Soc.

126: Death and Dying

Paper Assignment
Instructor: Nicole Major

Professional Interview Paper Assignment

Assignment Directions
This paper assignment entails interviewing a professional in the field related to the death and
dying topics discussed throughout the course AND writing a theme-focused paper (topic focused
paper). You will choose ONE type of professional to interview: religious or cultural leader;
physician /nurse; hospice nurse; hospice social worker; funeral director/cemetery superintendent;
lawyer; coroner/medical examiner; or a grief counselor/psychologist.

It would be beneficial to start on this assignment early and identify a few potential people to
interview and set up a date well in advance to meet with them as they may be busy. This paper
cannot be completed a few days before it is due! Please make sure that you have consent when
conducting the interview and you use an alias name.

About the Interview

There is a separate document which contains sample interview questions for each type of
professional listed above. Please review these in detail as you prepare for your interview.
These are sample questions to get you started, but you should also have your own questions as
well. It is advised that you bring a notebook to jot down notes and/or a recording device.

Please note that the interviews often change based on the other person’s responses and your
curiosity, so be flexible and let the interview flow accordingly. However, politely redirect the
focus of your interview if the conversation becomes completely off the topic. It is advised that
you engage in some preliminary research on particular topics you want to incorporate in your
interview. You must set aside time before the interview to look through your notes and chapter
topics to organize a focus for the interview and questions. This doesn’t have to be a set
“Question and Answer,” and you should allow room for dialogue, but you do want to stay on
track so you can gain the necessary information for your theme-focused paper.

About the Paper

After finishing the interview, you will write a paper based on the information obtained in the
interview. Specifically, you will want to sort your interview notes into similar, theme-focused
topics. You will use pertinent terms, concepts, social theories, and data presented in lecture and
the textbook throughout your paper. For example, if you chose to interview a funeral director,
one appropriate themed-paragraph would be the business of dying chapter from the text. The
professional should be able to provide examples for many important terms, concepts, and data
that we have discussed. Your job is to then apply, analyze, and synthesize, the course terms,
data, concepts, and theories to the examples and relevant discussions in the interview.

The specific requirements and paper content objectives for the assignment are listed below.
Please note that this is NOT a life story about the person, but rather an interview to then
apply, analyze, and synthesize various topics we have discussed throughout the course.
Paper Content
Your paper must include the following:
• INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH: Describe your interviewee with a brief background
including their profession related to death and dying, relevant demographics, and any
other information that helps the reader understand the interviewee and the general
overview of the interview. Please use an alias name so that we can keep the interviews
anonymous. The last sentence in your introduction paragraph should specifically
state the three theme-focused paragraphs that will be discussed in the next three
sections of the paper, for example: the business of dying, the legal aspects of dying,
and diversity in death rituals. The three themes should be underlined/bold.
• THREE THEME/TOPIC-FOCUSED PARAGRAPHS: You will then have THREE
distinct paragraphs; each one will be a theme/chapter topic that relates well to your
interviewee’s profession, experiences, and what was discussed in the interview. These
topics will vary depending on who you choose to interview. It is recommended that you
go through each of the weekly chapters (table of contents) and find THREE topics that
best relate to your interview and analysis. There are several topics that could be used
including: American experience of death; growing up with death; perspectives on death
and life after death; the dying process; living with dying; dying in the American health
care system; biomedical issues and euthanasia; suicide; diversity in death rituals;
business of dying; legal aspects of dying; coping with loss; and grieving throughout the
life cycle.
Within each paragraph, you should apply relevant terms, concepts, theories, and data
(AT LEAST 5) from the lecture, articles, and text to the issues presented from the
interview. You will want to go back to those specific chapters and apply the key terms,
concepts, data, models, and theories to your interviewee’s experiences and stories.
Usually the key terms are bold in the textbook. For example, if your theme was “the
business of dying” and you interviewed a funeral director, you may use terms/concepts
such as embalming, final disposition, cremation, cost itemization, preneed funerals, green
funerals, and symbolic interactionism to further analyze the interview (you are not just
defining the terms, rather you are applying them to the individual’s experiences as they
relate to death and dying). ALL THEMES, KEY TERMS, DATA, CONCEPTS, AND
THEORIES MUST BE UNDERLINED OR BOLD.
*Make sure that you are demonstrating your skills of analysis, application, and synthesis
for each topic- some theories and concepts may be interwoven into other sections, but try
to use specific terms from the theme/topic you are discussing. Finally, you must apply
the three of the four main social theories at least once throughout your paper
(functionalism, conflict theory, social exchange, and symbolic
interactionism/interaction); these count as separate terms from the 5 required in
each paragraph.
• CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH: You should provide a summary/reflection of your
interview, themes, and analysis/synthesis of this as it relates to the course on death and
dying.
Your grade will be based on your use of Bloom’s Taxonomy (do not specifically mention this in
your paper though), ability to thoroughly describe, explain, and predict the issues you present
(application), use of sociological terms, concepts, data, synthesis of information (theme-focused
paragraphs), incorporation of the main social theories, and adherence to all paper instructions.
Please remember to underline/bold all applications (terms, concepts, data, and theories).

Paper Structure and Other Instructions

• You must use ESSAY format, using ASA (preferred) or APA style; please see the OWL
Purdue website for more information.
• Please DO NOT transcribe the interview word for word or put in outline/bullet format.
• Please make your interviewee remain anonymous—use an alias name when writing,
unless they are willing to share.
• Typed, double spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman Font.
• You must have your own creative title (not the assignment title).
• Underline or Bold all important terms, concepts, titles of theories, and data. DO
NOT underline entire sentences.
• Please proofread your paper for spelling and grammar mistakes (you will be deducted
points).
• DO NOT use contractions (spell out “cannot”- do not use “can’t”). Capitalize “I”.
• You must save your paper as a word document or PDF when uploading to the TURNITIN
link.
• Please use the ASA template provided in the online course for a title page and correct
ASA format throughout the paper. Alternatively, you may use APA style (few
differences).
• A references page is required (please use ASA/APA formatting). This should be the last
page of the paper (do NOT save the paper and the references page as separate
documents). You will need to cite the lecture and text, as well as any outside resources
you use. Papers will be considered plagiarized if a references page is not included.

How to Turn In Your Paper

You are required to upload your paper to the Turnitin link located in our Canvas course
site (you do not need to go to the external turnitin site). Please see the class site (turn in under
the “assignments” menu item) for more information on this. See class for due dates. Complete all
submission steps and make sure you receive a confirmation.

Scoring
This paper is worth 100 points and must be uploaded to our online class site using the
turnitin.com feature. Please review the grading rubric BEFORE writing your paper so you
know how the paper will be graded.

The paper instructions and rubric will be available about four weeks before it is due. This is a
very worthwhile learning assignment that could potentially benefit you/offer advice/gain a better
understanding about death and dying. Be creative and give yourself enough time to interview,
come up with the theme topics, and construct a thoughtful paper. If you have any questions
please ask soon…No late papers accepted!