Rubric Interview with a Leader Learning Objectives Develop basic guided interviewing skills

Rubric

Interview with a Leader

Learning Objectives

• Develop basic guided interviewing skills
• Practice deep listening skills
• Identify the career trajectories of professionals in justice-related fields
• Discern how individuals of varying life experiences perceive and enact justice in their work
• Frame real-life experiences with regard to concepts of justice
• Write about theories of justice in meaningful and situated ways

You will have the first two weeks of the semester to identify an individual in your social network who works in a justice-related field and who you would like to learn more about. After you have selected an individual, you will craft at least 5 interview questions that will encourage your interviewee to share with you their thoughts on justice. You will conduct some background research to learn about the nature of the individual’s occupation. Then you will interview the individual and learn about their practice of justice work. The goal of the interview is for you to establish a rapport with the individual such that you create a space for the interviewee to deeply express his/her/their orientation to justice.

Steps

To prepare, you will need to:

1) Make an appointment for an interview either in person, via Zoom, or via phone with your interviewee. If you cannot schedule an interview, select another individual from your list. Also, make sure you know the person’s proper name and title, and also a bit about their background and the type of work they do. Do some background research; it’s a matter of respect.

2) Designate at least an hour and a half just in case your interview runs a bit longer or your interviewee is running late.

3) Pilot your questions first with a friend to make sure they are effective. Effective questions are not yes/no questions. Do not ask ‘Did you’ or ‘do you’ questions. Instead, ask ‘how did,’ ‘why did,’ ‘what do you think,’ and ‘what was it like.’ Use prompts such as ‘tell me about a time…’, or ‘describe what you were thinking when….’ If time runs short during your interview, think of the top question you want to ask and stick to it. Make sure it’s a good one!

4) Either record your interview or IMMEDIATELY after your interview take extensive detailed notes. The less detailed, the less likely you will be able to effectively complete the assignment.

5) Send a thank you note to your interviewee, by email or snail mail. Appropriate forms of thanks include a thoughtfully worded email message, a respectful thank you card, or a small respectful gift of low monetary value, such as a seed pack in a card or a bookmark with a wise phrase. In your thank you note, include your contact information for follow-up.

6) Write a 4 to 5 page essay about the interview. Write clear and coherent narrative descriptions. Elaborate on concepts that most interest you, or that you find relatable. Proofread; make sure your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct. Address the following questions, and any other content you find meaningful, in your essay.

• Describe the person’s occupation, or role at the time of the interview. What led them to their occupation? (10 pts)
• Where is the person from? What are some outstanding events in their life? (10 pts)
• According to the interview, how does this person describe their views on justice? (20 pts)
• According to the interview, what are this person’s contributions to a just society? (10 pts)
• Describe three concepts that we have discussed in class or from the readings that relate to this person’s social contributions. (20 pts)
• Detail what you think are the three most important insights about justice work that this interview reveals. Explain why. (30 pts)

Who to interview:

Students in past classes have interviewed attorneys, judges, community activists or advocates, activist athletes or celebrities, policy-makers, educators, artists, civil servants, elected or appointed officials, writers or journalists, law enforcement personnel, non-profit employees, scholars, volunteers for social aid organizations, religious or spiritual workers such as priests, nuns, imams, rabbis, or ministers. The goal is to learn from someone whose work involves serious and conscientious consideration of fairness and equity in society. You need not personally agree with the views of the individual whom they select to learn from. The point is not to search for a sounding board for your own worries and opinions about society, but rather, to learn to listen well to another person who has a great deal of experience.

In the past students have also interviewed individuals whose interviews yielded little meaningful content to work with. Such individuals generally have the following characteristics: they are from the same peer group and so there is pressure to conform with peer group norms and/or not touch on deep inner thoughts; they are young and lack significant life experience; they lack a daily habit of self-reflection and compassionate response; and/or they have reason to withhold personal thoughts and information. Be aware that sometimes our closest family members and friends exhibit these characteristics. Our intimacy with them as well as social expectations and family norms can make interviewing a challenge.

*If your interview yields only one page of notes, it might not be conceptually rich enough for you to effectively complete this assignment.

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