English 306 Assignment #4: Researched Proposal
Background:
This assignment requires you to make an argument based on research. You should find a need, a problem, or a pre-existing request for proposal (RFP/CFP) in which someone has defined a need for you. The proposal must persuade the person or organization to:
1) accept your claim that a need or problem exists (unless you’re responding to an RFP/CFP)
2) accept that you and/or your organization can meet that need or solve that problem
3) agree to your budget and plan of action
Where do you find a problem worthy of a proposal? The answers are far too numerous to list here, but you should probably think in terms of your major, professional field, and/or areas in which you have some previous interest and knowledge. Towns have problems, such finding summer activities for children at the local community center—or finding volunteers, funding, etc. for such centers. Businesses have problems, such as finding a graphic communications firm capable of satisfying demanding customer expectations while meeting a budget. Colleges and departments within our very university have problems such as changing curriculum requirements, budget cuts, and meeting university-wide expectations.
Perhaps most importantly, YOU might recognize a problem that few or no others have seen or understood before. If so, you have a real opportunity to make a difference in the world if you can convince others not only of the existence of the problem but of the worthiness of your solution.
Outline:
Roughly, a proposal follows a “Need ->Plan ->Benefits” strategy. Here are the required components:
1)NEED: A background section or introduction in which you give the context for your proposal. This may be brief or lengthy, depending on the audience’s familiarity with your subject. If you have to convince your audience that a problem exists, here (or in a separate “statement of problem” section) is where you do it.
2) PLAN: A proposed solution section in which you outline what you plan to do to solve the problem. In this section (or under separate subheadings) consider such factors as your methodology, cost, personnel, facilities, materials and equipment, expected results.
3) BENEFITS: A conclusion section in which you request approval to commence your project, whatever it may be, and perhaps call attention again to the benefits of agreeing to your proposal.
Formatting/Length requirements:
For an excellent example, lookat Figure 21.4 in your text (page 358) forhow to write and formatyour proposal,depending on your project’s needs. Your proposal should be at least 2 ½ pages, single-spaced, 12 point body text font. It may be formatted as a report, a memo, or a letter, depending on the context.
Research component:
Writing a convincing proposalrequires great research, and sometimes proposals are written for the specific purpose of defining further research (research proposals). For our project, you will conduct solid secondary research from library-based databases and indexes to find out how other people have solved (or proposed to solve) problems similar to the one you are writing about. Obviously, time is a major concern for us, so the number of sources you are expected to find is limited, but the quality of those sources is therefore all the more important. We will discuss this more in class this week.
One research requirement is a personal interview with someone who is an expert in the field you are writing about/for. This can be a professor, businessperson who would write such a proposal in her/his professional pursuits, or just someone with knowledge and expertise in the area you are studying.
Groups:
You may form your own groups of 2-3 people, or you may work on your proposal individually. I’ll leave the decision up to you, but if you do form groups, expectations for the results and the presentation will go up accordingly.