Interview with a Deviant

Due Tuesday, Week 6  you will submit an interview with someone who society might consider a “deviant.” Find someone who would be labeled a deviant who has experienced consequences from that label and interview him or her. Interview the person and write about that person’s subjective point of view. Ask him/her to describe his/her experience for you.

Use APA format: Title page, 12 point Times New Roman font, double spaced, use headings/subheadings, include citations in body of paper, and include a references page. Please use the following questions/subheadings in your paper that are in bold (or points will be deducted):

Introduction: introduce your interviewee by giving some background into what the “deviant act” was that you are interviewing them for. DO NOT use the person’s actual name. It is important to protect anonymity.

  1. Tell me what your experience has been like for you, dealing with “mental illness,” a criminal record, etc. Put what the deviance is in the case of your interviewee’s “deviance.”
  2. Describe to me how you see yourself.
  3. Describe to me how you think others see you.
  4. How do others treat you?
  5. How does that treatment affect you?
  6. (Ask your own question)
  7. Include a reaction to the interview which includes:
    1. What did you learn from interviewing this person?
    2. How has it changed your perspective in any way about deviance?
    3. What have you learned about labeling theory from doing this interview?
      (Please note: this question will require you to discuss what labeling theory is using page citations from your text and/or some other sociological source. Then discussing what you learned about labeling by applying the theory to your interviewee).

The interview should be short (20-30 minutes). Write a 3.5 – 4 page summary, approximately 750 words, of what you learned about deviants.