Research Methods

I chose interviews as my method of data collection in order to allow participants more freedom when expressing themselves and their stories. I relied heavily on social media as a tool to connect with individuals, particularly alumnae. I drafted a short description of my project and posted that along with a Google survey on various Facebook pages and groups. These groups included: the Dartmouth Afro-American Society, Women of Dartmouth, and Black Women of Dartmouth. While this method of connecting with women proved fruitful, resulting in over 25 women expressing interest, it did limit the pool of women to individuals who either had access to Facebook and these pages or to those who knew others who had access to these spaces. For the current students on campus, I reached out to senior women who were not involved with the same groups, clubs, departments or organizations. I did this to ensure that women from a wide array of backgrounds and perspectives were included in my project.

Interviews lasted 30 to 60 minutes. Though all participants were asked the same questions, some chose to provide longer answers than others. All of the interviews with current students took place in person. Interviews with alumnae took place over the phone. I recorded all interviews in order to review the responses at a later time. I conducted 14 interviews in total. I wanted to interview one to two women from each decade, beginning with the 1970s. While I was able to reach this goal, certain decades, particularly more recent decades, are more represented in the pool of participants.

In addition to the interview component, I invited women to submit poems, pictures, and other written word submissions. Due to time constraints, I was not able to interview all of the women who expressed interest. I hoped this would provide another opportunity for more voices to be present and heard in the project. Additionally, these submissions offer another representation of what it means to be a Black woman at Dartmouth College.