Your formal proposal should introduce not only your topic, but also the kinds of questions you have in mind about this field. This should help you make a preliminary gesture toward the argument you will develop after completing your research.
Be as specific as you possibly can and use the first person in your writing. Why do you want to explore this topic? What sort of research will you be doing? What kind of contribution do you think your work will make to knowledge in this area? Why do you think other people should be interested in your work?
Make sure your focus is narrow enough to allow for a successful exploration in the time you have available.
Address the classic journalistic questions: Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why.
Give your research project a preliminary title.
Let me know if you will be sharing research resources with anyone else.
Your proposal should be between a half page and a full page.
Your Research Paper will be due on Monday May 19th. This gives you about 5 and 1/2 weeks to work.
This part of your proposal is designed to help you think systematically about your topic and approaching both research and writing.
You will need to set weekly goals and deadlines for yourself. Periodically, I will check in with you about whether or not you are meeting these goals.
Consider the following questions:
- What kind/s of research do I need to do?
- How/When can I schedule an interview?
- How much time should I devote to gathering information?
- When might I get together with others working on the same topic? How many meeting will we have?
- How long will I need for writing/rewriting?
- Do I want to meet with my TF about my project? At what point?
- What time will I give to preparing my presentation?
Your working schedule should be about a page in length.
Fill in goals and deadlines for the following dates. Fill in specific dates as appropriate:
Weeks One - Two (April 1-11): What is the current status of your project? What have you already done?
Week Three (April 12 - 18): What will you have complete by Friday the 18th?
Week Four (April 19 - 25): What will you have complete by Friday the 25th?
(Note: The assignment specifies that all interviews be complete by this date)
Week Five (April 26 - May 2): What will you have complete by Friday the 2nd?
(Note: An annotated bibliography for your project will be due on this date)
Week Six (May 3 - 9): What will you have complete by Friday the 9th?
Week Seven (May 10 - 16): What will you have complete by Friday the 16th?
Final Weekend (May 17 - 19): How will you spend the last few days before the deadline?
