Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Interview Assignment

Please post a description of your interview and a collection of interview questions.  This assignment is due Wednesday, 11/18.

14 comments:

  1. My interview will take place this Friday with Enzo Soderini from the City College Immigration Center. I want to bring up some of the main issues regarding my topic and I am curious to see what he has to say, especially on the Dream Act. From what I understand, he has written an article mainly on the Dream Act so I will take his opinions into consideration when writing the research paper. I wanted to interview someone who deals with undocumented students everyday and this is the person that fit best with my topic. I plan to gain another point of view as his may agree or disagree with my beliefs but I think it is important for me to ask general questions as well as specific questions.
    Here are some questions that I may/may not ask:
    1. How do you think the crime rates will decrease in America if undocumented students attend college?
    2. How will the Dream Act help decrease crime rates? What are your opinions of the Dream Act?
    3. How can the government financially help undocumented students? How many undocumented students would be affected in New York alone?
    4. Why is it right for undocumented students to receive higher education along with the other benefits the Dream Act offers?
    5. How can the safety of our communities increase if undocumented students receive higher education?

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  2. My interview is scheduled this Thursday with Brett McCall. He is a published writer and film teacher at John F. Kennedy high school in the Bronx. I will ask him questions about what he thinks about the portrayal of black women in literature. As a writer, I would want a professional opinion from another writer.
    1. In your own words, can you define street literature?
    2. Have you ever read street novels? If so, what do you think about them?
    3. Do you think there is a major difference in themes between African-American literature and street lit?
    4. In your reading experience, how do you think black women are portrayed in literature?
    5. Do you think the lack of African-American heroines in novels is the reason why black women stick to reading street fiction novels?

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  3. 1 possible person I may interview is Neville Parker from the Institute for Transportation Systems. I will ask him about what a budget for a Mass Transit system can do to help make the system better for commuters.
    1. What can a properly distributed budget do to help commuters?
    2. How badly do commuters suffer if Mass Transit doesn't get a reasonable amount of money?
    3. What would be the most important thing to spend money on to help benefit commuters?
    4. How important is a budget to Mass transit companies?
    5. If Mass Transit got a considerably larger budget would commuters realize any changes?

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  5. I plan on interviewing William Fishbein who is the head of the Labratory of Neuroscience and Sleep at CCNY. I will ask him about how sleep affects people, the outcome of not getting enough sleep and how do people develop insomnia.
    Questions that I may ask:
    1.How many hours of sleep should a person receive on a daily basis?

    2.What can cause insomnia?

    3.What are the effects of insomnia?

    4. What happens when people do not get enough sleep?

    5. Are the effects serious?

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  6. After looking through courses offered in the education department at CCNY, I thought that interviewing someone teaching a course in curriculum development sounds the most relevant to my topic out of all the classes.

    I plan to ask about topics that I cannot find or have not yet found through research. This includes:
    -An opposing viewpoint(s)
    -How it affects students’ performance on specialized exams
    -How it affects their performance in college
    -How does it affect them in the job market?
    (I would ask if they could provide an example of each either from their personal experience or specific studies they know about.)
    I would also ask them to provide any other insight they want to share that they may have on the topic.

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  7. I don't have an exact person to interview but I do have an organization to search for my person. the organization is called the CUNY citizenship & Immigration Project and its located in the North Academic Center in room 1/206. I plan to ask the person I will interview questions such as: What actions have been taken to prevent deportation? what recommendations do you give illegal parents with legal children that are up for deportation? do you think deportation is good method to punish lawbreakers? What has this organization down to help illegal immigrants? If you were an illegal immigrant would you leave your child behind? What other methods do you think are good for punishing lawbreakers?
    The conversation will give me information on what actions have been taken, and what do professionals believe is the right way to treat the illegal parent issue.

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  8. My interview will hopefully take place on November 29th, at the NAc bulding right by the student center. With Maria Sanchez, a social worker at City College. In this interview i am try to find a neutral yet fair opinion when it comes to illegal immigrants, i also want to know vivid experiences she has heard from these different illegal immigrant she has helped.

    Questions:
    1. What are some solutions you personality believe can help prevent the migration of these people?
    2. Is the government in your opinion, the reason why this issue of illegal immigrants has not come to an end?
    3. Would it be fair for these people to stay in America after coming here illegally? Why or why not?
    4. Do you believe that there will be a change in the future in regards the status of illegal immigrants?
    5. What will happen to these children, who come in journeys alone? Can anything be done to be prevented? What is your opinion?

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  9. The following is posted on behalf of Sandra.

    I plan to interview Barbara Gleeson from the English Dept.

