For this assignment, I would like for you to submit a 400-500 word research proposal addressing the following categories:
Project Proposal
Writing a project proposal is an opportunity for you to think through the specific focus of your project and what sources you will need to pursue it.
Project title
Give your project a working title that may or may not become the title of your paper.
A discussion of the topic
Be sure that your topic is one that is arguable–and that it matters. Explain what your topic is and give any necessary background information. Give some sense of any issues or controversies that you want to investigate. Remember that research is a process of inquiry during which you are guided by questions for which you want answers.
An indication of your specific focus
As much as you can at this point, say what your research focus will be, including the research question you plan to pursue and a tentative thesis. Note: Having several questions driving your research is okay at this point in the writing process.
A research question could be: Are skateboards disruptive on a college campus? Or more specifically, are skateboards disruptive at Cypress College?
An explanation of why you’re interested in the topic
Briefly explain what you already know about your topic and why you have chosen to pursue this line of inquiry about it. You might describe any coursework, reading, or work you have done that contributes to your knowledge and interest. Note what you do not yet know but intend to find out through your research as well.
An explanation of significance
Explain why this topic is worth considering. Answer the following questions: Why does this topic matter? Who cares? What do you hope to learn from it? What will your thesis, your unique perspective on the topic, add to the conversations had about your chosen issue?
A research plan
Explain how you plan to investigate your research question: you will need at least four sources . What types of sources will you need, and what will your research methods be? In regard to the latter half of the question, you will conduct both library and Internet research. What databases, search engines, and sites will you use to conduct your research? This explanation will let me know whether or not you are on the right track to investigating your research question.
Consider the following purposes while investigating your research question: Sources may provide background information or a larger context for your topic. They may provide support for your claims as well as for your credibility as an author. Still others will provide other viewpoints, ones that challenge yours or that provoke you to respond. Most of all, they will give you some sense of what is being said about your topic (of the conversation in which you will enter with your own thesis).
