Life Review Paper
Due Date: Nov. 13th (Papers will not be accepted after the 20th.)
For your life review project, you are expected to do the following:
1) Interview an elderly person about their life history. You can interview
anyone over the age of 65. If the elder is not someone you know, you may want
to visit them several times before the interview to establish familiarity.
Interviews will take several hours to get sufficient detail; you might want to
space this over several visits.
A sample of life review questions is included in this packet (pages 2-4). Feel
free to use these questions or to make up your own. For a thorough life review,
you will want to ask at least 15 questions. I would suggest combining several
life course themes such as asking questions about work and family.
During the interview, you will want to take detailed notes or use a tape
recorder. If you use a tape recorder, be sure to get the person's permission.
2) You will also need to write a paper. Your paper should include two sections:
a narration and an analysis. The narration is a description of the person's
life story. It will be written from your transcript. In the second half of the
paper, you will analyze this life story by discussing the themes that recur
throughout the life review.
YOUR GRADE WILL DEPEND HEAVILY ON THE DEPTH AND QUALITY OF YOUR ANALYSIS!!
3) For the final project, be sure to hand in:
a) Your paper (10-20 pages) (BE SURE TO INCLUDE A REFERENCE PAGE!)
b) A copy of your questionnaire
c) The notes you wrote or tape you made.
Be sure that your name is on all three of these!
d) You must also give a copy of the paper to wrote to your elder.
Your grade will depend on:
a. The depth, thoroughness, and quality of your analysis.
b. How well-written and presented your paper is. Remember that you are trying
to impress your reader. Your paper should look like it was done carefully, not
a rush job! Include a title page and make sure that your ribbon is dark enough.
Have your spelling and grammar checked. If you cite Kaufman, be sure to include
a reference page.
c. The thoroughness of your interview and narration. You may need to probe and
clear up inconsistencies in your interview. Your narration should also be
detailed and flow smoothly.
This should be lots of fun!
I hope that you enjoy it!!!