Humanities Homework Help
Southeastern University Dr. Despres Interview Paper
Instructions:
This interview can be done in person, by phone, or via e-mail.
Choose one:
An elected official at the local, state, or federal level
Someone outside government who is engaged in community organizing
A pastor, to find out how he might understand Christian civil and community engagement
An officer or leader of a nonpartisan civic organization, such as Rotary, Kiwanis, PTA, Chamber of Commerce, etc.
Write a two-page paper (double-spaced, with title page, and reference page if needed) describing the interview. You should introduce your interviewee and incorporate your questions into your paper in the correct format.
Questions should not be phrased in a way that they could be answered with a yes or no.
- Bad question: Do you think Christians should be involved in local government?
- Good question: How should Christians be involved in local government?
- (Hint: Questions that begin with “how” or “what” tend to be good.)
- When writing the interview, keep yourself out of the picture.
Bad writing: I asked if Christians should be involved. He said yes. I asked if local governments could do anything about abortion. He said no.
Better writing: John Smith took some time on September 12 to speak with me about the Christian’s role in government (last time you appear in the paper). Smith believes that Christians have even more responsibility to be involved than non-Christians. He thinks Christians should…
- In other words, you do not have to write out the question. Make that clear from your writing. If you are repeating the person’s exact words, use quotation marks; if not, introduce an indirect quote with “that.”
Example: Smith said, “Christians make the best government employees.” OR
- Smith thinks that Christians are the best public servants. (Notice that I paraphrased here.)
