Although this assignment looks easy at first glance, if you spend some time really thinking about it, it becomes clear that the burden of work is not the written product you submit. It is the cognitive work that goes into selecting your interviewee and writing relevant questions.

My advice - make it fun and interesting. You can chose someone you know, or you can Google religious organizations in your area.

Additionally, widen your idea of "practitioner" because there are many organizations that fuse religious/spiritual beliefs with secular, medical, psychological, or wellness programs.

For instance, you may choose to interview herbalists, natural healers, yoga instructors, or youth program managers. Is there an element of spirituality to their practice? Could they be considered diviners, mediums, or shamans? Go find out!

Keep in mind that a good interviewer prepares for the interview - in other words, we do a little background research before we talk to people. People get cranky if you ask them questions with obvious answers. Want to ask a priest where he studied? Google first! If Google has the answer, shift your question to something like "I saw that you studied theology at MLK University. What was your favorite class?" And then plan for a follow up question, such as "What was your least favorite?" or "Which instructor was your biggest influence?"

Here's an example:

I just saw on the news that the Sikh Society of Central Florida is distributing free meals to the community during the pandemic. Now, I am curious to know what Sikh believe, whether or not they have priests, why they don't cut their hair, etc. So, I go to their website and see if they have any contact member - and they do! So I pick GAGANDEEP KAUR - YOUTH MEMBER from the "About Us" page, and after a little more Googling, I decide I want to interview her about her religion and her role in her organization.

My "why" would be because I don't know anything about Sikh religion, and/or because I want to expand my understanding of Central Asian religious beliefs, or because I want to broaden my knowledge of world religions. Why did you choose this particular person?

Next, I write my questions. I might start with "I notice there are a lot of Singhs on the "About Us" page of your website. Is this organization a family project, or is Singh a common name among the Sikh community?" or "What made you decide to be the point of contact for youth members?" or maybe even "I see that you have a degree in English Literature. How do you use your degree in your work with the Sikh Society?"

If you're interested enough, consider contacting the person and actually conducting the interview for your final project - I'm happy to help you plan this!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.