Interview Qs for the Video

Whether you are filming with our videographer or are composing your own video or video alternative, the content of your video should be shaped by the following questions:

What is it about this theme that you are most passionate about? What is interesting about this particular theme? Why does it matter (the “So What?”)?

Students turn to the course videos in large part to get a sense of the instructor and the instructor’s enthusiasm for and take on the course.  Consider talking about what you think is exciting about the topic.  Why did you decide to focus on this theme? What is most interesting about it? How can you get 18 or 19 year-olds interested in the theme?  What two or three concrete illustrative examples, that are diverse from each other, could you talk about to pique their interest in this course theme?

What types of research projects can you envision students undertaking for the Research-Based Argument? 

In our focus group conversations, student ranked hearing about specific sample research projects as being of high importance because they watch the videos in part to try to understand the different ways they might adapt the theme to their interests.  Again, provide two or three different examples here.  Consider your diverse student audience: for instance, you might generate examples that would interest a Humanities student, a STEM student, and a social science student.

Is there anything else you’d like to say about this course?

This gives you a chance to identify anything else you’re excited to share with students, such as planned field trips, guest speakers, skills students will develop beyond the usual writing and rhetoric skills, or anything else that seems relevant to you.