    I will ask her how have technology in the classroom changed education in the last 10 years.
    Has Web 2.0 improved teaching in the classroom.
    What does she find to be the pros and cons with teaching using technology.
    Do you find students to be more engaging and enthusiastic to learn in a technology environment classroom as opposed to a traditional classroom.
    How difficult was it for you to make the transition from teaching in a tradition classroom to a technological one.

    I hope to gain the understanding of how technology has changed the face of education and if it has improved teaching and learning on both sides. I choose Ms. Gleason because I've heard that she has been using technology to teach in the class room.

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  10. My interview is scheduled for November Monday 23rd at 3pm (Eastern-time) with a relevant professional in the topic of immigration of the non-profit organization Migratory Policy Institute (mpi) Communications Director Michelle Mittelstadt.

    This organization is dedicated to the study of the movement of people worldwide and is relevant to a flank of my paper when considers “responses to the challenges and opportunities that human large-scale migration, whether voluntary or forced, presents to communities and institutions in an increasingly integrated world” as their web site states, and human diversity through migration movement as a positive fact of cultural enrichment. They provide analysis, development and evaluation of international migration policies. Its philosophy is that international migration needs intelligent management to bring benefits to immigrants and communities of sending and receiving countries.

    Some of the global immigration issues I'd like to specifically talk about are multiculturalism, diversity, citizenship, national identity and efforts toward developing process of integration.

    Some questions may be:
    -In what sense human diasporas has been a positive fact the development of cultures in the past, and likewise how is migration in our contemporaneous world.
    -When and why regulations on human migration has been set among the countries.
    -How actual migration policies protect the immigrant.
    -When applying immigration laws; should national borders and/or migration policies rule over human needs.
    -How does she think citizenship affects national identity distinctly in US and some leading European countries such as Germany, France and UK.
    -How the idea of “second class” citizens affects in increasingly multicultural nations.
    -Fortifying citizenship would be more important that protecting the integrity of different cultures.
    -What makes a nation self-image.
    -How in a process of integration the virtues of cooperation and trust that can’t be assumed among citizens could be encouraged.
    -If we cannot care of what we don’t love and cannot love what we don’t know, how multicultural citizens be taught about each other and about a unifying national identity.
    -There are countries that have suffered brakes in generations due to governmental manipulations on the education programs such as religion, language and history, and parents and children no longer can efficiently communicate. If in an effort of integration towards a national identity, states should offer “citizenship lessons”; through what method of education would be put in effect in order to avoid this kind of negative effects.
    -How would it be like a perfect nation.

    Since this entity is based on Washington DC, the interview will take place through a call over the internet using the Skpe software application.

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  11. I have had a hard time finding someone to interview. I was trying to reach someone at the PNHP here at CCNY, but my e-mail could not be sent to them because of an "over quota." Then I tried reaching the dept of student life to see if they could help me reach them. They never answered. I decided I would ask the doctor I work for if I could interview him but he was not at the office the day that I was. So, I have yet to find someone to interview. I am hoping that when I'm there again, I will have better luck.

    I have thought up questions to ask once I find someone though.

    First, on Obama, do you think that he is pushing health care too much, or are there more pressing issues? Some want him to focus on unemployment or the economy, do you agree?

    As a health care provider, do you think that the health care bill will benefit you? How would it be disadvantageous?

    How do you get your information about the bill? Is it just from the news or have you researched it more in depth?

    Do you feel minorities are often forgotten when it comes to health care? Why do you think that is, if you do?

    Have you practiced anywhere outside of NYC? Know anyone who does/has? Why not? Is it because they make less money, or the locations, or any other reason?

    Do you think seeing a doctor should cost as much as it does?

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  12. Interview: Michelle Mittelstadt, mpi Coordinator, December 3rd 2009
    The interview with the mpi (Migration Policy Institution) Director of Communication Michelle Mittelstadt through Skype was extensive. It lasted just 30 minutes but it was intense.

    The institute based on Washington DC works mostly on national, state and local levels, but international levels as well. They believe that immigrant integration really represents the domestic side of the immigration policy when thinking on how the criteria of how many and what type of people the U.S. should admit into its country. Also, concerning the immigrant that already is into the country, immigration integration policy works on the metrics of its education, outcomes, social moves, professions and economy. In policy making, these are areas of research and review not only for the actual generation but for the children of the today working immigrant for the health of the society and economy of the U.S. Remarkable examples, are the Los Angeles County School District, and the Las Vegas County area where there are 43% and 63% respectively of the U.S. born children of immigrants are limited English proficient. The importance for the immigrant and its children succeed and reach their full potential in the U.S. society are real concerns for the institute.
    Concerning National Identity in European countries she analyzed the Dutch government immigration policy where they implemented a film in their citizenship process for the immigrant have a close panorama of the Netherlands life’s values.
    Every year, the mpi, issues the top ten audition in the e-journal Migration Information Source, which is a program where they identify the top world immigration trans. This year, they considered the recession as an important issue related with immigration in terms of negative effects on the governments foundlings. Budgets for immigrant integration programs around the world has shrunk. Remarkable examples are Spain and Ireland where their immigration population has significantly increased as well during the last years. On the contrary France, has increased its founding for immigrant integration programs. In the U.S., in the most popular destinations for immigrants like the states of California, Massachusetts, Illinois cut already much of their founding but the fully results will not be seen until next year.
    (cont.)

