholars when summarizing the interview. 

Interview Reflection Prompts

  1. Describe a key insight that you gained about caring or not caring from the interview?
  2. Can you relate to any of the comments from the interview?
  3.  Did any comment(s) surprise you?