PROPOSAL ARGUMENT
Brainstorm Activity and Thesis Claim
Assignment Weight
Format Requirements:4-5double-spaced pages (1,000-1,500 words), 1inch margins, Times New Roman 12 point font with Works Cited page attached. See student-authored proposal at the end of Chapter 12 in Everything's an Argument (pp. 295-302) and in the"Proposal or Solution Essays"handout for examples of how to organize your proposal argument (See Develop Your Document below for additional guidelines). Include in-text citations and a Works Cited page to document your sources. Pages must be stapled or paper-clipped.
Overview Now that you have constructed a thesis-driven argument that contributes to a relevant critical conversation, you will have the opportunity to write a 4-5 page proposal argumentin response to a perceived need or issue in your field, local community, or on Point Park's campus. Your goal will be to make use of what you've learned about argument to persuade a target audience (e.g., professionals/scholars in your field, Point Park campus community) that some type of change is necessary, ultimately proposing your own solution.Proposal arguments may be characterizedasarguments that "call for change, often in response to a problem" (Lunsford et al. 275). And, unlike academic arguments that often function to inform or to convince, as Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walter's suggest, "proposals always call for some kind of action. They aim at getting something done-or sometimes at preventing something from being done" (275). Keep in mind that calling for a specific kind of action orchange requires that you carefully
- define a problem that needs a solution or describe a need that is not currently addressed.
- make a strong claim that addresses the problem or need. Your solution should be an action directed at the future.
- show why your proposal will fix the problem or address the need.
- demonstrate that your proposal is feasible [or, that it CAN be put into action] (Lunsford et al. 279).
As we have discussed in class, developing a proposal argument requires you to clearly articulate how the problem impacts others and to anticipate possible objections to your call for change.
Method Focus on a Problem and Identify a Viable Solution
Perhaps you have already spent some time thinking about a particular problem within your field that you would like to address. If you are in education, maybe you would like to see changes take place with standardized testing or the implementation of new policies concerning violence in schools. If you are in political science, perhaps you would like to see change in a particular facet of government. As an engineering student, maybe you have been considering a problem with a particular set of practices that govern your work on a regular basis. The problem you choose to address may be one that impacts individuals in your field (e.g., a problem with equipment) or one that impacts students on Point Park's campus. Just make sure that you do not choose a problem that is too vast (like world peace) or too limited (like missing paperclips) to address in a 4-5page proposal. And, remember that effective proposals must show through surveys, interviews, firsthand observations, and secondhand research how a problem impacts other individuals-not just you-to persuade your audience that change is necessary.
Compile Your Research
Once you have decided on a field-specific or campus-related problem or issue that you would like to address, you will need to begin compiling research to help you to adequately explain the problem and propose a viable solution. As we have discussed in class, your sources may include information acquired through both firsthand and secondhand research (e.g., your own personal or professional experience, interviews, reliable online sources, library databases and catalog, etc.). In addition to any firsthand research you include, you will need to cite 3-4 relevant, credible, accurate, and current secondhand sources: two (2) of these sources must be obtained through Point Park library's catalog or databases. On Tuesday, February 23, we will engage in a guided library sessiondesigned to help you get started with the right kinds of research. Class will be held in the Library Instructional Room in University Center 301.
*You must document your sources for this assignment using MLA style bothin-text and in a Works Cited page. The MLA Style guide is available in Chapter 21 on "Documenting Sources" (pp. 446-475) and via the Purdue OWL (Bb).