Pitches for Potential Stories
Comments(1) - Teaching your native language in a foreign country.
Person to interview: Assist. Prof. Hisae Fujiwara or Lecturer Yukimi Nakano
Pictures can be taken either in the office or during lectures.
– What inspire you to teach Japanese in a university in the US? Why do you choose to stay in the current position?
– How do you usually start the conversation with students?
– What do you find most difficult while teaching? How did you overcome the difficulties?
– Is there any difference between students with different backgrounds (origins) when they are trying to learn Japanese?
– What is your future plan? What do you want to accomplish the most in the coming years?
- Why Neuroscience?
Person to interview: Ph. D. candidate Daniel Acker or Associate Prof. Suzanne Paradis
Pictures can be taken while the person is conducting experiments or reading scientific literature in the lab.
– What did you study as an undergraduate student in college?
– What help you to decide the neuroscience focus among the wide scientific topics?
– Do you have any relatives or friends who have neurological diseases or psychological disorders?
– How and when did you determine the current research interests?
– What is the most difficult situation you have encountered during experiments so far? How did you solve the problem?
– What aspects of your research do you believe will benefit others the most?
– How do you envision the next few years?
Hi Xiou,
I know we spoke briefly after class about your pitches, but I wanted to give you some written feedback, as well.
The Neuroscience story reads as more compelling right now, as the research lab may provide a strong sense of place to anchor your story. Can you ask specific questions about the research and experiments that happen in the lab, and shoot photos to support those story points?
Several of your questions are good prompts for your subjects to personalize their research interests, which is great. Whomever you interview should emerge as a vivid character telling a story that has some drama, so try to trace the timeline of how his or her interests and career and desire to contribute to medical science have evolved.
Your other idea, to interview a foreign language teacher from Japan, would need more fleshing out if you chose to pursue it. How would you evoke a sense of place, given that much of their story would likely involve a remote location?