Proposal:
The topic of my final project is how religious involvement and faith affect
longevity. The purpose of this study, to be based on numerous interviews and the
collecting of oral "faith" histories, will be to support a relatively new concept which
claims longer, happier, healthier lives for senior citizens who are involved with their local
church and who rely on their faith daily. Although some biological, psychological and
sociological studies and/or information will be presented, the support will rely mainly on
personal interviews rather than the research of other scholars and academicians.
Background:
Throughout my entire life my faith and the faith of my family has played an
important role in our day-to-day existence. From the time I was a young child I
remember going to church each week and oftentimes sitting with my grandmother. One
of my great-grandmothers lived across the road from us during my childhood and many
mornings when we went for a visit she would be sitting and reading her bible.
Additionally, over the past ten years I have visited a number of the "grandmothers" in our
church and have been touched by their lives and their strong, unwavering faith in God.
Therefore, I feel compelled to tell their stories and to investigate and tell the stories of
other senior citizens in Wilmington and the surrounding areas who find great comfort and
joy in their religious involvement and faith.
Throughout my undergraduate and graduate careers I have pursued a number of
classes that should be helpful in this final endeavor. During my undergraduate years I
took courses in the Psychology of Aging, Lifespan Human Development (a psychological
look at the aging process), Performance of Elder's Stories (a communications class
revolving around the aging process and the stories of senior citizens), and Sociology of
Marriage and the Family (a sociological look at marriage, the family and the aging
process). Then during my graduate studies I completed the initial work on a biographical
essay of my husband's ninety-year-old grandfather and another class project that
involved interviewing numerous senior citizens who lived through the Great Depression.
This final project and interview process I am undertaking should be an excellent cap to
my Liberal Studies degree and to my longstanding interest in the aging process.
Methodology:
Initially, I will spend a few weeks expanding the research I have already
conducted on the web, in academic journals, and in the Handbook of Religion and
Health , the latter of which provides a comprehensive analysis of "more than 1,200 studies
and 400 research reviews conducted during the twentieth century" that examines "the
relationships between religion and a variety of mental and physical health conditions"
(Koenig, Preface). I will then use this research to help me formulate my interview
questions.
Once I have established a research base and developed interview questions, I will
complete a list of candidates I have been compiling through networking with friends and
acquaintances in order to determine my interview pool. Additionally, I will be a part of
the Adult 5 Ladies' Sunday School Class (the oldest ladies of my church) and the
Lamplighters (Senior Citizens Group of my church) during the months of August,
September and October. I estimate spending four to six weeks on the interview and
transcription process. After completing the interviews I will revisit my research base
and draw appropriate conclusions.
Preliminary bibliography:
In addition to drawing from my interviews, I will draw upon the following
sources, as well as any additional sources discovered during the final project process:
Hummer, Robert A., Richard G. Rogers, Charles B. Nam and Christopher G. Ellison.
"Religious Involvement and U.S. Adult Mortality." Demography 36.2: 273-285
(1999).
Koenig, Harold G., Michael E. McCullough and David B. Larson. Handbook of
Religion and Health . New York : Oxford University Press, 2001.
Larson, David B., Susan S. Larson and Harold G. Koenig. "Longevity and Mortality."
Psychiatric Times 17.8 (2000).
Oman , Douglas and Dwayne Reed. "Religion and Mortality Among the Community
Dwelling Elderly." American Journal of Public Health 88.10: 1469-1475 (1998).
Strawbridge, William J. and Richard D. Cohen. "Frequent Attendance at Religious
Services and Mortality Over 28 Years." American Journal of Public Health 87.6:
957-961 (1997).
Schedule:
Fall 2003
Week 1- 8/18 Meet with Committee members
Expand research while compiling interview pool
Join Adult 5 Ladies' Sunday School Class and Lamplighters
Week 2- 8/25 Continue with research and interview pool
Week 3- 9/1 Complete research and finalize interview pool
Week 4- 9/8 Begin interviews
Week 5- 9/15 Continue with interviews
Begin transcribing interviews
Week 6- 9/22 Continue with interviews and transcription
Week 7- 9/27 Continue with interviews and transcription
Meet with Project Director
Week 8- 10/6 Continue with interviews and transcription
Begin writing paper
Week 9- 10/13 Continue with interviews and transcription
Continue writing paper
Week 10- 10/20 Wrap up interviews
Continue writing paper
Week 11- 10/27 Formulate conclusion
Finish writing paper and submit first draft to Director and Readers
Meet with Project Director
Week 12- 11/3 Work on corrections
Submit second draft of paper to Director and Readers
Week 13- 11/10 Finish loose ends and make sure room is booked for final project defense
Week 14- 11/17 Work on corrections
Week 15- 11/24 Submit final paper
Week 16- 12/1 Final project defense
Revised Schedule:
Spring 2004
Week 1 - 1/7 Continue with research and interviews
Week 2 - 1/14 Continue with research and interviews
Week 3 - 1/21 Continue with research and interviews
Week 4 - 1/28 Continue with research and interviews
Week 5 - 2/4 Continue with research and interviews
Begin transcribing interviews
Week 6- 2/11 Continue with interviews and transcription
Week 7- 2/18 Continue with interviews and transcription
Meet with Project Director
Begin writing paper
Week 8- 2/25 Continue with interviews and transcription
Continue writing paper
Week 9- 3/3 Continue with interviews and transcription
Continue writing paper
Week 10- 3/10 Formulate conclusion
Finish writing paper and submit first draft to Director and Readers
Meet with Project Director
Week 11- 3/17 Work on corrections
Week 12- 3/24 Work on corrections
Submit second draft of paper to Director and Readers
Week 13- 3/31 Finish loose ends and make sure room is booked for final project defense
Week 14- 4/7 Work on corrections
Week 15- 4/14 Submit final paper
Week 16- 4/21 Final project defense
