Profile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMPORTANT: Though the final draft of this assignment is not due until Fri. 4.17, it is not the type of writing assignment that can be put together quickly or at the last minute. It will require a lot of pre-planning. Therefore, you’re receiving the assignment weeks early. Please make wise use of the extra time.

For this assignment, you will interview and profile an individual who experienced their formative years (ages 12–22—roughly "junior high school" through the end of college) during the 1970s. Your goal is to go beyond a basic Q&A to capture the essence of their “coming of age” story. Explore how the unique cultural and social landscape of the decade helped shape this person’s experiences and worldview.

Think of this profile as a “portrait painted with words,” one that transcends simple biography to capture the essence of an individual at a pivotal period in time. Your job is to bring the relationship between the individual and the era to life—specifically, how the “macro” world (e.g., the Vietnam War, the fuel crises, or Watergate) shaped their “micro” world (e.g., friendships, family, relationships, or school life). Even though your subject came of age in a decade that might seem alien to you, look for the universal threads that connect your stories. Identify those bridges that span these two eras, such as the classic search for identity or the timeless strive for independence.

For your interview:

• Ideally, your subject should be a late Baby Boomer or early Gen Xer.
• Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, while Generation X was born between 1965 and 1980.
• People who were between 12 and 22 years old at any point between 1970 and 1979 were generally born between 1948 and 1967.
• The oldest of this cohort are Baby Boomers born in 1948—they were 22 when the decade began in 1970; the youngest of this group were born in 1967—they were 12 when the decade ended in 1979.
• In 2026, your pool of interviewees is between 59 and 78 years old—this is your target age group.
• It is okay if your subject grew up outside of the United States. 

Question Guidelines:

• Begin by gathering essential biographical details—birth year, hometown, and family history—primarily for your own enlightenment as the interviewer. This "dossier" provides the necessary baseline to navigate your subject’s life with authority and ensures your questions are grounded in facts. 
• Once the foundation is set, your role quickly shifts from data-collector to storyteller. You are no longer just cataloging life events; you are hunting for the specific story arc that will serve as your profile's structural frame. Instead of a flat list of occurrences—Linda’s middle school struggles, awkward boy crushes, her late start as a driver, or her sudden college departure—synthesize these facts into a cohesive theme. For example, rather than a chronological timeline, frame the piece around the central tension: Linda’s unlikely transformation from a self-conscious, "dweebish" teen into a high-energy aerobics instructor who defied everyone’s expectations, including her own.

• Some sample questions—note that many of these have follow up questions:

1. Without the benefit of a smartphone, how did you coordinate meeting up with friends? What was it like only to be able to communicate in person or by phone?
2. Who was your best friend growing up? Are you still friends?
3. Did the "American Dream" feel more or less attainable to you then than it feels to my generation today?
4. Who did you idolize growing up?
5. Where were you allowed to go, or what were allowed to do, that might seem "dangerous" or "extreme" to a parent today?
6. How did the expectations for boys differ from those girls? 
7. What were teenage romantic relationships like in the 1970s?
8. What movies remind you of your youth? 
9. How did you learn about “things” without the benefit of the Internet?
10. Describe your look in middle school/high school/college.
11. What was your first job?
12. What were your and your peers’ attitudes toward smoking, drugs, and alcohol growing up?
13. What was school like in the 1970s compared to today?
14. What's a meal from the ‘70s that you miss? What you do wish you could eat again today?
15. Did you know any openly-queer people growing up?
16. How were you a typical 1970s teenager? In which ways were you atypical?
17. What did you do from the time you got home to bedtime?
18. What were weekends like when you were young?
19. Many people look back on the 1970s as being a very dirty decade—polluted air and water, littered streets, etc.—is that your recollection?
20. Who were the "bad boys" and/or "bad girls" of your middle school or high school?
21. As a young person, how aware were you major historical events, such as the Vietnam War, Roe v. Wade, Watergate, etc.?
22. What kind of a parent are you today compared to how your parents raised you in the ‘70s?
23. Your generation is remembered for always playing outside. What was your own outside time like?
24. What kinds of music did you listen to growing up?
25. What one thing do people get wrong or don’t understand about growing in the 1970s? 

Required:

• MLA Style, including works cited (if necessary)
• 750 words (≈3 pages)

Due: Fri 4.17 (via Canvas)