Case Studies: The Life Course Perspective

Choose an older person who you would be interested in writing a portrait of and prepare a 750 word essay demonstrating how birth cohort, gender, race, socioeconomic class, ethnicity, historic events, religion and/or sexual orientation have shaped their life course and had an impact on their lives as older adults. An interview or conversation would certainly be helpful if you choose someone you know but is not required. Do not identify your subject unless he or she a public figure. If you select a public figure, please supply at least two high quality biographical references ( credible sources, not intended for children, not random web or blog sites, well researched and reasonably objective- not sources that make your subject into either a saint or a monster)

The focus of this assignment is on older adults, so choose someone who is at least 60 years old, or reached that age before she or he died and make sure that you have enough information about their late adulthood to write about it.

(Examples: A report about a 45 year old retired major league baseball player would not work because he is too young. A report about the last years of former baseball great Yogi Berra would be fine if you emphasized the last years of his long life rather than his playing career. A report about a relative who died at the age of 55 would not match the assignment because she did not live long enough to be an older adult, at least not for very long. A report about a friend or relative who is 70 or 90 years old would be appropriate).

Be as specific as you can about the social factors and events that have shaped your subject’s life but be aware that many of us are not particularly aware of those influences and not everyone experiences the same period of history the same way. I would suggest that you do some research to learn about the events and trends that were particularly important in their lives so that you can put their lives in context. For example, if the person you wrote about. is a 90 year old woman who says that she served in the Cadet Nurse Core during World War Two you would probably want to do a little research to find out what Cadet Core nurses did and perhaps a little bit about women’s involvement in the war effort. Include a paragraph or two of explanation in your report. ESC’s online resources can help. You may find portions of Issues in Aging that have not been assigned yet helpful too, especially the material about “Race and Ethnicity” and “Family Life, Marriage, Widowhood and Sexuality” to be useful resources, depending on who you write about and what you emphasize, so be aware that the whole text is a potential resource.

Try to be as descriptive as you can rather than judgmental. For example, if religion or a strong work ethic has played an important role in their lives, explain why and how in concrete terms, rather than emphasizing your own endorsement or critique of their faith or values.