Anthropology

Arrange, plan, conduct, and record a short interview (20-30 minutes) with a friend or family member regarding their experience of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the interview is to get a sense of how people in different settings and situations both perceive and have been affected by COVID-19. There is a list of some suggested potential interview questions included at the end of this document, but you may come up with your own questions instead.  We recommend that you have four or five questions ready in advance that you plan on discussing with your informant during the interview.  But remember that your informant might have her/his own concerns about covid-19 that they want to discuss with you.  So be prepared for the fact that your interview might move in a direction that you did not entirely plan on ahead of time.

There are several different ways in which you could approach this interview:

You could ask your interviewee about their general experiences living through this pandemic in general and follow their lead by asking follow-up questions regarding the things they talk about.
You can also focus on a particular aspect of their life that you are most interested in (e.g. working; studying; socializing; mental health, family, friendships) and develop your questions about how covid-19 has impacted that one particular part of their life.
If your annotated bibliography topic is focusing on a research question related to COVID-19, then you could create interview questions that will connect your interviewees own experiences with the topic of your annotated bibliography. (Of course, this would not apply if your annotated bibliography is about a topic other than covid-19). 
If your annotated bibliography topic focuses on a research question regarding a pandemic topic other than covid-19 (such as SARS or MERS or HIV/AIDS), you still might find some connections between your in person interview and your annotated bibliography topic which you could discuss in the write-up of this assignment. (Again, this wont work for everyone).
This interview can be conducted via Zoom or Skype, or it can be conducted in person if you choose to speak to someone you are living with. Please do not conduct any in-person interviews without adhering to the social distancing guidelines that are in placewe much prefer you doing your interview online if you are not already staying with your interviewee.

You must take a screenshot or photo of you and your interviewee on the date of the interview.  This photo or screenshot must be submitted as part of the assignment.

Please do voice record your interview so that you can listen to it again after you have completed the interview.

A few notes on essential interview ethics: your interviewee should know before the interview that this interview is for a class project, and that at the end of the quarter you will erase the recording. No one should ever be recorded secretlybe sure to ask permission to conduct and record the interview.  It has become anthropological custom to use pseudonyms to disguise interviewees identities. Please ask your interviewee if they would prefer that you use their own name or if they prefer you use a pseudonym for them in your report.

STEP 2

After you have conducted the interview, find a quiet spot to listen to your recorded interview and take fieldnotes on the content (think back to our fieldnotes module on what you should pay attention to when listening to the recording). These interview notes must be submitted as part of the assignment so we can see what you picked up on as you were listening. They do not have to be in full sentences but can be in short bullet pointswhatever format works for you.

You do NOT need to submit the recording with the assignment, and you do NOT need to transcribe it. However, we recommend you transcribe a couple of crucial things your interviewee said, which you will then incorporate in your report.

STEP 3

Write a reflective report on the interview. It should include the following components:

Write one paragraph (about 150 words or so) describing your interviewee, your relationship to that person, and anything else pertinent to the interview (e.g. the setting, the interviewees body language, other relevant observations)
Write one paragraph (about 150 words or so) in which you assess what you learned from the PROCESS of interviewing. What do you learn about how to do an interview?  What challenges did you face when conducting the interview?  Did you feel the interview went well?  Did you have to adapt or change your approach while doing the interview?  Did you enjoy conducting this interview or did it make you uneasy?  There is no wrong response here, just reflect on what it was like for you to conduct this interview.
Write two to three paragraphs (300 – 400 words or more) in which you describe what you learned from the CONTENT of the interview. Describe what you learned about your interviewees life during this pandemic. How has your interview been coping with and handling the covid-19 crisis?
These two CONTENT paragraphs must include two direct QUOTES from the person you interviewed in addition to a summary of their overall experience.
This final report should consist of 600-850 words. This word count does not include your interview notes that we will look at separately.

Some Suggested Covid-19 Interview Questions

What kind of job do you have and how has it been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your income?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your living arrangements and household dynamics?  What have been the great challenges?
What experience have you had with health care as the COVID-19 pandemic gained momentum?
What stresses and stressed behaviors have you observed in the people you have been around as the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded?
What have you observed to be most comforting to people amidst all the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic?  Are people thinking about this COVID-19 in religious terms, for example?
What special resources have you been able to draw on to to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic? Have you had access to any income replacement programs, for example?  Have family or neighbors been able to help you with childcare?
Where do you get information about COVID-19?  Do you trust the information you have access to? 
How have your interactions with friends, coworkers, and others inside your social network changed?
How has your emotional state changed since Covid-19 began to affect your everyday life?
What is your view of the way governments at different levels — city, county, state, national — has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic?
What examples from history have been helpful for you in understanding this crisis and why?
What are some things that you do not understand about Covid-19, the way it has spread, public health recommendations, or responses to it by state, institutional, and individual actors?