The interview is one of the most important parts of your ethnographic research because it allows you to gain an insiders perspective on your field site and subculture. A good way to gain authority as a writer is to let the subculture you are researching speak for itself. It is this combination of your outsider and your informants insider views that is key to writing a successful final paper. Your interviewee has insight about your subculture, and you give it order by identifying themes and issues and by unifying the information you collect into a damn fine piece of writing. This writing will embody the feeling of the interviewthe sense of place and of the person you have interviewed.
Goals For This Assignment
– To identify key informants within your field site and subculture
– To create a set of carefully premeditated questions that guide the interview to what you want to explore
– To include a blend of place, description of person, paraphrase, dialogue, and direct quotation
– To blend reflexive reactions and objective writing
– To consider how you will represent an informant (the language you will use to describe that person, the way your reproduce a persons speech, etc.)
– To begin triangulating data to draw conclusions about your subculture.
You will create a 4-5 page paper that must include the following:
– Physical description of the informant and his/her actions, mannerisms, and personality
– A description of the environment in which the interview takes place
– A blend of a summary and direct quotation of the informants words and your conversation with that person
– A blend of objective writing and reflexive reactions
– A reproduction of the informants voice (imitation of the persons real speech: I wanna go instead of I want to go if it reflects the persons way of speaking)
– Selectivity in the use of quotations, paraphrases, reflection, and description that illustrates the interviews purpose
– Triangulate data; you must use at least one secondary source!
– A conclusion that details new knowledge about the subculture that you have gained through interviews
– A references page according to APA style documentation and citation.
It is important that your interviews and your interview paper have a purpose. I do not want to see a write-up of random questions and answers. Each question you ask and each thing you include in your write-up should have a purpose and should contribute to a point.
Call me any time if you have any questions!