Final Research Project: Proposal

As you know, by the end of October you have to turn in a polished proposal for your final research project in my sections of Novels and Tales this semester--whether you choose to the Family/Community Migration Narrative Project or the Photograph Research/Creative Writing Project. This page includes the assignment sheets for the proposal. For answers to frequently asked questions on the final research project, which include much useful advice and explanation beyond what's stated below, please click here.

Assignment Sheet: Polished Proposal for the Final Research Project

Due: by 5 pm Friday, November 2, 2001.

Format: 2-4 pages, double spaced, with reasonable fonts, font sizes, and margins; title that indicates main thrust of inquiry; heading that includes your name, the course name or number, and the date; a description of the focus of your research project; an explanation/justification of that focus; a research plan; and a bibliography in MLA style (see links page for explanations of this style of citation) of sources you've used and are you're planning to use.

Requirements: Your proposal must make a case for your project; it must describe the research you want to do, explain why you want to do it, give a rationale for why you think it's important that research like yours should be done, and lay out a preliminary plan for your research. It should be written as a persuasive essay: your job is to convince me to approve this topic--that the line of inquiry you want to pursue is worth pursuing. To do this, you will not only have to choose a line of inquiry, but get a sense of what has already been done with that line of inquiry (by doing some very preliminary research--talking with me, making use of the reserves, using the MLA Bibliography and WorldCat on-line, familiarizing yourself with library resources, putting in inter-library loan requests), as well. Here, then, are the key components of the proposal, along with explanations.

• Project Title.
• Problem Statement. Make a concise and clear case for the significance/importance/value/stakes of the project. What is the problem your research project aims to solve? What is the line of inquiry you want to pursue and why is it important?
• Project Description. Explain what you are going to do in your project and how you will do it. What are your goals in the project and how will you try to accomplish them?
• Project Rationale. Justify your project's design by reference to your problem statement. How do your project's goals and procedures help you solve the problem or develop an answer to the inquiry that you identified as central to your project in the problem statement?
• Research Plans. Describe the research you have already done and your future research plans. Try to show your awareness of how other people who have addressed your research problem or followed your line of inquiry have proceeded, what their arguments are, and how you expect your project to relate to their research.
• References. Include a bibliography of references already consulted, in MLA format.

What For. Thinking of the final research project through the lens of the polished proposal allows you to move from considerations of topic/content (what migration do I want to research?) to considerations of goals/aims (what do I want to do with the research I've done on that migration?). It also allows you to demonstrate your understanding of the requirements and expectations of the option you've chosen and to generate a focus, a direction, and a plan for your research and writing. My purpose in making you write a proposal for your project is to get you thinking about and doing research for it as early as possible. The more thoughtful and specific you are in the proposal, the better able I will be to give you useful feedback during the individual conference that we'll schedule before Thanksgiving Break.

ENGL 209: Novels and Tales, Fall 2001
Created: 10/15/01 5:36 pm
Last modified: 10/31/01 12:25 pm