The Research Proposal assignment is the first in a series of sequenced assignments that will help you engage in academic writing. The purpose of this assignment is to provide you experience with designing a research project and writing a research proposal.
In general, a research proposal explains why and how a project will be conducted. It is useful for planning a project (and for getting critical feedback before undertaking the project).
For the proposal, you must select a topic related to the course subject matter. Your proposal should present an interesting question related to the course subject matter.
Step 1: Identify a topic that you want to investigate. Good sources of ideas include lectures notes, course readings, and general problems regarding the subject matter that are faced in day-to-day operations. Remember to ask yourself how you can relate the topic you choose to the course subject matter. If you are having trouble coming up with a topic, or are not sure if your ideas are feasible, please check with the professor by sending the professor a message through the message tab.
You may, for example, analyze something like why the establishment - or re-establishment - of a domestic legal system and the rule of law is a necessary function in a peacekeeping operation. The use of a specific example or case study can be the guiding component of this essay. Among possible things you may want to consider as you write your paper are the components and structures of the civilian police force or forces involved, the variety of problems inherent in the specific conflict environment you are looking at, and the resources, both available and lacking in this situation.
Your proposal will have three sections:
Introduction and Research Question - Develop the background for your topic. Explain why your topic is interesting or important. Close this section by stating your research question (an actual question, phrased as a question, on which your research will focus).
Purpose Statement and Hypothesis - Describe your purpose for writing this paper and what you mean to do with it. State your hypothesis (your proposed answer to your question, which you will test in your experiment). Explain why you think this hypothesis may be correct.
Design Statement (methodology) - Describe the methodology that you will use to test your hypothesis (quantitative/statistical, qualitative, comparative, case study, etc.), and what sources you plan on using.
Your paper should be typed using 12 point Times New Roman font, double spaced and include a title page. It should be submitted as a Word document in the Assignment tab. Be sure to proof read carefully, as graduate students are expected to submit papers free of spelling and grammar errors. Proposals must be 4 pages in length not including title page and references