Writing
Assignment 3: (Short) Research Proposal
The research
proposal is your request for approval of your final major assignment: Proposing a Solution. Many academic
disciplines and programs ask students to write research proposals before they
launch a research project – a study or paper. Research proposals are also
quite common in professional or corporate environments where supervisors may
ask an employee to write up a project proposal before that project is
launched. This assignment will give you practice in preparing this
important document.
Assignment
Write a 1-2
page Research Proposal where you present your final project to your instructors
and classmates. In it, you must clearly describe what you plan to
accomplish with your final project (your purpose); you must explain how you
plan to achieve your purpose, and you must persuade
your academic audience that your project is significant, problematic,
interesting, and manageable.
Your research
proposals should include these essential 7
ingredients:
1. Description of the local/community problem
you will attempt to solve in your final project. 20 pts.
What
is the problem? What background information is necessary in order for readers to understand the problem? What
is currently being done to solve this? How is this
problem significant?
2. Analysis
of the rhetorical purpose of your
final project (as rhetorical aim, see page 17). 10 pts.
What
is your aim – to change your audience’s view of what? What – specifically – do you want your target audience to do?
3. Audience analysis for your final
project. 20 pts.
Who is your audience? (Include the name
of the person with the power to influence the change
you will propose)? What are their values, interests and beliefs? How will you shape your proposal to appeal to your
target audience(refer toethos, logos, and/or pathos)?
20 pts.
4. Your initial hypothesis (tentative proposal
for a solution). 10 pts.
What
do you believe is the best possible solution? What must be done to solve the problem? Be as detailed as possible.
5. Short Literature Review, which
summarizes the research you have conducted so far and the results of that
research (with at least 4 sources). 20 pts.
6. Questions that Remain. 10 pts.
During the research for the Exploratory Essay, you found a lot of
useful information for your project,
but some questions and/or concernsmay remain. Maybe there are some aspects of the problem you don’t understand;
maybe there are some feasibility issues; maybe
there are some areas in which you are stuck. List those here.
7. Research Plan. 10 pts.
Based on what you have learned from
the research you have conducted for the Exploratory
Essay, what remains to be done? What specific steps will you take from this point forward?
Requirements
· 1-2 pages, single-spaced
· Use size 12, Times New Roman Font
· MLA format for headings, style, and citations (but
you do not need to include a Works Cited page)
· Cite at
least 4 different sources in your Literature Review
· Include
the 7 “ingredients” above
Summary of Grading Criteria
I will be
looking for proposals that:
- Persuade the target audience that this
project is significant and worth pursuing.
- Clearly present the problem in all its
complexity and significance.
- Analyze the rhetorical context for the final
project (purpose and audience).
- Clearly state the student writer’s rhetorical
purpose and rationale for the project.
- Demonstrate rhetorical knowledge (by making
appropriate choices about structure, style, voice, document design, and by
using at least one of the 3 rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, and/or
pathos).
Submission
Directions
1) Proposals must be submitted onto Turnitin as a
Word document by the due date (March 28).
2) Submit hardcopy, in-class
peer review by the due date (not having this will cause you to lose 5 points
from your overall essay).
Warning: ½ a letter grade will be deducted for every day your essay is late.
Warning: ½ a letter grade will be deducted for every day your essay is late.
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