HIS/WSP331: Women in American History

Paper #2--Explanation and Guidelines

This essay is to be based on your first-hand interviewing of a woman who is at least fifty-five years old (preferably older); if possible, she should be a relative--grandmother, great-aunt, etc.--or close family friend. If that is impossible or completely uninteresting to you, then choose someone else who is willing to talk freely and honestly with you about her life. THE POINT IS TO PUT YOUR "SUBJECT'S" LIFE INTO THE LARGER HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE TIMES THROUGH WHICH SHE HAS LIVED. It is, in short, to be interpretive and analytical, and NOT just narrative.

It is strongly suggested that you tape the interview(s); note-taking never provides as thorough a record, and is distracting to both you and the interviewee. Make sure that you will be able to talk with your subject at least twice (preliminary and followup conversations--but NOT the principal one--can, if necessary, be over the phone). Plan on spending at least a couple of hours with your subject--if necessary, in more than one sitting. But do what you can to ensure uninterrupted blocks of time, as well as quiet and privacy. Furthermore, if you are completely unfamiliar with your subject's life, a preliminary interview, to get basic biographical facts, is probably in order.

Of course, the particular questions you will ask, or issues you will want to explore, will depend upon the woman you choose. So will the specific readings from the course that will prove helpful in providing you with historical context. But here--in no particular order--are some issues or areas of inquiry that may get you started thinking (not all of which, obviously, will be relevant in every case):

• Work outside the home.
• Geographic mobility: from rural to urban setting, from another country to U.S., etc.
• Romance, marriage, experience of widowhood or divorce, changes (if any) in her attitudes toward sexuality, etc.
• Wartime experiences.
• Impact of women's movement/feminism (if old enough, women's suffrage).
• Education: how much and what kind, did being a woman influence it, did she interrupt education or retrain at any point, etc.
• Major crises or "moments of truth" in her life; moments of "rethinking her role."
• If primarily a homemaker, the impact of changing household technology.
• Relationship she had with her own parents; her own children.
• Changes in economic status during her life (including impact of the Depression, war, etc., if relevant).
• Regrets and disappointments; unfulfilled ambitions?
• Degree of choice or control she feels she's had over the direction of her life.

While some of your questions may be very specific, others should be rather open-ended. Keep in mind that surprises during the interview may lead you in unexpected directions; be prepared, and go with them. Previous groups of students have learned a tremendous amount from this assignment. Almost everyone has thoroughly enjoyed it, and many have found it inspiring. So-- have fun! And we'll talk more about this after Spring Break.

This paper is due on April 16.

Back to HIS/WSP302 Paper Topics or U.S. Women's History Homepage.