Introduction
This assignment gives students the chance to explore women’s issues directly from women who were       affected by various events in the 20th century, such as the Depression, WWII, and the Women’s               Movement. The assignment also provides a forum through which to draw powerful parallels between         living women and the women whose lives have been chronicled in the readings in this course.

The Assignment
The assignment requires students to interview 3 women from 3 different generations. The subjects should cover at least 20-40 years difference in time (longer if possible).  Thus, a student may choose to interview a 19-year-old, a 40-year-old, and a 70-year-old in completing the assignment. The women do not have to be relatives.  A written summation is required in submitting the paper.

The written report should include:

1. A brief biographical sketch of each person interviewed. This should include date of birth,                  environment during the formative years (urban or rural, section of the country, family size),               educational attainments, and work experience.
2. Identified comparisons or relationships among the interviewed women’s experiences.
3. Commentary on how these experiences are reflective of all women of the era at the time and parallel experiences to those profiled in texts or outside reading materials.

The questions listed below are guides. You do not have to ask all of the questions of each interview           subject. However, you should ask the same set of questions to each subject to establish fair comparison   in the follow-up assessment. Finally, included in the overall analysis, there should be connections              between the interviews and the course materials, most notably the text. 

Sample Oral History Questions

1. Where were you born? In a hospital or at home?
2. Who attended your birth, a physician or a midwife?
3. Were you given a family name? From whom?
4. Is this different from the delivery of your own children?
5. How many brothers and sisters do you have?
6. Where are you in the birth order?
7. Did you have grandparents, aunts, uncles or other relatives living with your family?
8. How old was your mother when you were born?
9. What did your parents do for a living?
10. What are your first memories?
11. What kind of toys did you play with?
12. What kind of clothes did you wear? Were they homemade?
13. Were you treated differently than your brothers?
14. Were there some activities you were denied because of your gender?
15. Were there some that were encouraged because of your gender?
16. Did your family move of travel when you were a child? If so,where did you go and how did you get there?
17. Were there any special games or activities that you participated in (e.g., dance or piano lessons)? Did you do these because your parents insisted or because you wanted to?
18. What major goal did you have while growing up? What did you want to be?
19. What type of education did you receive?
20. Did the educational opportunities for women differ from those for young men?
21. What were the dating customs in your group when you were growing up?
22. What age did you start dating? Was this age different for your brothers or sisters?
23. Did your goals change? What did you want to be?
24. What roles did you play in your church? What roles were available or were expected for women in your church?
25. What roles did women play in public life – voting, holding public office?
26. What organizations did you belong to as a young woman? What is the purpose of these organizations and how did you become a member?
27. How did you meet men as a single young woman? How did you meet your husband?
28. Did you go to college? If so, what kind and where? Was college expected in your family or was it unusual? Were college majors different for men and women?
29. Did you work while in college? Was work different for men than for women?
30. What was your first job? Were there more women or men working at this job?
31. Did you continue to work after you got married?
32. Did you work after you had children?
33. What historical event (the Depression, war, disasters) have had the most impact on your life? How were you affected?
34. What technological developments (such as telephones, electricity, various labor-saving devices, etc.) have had the most impact on your life? How were you affected?
35. Does you family have any heirlooms or objects that have survived? Are there any stories connected with them?
36. Have any stories, traditions, legends come down to you about your ancestors? Can you remember any special holidays or events that your family had special customs for?
37. What do you see as the major problems facing women today?

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