Option #1 Question Guide: Long-Time Resident of the Region

Northwest Indiana is a region rich in human terms, economic opportunity and environmental diversity. For Option #1 you will will interview a long-time resident to explore the changes in his or her lifetime. Find an older person who has lived a considerable part of their life here and find out how Northwest Indiana has changed educationally, economically, politically, community-wise and culturally.

Find a person of a older generation removed from you. You don’t need to look too hard. This could be a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, or the elderly gentleman or woman who lives next door.

Inform your subject this is for a class project. Their name will be kept confidential within the confines of the class. Honor their request if they specifically ask not to release their name in class. Tell them the interview will last an hour to an hour and one-half.

Your interview will be used to give a two-three minute Presentation #5 Exploration of Our Region in class on Thursday, November 19.

Caution: Covid-19 Guidlelines

Anthropological interviews are best done in-person. However to avoid transmission of the Covid-19 virus, you can interview remotely by phone, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or any other platform that allows a free-ranging question-and-answer conversation. All IU Northwest students have a Zoom account, accessible at One.IU. Under no circumstances can you “interview” someone through e-mail or other written conveyance.

A possibility for an in-person interview could be someone with whom you share a living space, such as a parent or grandparent, and are comfortable to know that person has not been exposed to COVID-19;

If an in-person interview outside your household can be done safely, follow these precautions. Make sure

neither you nor your interview subject do not have an underlying health condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure etc. or age 65 or older;
neither you nor the interviewee are feeling sick that day;
you and the interviewee each wear a mask and keep at least six-feet distance from each other in an open area;
neither you nor the interviewee make any physical contact, i.e. handshake, etc.; and
you both wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after such interview.

Question Guide

Education

What was the quality of the schools when you grew up?

Did your education do a good job preparing kids for the future?

What were your teachers like?

What do you think of today’s school system?

Economy

How has the economy changed through your lifetime?

Who were the most important employers in the past?

Who are the most important employers now?

Do you think the Region can do more to bring jobs here?

Community Life

Is Northwest Indiana a good place to live and raise a family?

What are some family-friendly features of the Region?

What aspects are not so family-friendly?

What could be improved to make it more family-friendly?

What can be done to keep young people from moving away?

Political

How has politics changed in your lifetime?

Are politicians and local governments responsive to citizen’s needs?

What are some specific things political leaders can do to improve quality of life?

Cultural Diversity

Has immigration been good for the Region?

How has the composition of in-coming ethnic groups changed in your lifetime?

How well do people get along from different ethnic backgrounds?

Future

How do you see the future of Northwest Indiana?

What are the best things about living here?

What needs to be improved?