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  13. (cont.)
    About what makes a national Identity, Mss. Mittelstadt shows a very positive view of the actual times at observing that the U.S. was a good example considering the way it has integrated different cultures and immigrants around the world for such a long period of time, and adds that this is due to the American outcome and spirit not due to an immigrant integration plan. A large experience in receiving immigrant waves of Chinese, Italians, Irish, Jews and German communities from the 18, 19 hundreds and early 20th century is comparatively important. She argues that the Hispanic wave that is occurring to the States during the last 20 years is not of a different character than those of early centuries. “America has assimilated, has integrated immigrants from vastly different cultures, of a vastly different places and time and each of these points in history there been concerns that these immigrants were not assimilating, that they were sort of existing in their own you know, smaller cultures, that they were only interacting with people of you know, coming from similar places, speaking similar languages (…) over time they’ve become fully in grain in sort of a fabric of American life” she specified.
    Cities that add impressive premiums on this area are cities like Toronto where there are programs for integration in all levels of governments as the municipal and states ones. Switzerland civilians just vetoed the construction of mosques limiting Muslim world development in their soil. Italy has had problems with the persecution of the Romans. So she ends concluding that concerning national identity countries evolve from different backgrounds and values to different ways in different paces.
    About what makes a country self-image, she brought the case of the increasing tensions that are happening in France with its increasing 10% of Muslim population. She explains that when tensions of this type occurs in a country is usually because the changes immigration brings along happened in a relatively short period of time and they haven’t had enough time to be absorbed into the society in a more homogeneous way. Interactions between native born and immigrant is more a question of good will and policy makers in terms of mutual understanding.
    The mpi has a valuable annual program to prize with four 50,000$ to the best integration program on immigration. This program, which is called E-Pluribus Unum Prizes, wants to use this awards to bring attention to the need for immigration integration programs and to share best practices. An example of this is the prized program in Littleton Colorado, quite city that was exposed to an increased influx of newcomers during a short period of time where the community decided not to ignore the fact but rather take a proactive action creating Littleton Immigrant Integration Initiative. This awarded program consist of the mentoring of the immigrant by a native volunteer assisting them in their citizenship in classes and tests. The idea of this initiative was to bring together business, community, faith leaders, etcetera, both from the new community and the older community to have a healthy dialog and a good response to comes and challenges. So, communities react in their level of attention that is paid, interest, understanding and dialogue occurring between them.
    (cont.)

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  14. (cont.)
    About teaching citizenship classes, Mss Mittelstadt notes that the British system was taken from the American where the for to be citizen has ceremonies of swearing loyalty to the adopted country after tests and oaths etc, and that this is viewed in the book on citizen policy issued by mpi last year. She explains that this process is another way of integration function that the government uses in favor to the immigrant
    She also adds that this process was actualized by the U.S. government in the last years; the memorized test of questions and answers was re-done for a more interactive test where the applicant can attain a more close idea of the real character in history of the country where there is an understanding of some of the funding principals of the United States.
    Germany has actualized its citizenship policy since the 2000. The most significative change is the implementation of 600 hours of German language courses for new comers where much of the fee are paid by the government.
    To end, her organization would like to be promoted through the following links: www.migrationpolicy.org, about statistics and articles at www.migrationinformation.org, and the mpi site www.migrationinformationsource.org. She also offered information about other relative activities they work on immigration they do through the National Center for Immigrant Integration Policy as certificates in twelfth education and in workforce issues, in civic engagements, etc. She wishes to unify people doing immigration integration organized in one community as for example the police department that has never had to deal with immigrants that suddenly receives a large of layoff of refugees that they now needs to hire an interpreter or translator so then the police department can interact with them, and also providing citizenship classes, ESL classes, the restauranteur that provides classes for its workers on civics issues or languages issues, they may not think that they’re doing immigrant integration, but they do in different levels inside and/or outside of the government, locally, state level or nationally.

    As a CCNY student and activist, the knowing of this non-profit organization served me to positively know that there are organizations of people that study, make research and work hard to come with the best results behind the immigrant to integrate it to the society. Also, that they work on encouraging community programs that make serious initiative on dialogue with the newcomer. This encourages me to take advantage of their awarding programs to create a way of integration through arts as well!

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