Note: During this project, you will also begin your Annotated Bibliography as part of your research. The Annotated Bibliography is described on another page under the Projects tab.
Profile Assignment
We encounter many different kinds of profiles. We read user profiles published on MySpace sites or on blogs. A profile of a sports figure often includes nothing more than statistics and a bit of general background information. We watch CSI and try to outwit the investigators as they compile a psychological profile of a killer. We think of a profile as the side view of a person. We might think of a biography or an interview. We might consider a profile to be a detailed account of someone or something. Conversely, we might think of a profile as a general overview of someone’s accomplishments.
For this writing assignment, you will be writing a profile about a person who is affiliated with Purdue. Your job is to look for this person’s achievements: has this person done something particularly noteworthy? Does this person have an unusual pastime that’s unusual? Perhaps this person seems to be an ordinary, everyday “Joe” (or Jane). But what’s beneath the surface? Remember that even the most seemingly ordinary person can appear fascinating when you write about that person with your perspective.
The profile you will be writing will be like a “human interest” story that we find in magazines and newspapers. These profiles often take us “behind the scenes” of a person or sometimes an event or place. You will want to describe your profile person from a particular angle or perspective depending on your audience and publication. For example, if you were to profile Johnny Depp, why ask him the same tired questions about his movies and acting? Boring profile. What if, during your conversations, you discovered that he and Chris Martin of Coldplay regularly spend weekends together camping and riding their BMW motorcycles through the Italian Alps? Ok, that’s interesting. At least it’s different.
Possible Subjects
We will discuss who might be an inappropriate subject for your profile, but here is a list of good possibilities:
• A person from another generation
• An international student
• A professional from your field of study
• Someone you encounter everyday but never talk to
• Someone who performs a very important function on campus
• Someone who has an unusual hobby or interest
• A student representative of Purdue (Marching Band, University Senate Rep, Purdue Student Union Board, PMO, Athletics, Tour Guide[?])
Research
Before the interview (primary research) you must thoroughly research (secondary research) your subject and his or her environment. If you are interviewing an academic advisor, you need to know as much about both the advisor and the advising office as you can. The more you know about your subject, the better your interview questions will be--especially your unscripted questions. Since the person you are interviewing is somehow connected to Purdue, you should be able to find things on Purdue’s websites or through the library. Has your subject written a book? Been on Purdue committees? Had a newspaper article written about him/her?
Length and Format
I would expect your profile to be about 3-5 pages long. Yes, it could be a little more, especially if you have included a photograph. We will discuss in class the format your profile will take.
Publication Venue
It is important that you to begin to understand how necessary it is to have a specific audience when writing. Being able to make writing choices always depends on knowing for whom you’re writing and why you’re writing. For this assignment, I want you to choose a publication venue for your profile and write for that venue. This venue needs to be appropriate for the person you’re profiling and for the reasons you’re profiling him/her. For example, you could profile a faculty fellow and try to publish it in your residence hall newsletter (after studying the conventions of the newsletter’s profiles and their publication guidelines). You will need to include a description of your publication venue to each draft of your profile.
Deliverables and Grading
Your profile package will be worth 100 points. (You will also hand in your peer reviews and your Profile Reflection, each worth points separate from the 100 points listed here.) In addition to your profile and profile drafts, you will be required to hand in the following documents as a part of your project package:
• Your original proposal
• Copies/notes of your secondary research
• Contact correspondence
• Interview questions
• Interview transcript
• Description/dialogue
• All drafts
• A copy of your publication venue
• Thank you correspondence
• The Peer Response you wrote AND the one written for you (additional 10 points)
• Your final draft, formatted
You will need to arrange these materials with the most recent document (your final draft) on top. The rest of the documents need to be in reverse order so that the first thing you wrote (your initial planning) is on the bottom of the stack. Use a springy clip.
Grading Criteria
I will consider the following criteria as I read your paper:
• The profile should create a dominant impression of the person through selective use of detail, and every detail should contribute to that dominant impression in a meaningful way.
• The profile should address the intended audience and be appropriate for the publication venue.
• The organization should be easy to follow and should contribute to creating the dominant impression. The introduction should catch the reader’s attention, and the conclusion should provide closure for the profile.
• The profile should effectively incorporate research from a first-hand observation and an interview you conducted. If you use archival (library) sources, the material from these sources should not dominate the paper; they simply should contribute details to the dominant impression.
• Overall, the profile should be free of errors.
Skills
The skills you should improve during this assignment are researching, interviewing, notetaking, observing, describing, synthesizing, shaping, and of course, writing.
Major Due Dates
See course calendar for ALL assignments and due dates.
Helpful Hints
Here are a few things to keep in mind about profiles as you begin to write:
• A profile creates a picture through selective use of detail. Every anecdote, quote, and descriptive detail must contribute in a meaningful way toward your dominant impression of the person. Remember writing the vivid details in your literacy narrative assignment? That was practice for this assignment.
• A profile often uses present tense to create a sense of immediacy and intimacy for the readers. By helping them feel like they are a part of the people and events you are describing, you will create a more powerful relationship between the audience and your profile subject.
• A profile is your interpretation of your interviewee. What special insight have you found while interviewing this person? Can you talk to someone else who might have a different perspective on this person? What motivates your subject? What can you find out about this person that will make people want to read this profile?
I encourage you to visit the Writing Lab (HEAV 226) at any stage of the writing process. Take a copy of this writing assignment with you.
If you have any questions or concerns about the profile assignment, please contact me.
Your Profile is worth 100/1000 points.
Your Profile Reflection is worth 20/1000 points.