Proposal Essay
Description -Please select the listed topic (in attachment) which most appeals to you, I personally like, “that tertiary level education should be cost free” or “that all students should be given 100% tuition scholarships” ENGL 213: THE PROPOSAL ESSAY: GUIDELINES Note: You will be required to submit an electronic copy along with a print version of your assignment These are guidelines for the proposal essay, you do not have to incorporate all! They are supporting ideas! The next major writing assignment will be a formal essay in which you make a proposal to a body, be it the government, the University Senate, the board of a hospital, clinic or company, etc. The assignment will take the form of a 3-4 page essay (double-spaced) in which you propose one of the following: o that a program be implemented The major mode of writing that you will employ is persuasion, since you must convince your audience that your idea is worthwhile. However, you will probably need to employ several modes, notably cause and effect, comparison and contrast, and evaluation. Your essay should include the following: I. Introduction: an introduction which includes background information and which will smoothly lead to a description of the need for what you are proposing. This section can include historical considerations or a basic review of literature that relates to the topic. The Review of the Literature This is an account of what has been published on the issue at hand by scholars and researchers. Your purpose is to convey the ideas and knowledge that have already been established on a topic and to evaluate them. It isn’t just a list of material available. It should be defined by some guiding concept e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your position statement if you are arguing. In other words, in considering the literature that has been published, you are writing with one of these concepts in mind. In your case, it should be directed by the thesis of the proposal. Procter, M., & Taylor, D. (September 2007). The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It. The University of Toronto. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from http://www.utoronto.ca/writing /litrev.html. The following are modes of writing that you may need to employ in writing the Proposal Essay: Comparison-Contrast In writing the Proposal Paper you may have to compare and or contrast items in order to make your point clear. For example, if you are proposing that the SGU cafeteria facilities need upgrading, the essay would benefit from a comparison to other university or college facilities. In order for comparison-contrast to be effective the same items must be compared or contrasted. Comparison-Contrast Example Even though Arizona and Rhode Island are both states of the U.S., they are strikingly different in many ways. For example, the physical size of each state is different. Arizona is large, having an area of 114,000 square miles, whereas Rhode Island is only about a tenth the size, having an area of only 1,214 square miles. Another difference is in the size of the population of each state. Arizona has about four million people living in it, but Rhode Island has less than one million. The two states also differ in the kinds of natural environments that each has. For example, Arizona is a very dry state, consisting of large desert areas that do not receive much rainfall every year. However, Rhode Island is located in a temperate zone and receives an average of 44 inches of rain per year. In addition, while Arizona is a landlocked state and thus has no seashore, Rhode Island lies on the Atlantic Ocean and does have a significant coastline. This mode of development will probably be needed most in the Description and or the Need segments of the proposal essay but it would benefit various segments. Cause and Effect Analysis In writing the Proposal Essay you may have to include cause and effect analysis. This mode of development considers why things occur. It identifies causes and “examines results, consequences or effects” (Doyle). In proposing that the cafeteria facilities need upgrading, you might explain the effects of having a sub-standard eating facility and/or you might explain the effects of improving the facility. Cause and Effect Analysis Example Because television is so wonderfully available as a child amuser and child defuser, capable of rendering a volatile three-year-old harmless at the flick of a switch, parents grow to depend upon it in the course of their daily lives. And as they continue to utilize television day after day, its importance in their children’s lives increases. From a simple source of entertainment provided by parents when they need a break from childcare, television gradually changes into a powerful and disruptive presence in family life. … (Marie Winn in Lynn Quitman Troyka 100) Cause-Effect analysis might be necessary in the Need segment and/or in the Description segment. Evaluation is the pattern of development writers employ to render their judgment of the value of an item, work of art, idea, etc. Writers must explain in concrete terms how they have come to the conclusion they have on the value of the subject, so they need to analyse and evaluate specific aspects of the subject. As a result, often comparison to other like items is necessary within evaluative segments of writing. Evaluation Example [Star Wars] relies on the strength of pure narrative, in the most basic storytelling form known to man, the Journey. All of the best tales we remember from our childhoods had to do with heroes setting out to travel down roads filled with danger, and hoping to find treasure or heroism at the journey’s end. In “Star Wars,” George Lucas takes this simple and powerful framework into outer space, and that is an inspired thing to do, because we no longer have maps on Earth that warn, “Here there be dragons.” We can’t fall off the edge of the map, as Columbus could, and we can’t hope to find new continents of prehistoric monsters or lost tribes ruled by immortal goddesses. Not on Earth, anyway, but anything is possible in space, and Lucas goes right ahead and shows us very nearly everything. We get involved quickly, because the characters in “Star Wars” are so strongly and simply drawn and have so many small foibles and large, futile hopes for us to identify with. And then Lucas does an interesting thing. As he sends his heroes off to cross the universe and do battle with the Forces of Darth Vader, the evil Empire, and the awesome Death Star, he gives us lots of special effects, yes — ships passing into hyperspace, alien planets, an infinity of stars — but we also get a wealth of strange living creatures, and Lucas correctly guesses that they’ll be more interesting for us than all the intergalactic hardware. Evaluation may be important in the Need segment where you have to explain why there is need for what you are proposing: the current situation or item needs to evaluated in order to prove that something different is needed. You will also need it in the Description and Establishment of Uniqueness segments since you will need to prove the value of what you are proposing but it will be a hypothetical evaluation. Definition is the mode of development used to convey the meaning of a term that is unfamiliar or that may need to be distinguished in its particular context. For example, if you are proposing that a particular piece of medical equipment be made available at the Grenada General Hospital, you would need to define it and probably would also need to define the illnesses it could help to cure. Definition Example Chemistry is that branch of science that has the task of investigating the materials out of which the universe is made. It is not concerned with the forms into which they may be fashioned. Such objects as chairs, tables, vases bottles or wires are of no significance in chemistry; but such substances as glass, wool, iron, sulfur and clay, as the materials out of which they are made, are what it studies. Chemistry is concerned not only with the composition of such substances, but also with their inner structure. (John Arrend Timm in Lynn Quitman Troyka 97) This pattern of development is likely to be required particularly in the Introduction and in the Need & Establishment of Uniqueness segments of the essay. Example and Illustration or Exemplification For example The current revolution in zoo design– the landscape revolution– is driven by three kinds of change that have occurred during this century. First are great leaps in animal ecology, veterinary medicine, landscape design, and exhibit technology, making possible unprecedented realism in zoo exhibits. Second is the progressive disappearance of wilderness– the very subject of zoos– from the earth. Third is knowledge derived from market research and from environmental psychology, making possible a sophisticated focus on the zoo-goer. Example-Illustration is likely to be required in various segments. Classification is the pattern of development that is used to group items. The writer tries to link like elements and to categorise them. In explaining how the cafeteria falls short, for instance, you may group your examples into failings related to convenience, health related failings, expense-related failings and aesthetic failings. Classification Example A public health student… did a detailed analysis of 180 cases of building code violation. Each case represented a single building, almost all of which were multiple-unit dwellings. In these 180 buildings, there were an incredible total of 1,244 different recorded violations…. First of all, over one third of the violations were exterior defects: broken doors and stairways, holes in the wall, sagging roofs, broken chimneys, damaged porches, and so on. Another one-third were interior violations…. There were for example a total of 160 instances of defective wiring or other electrical hazards…. There were 125 instances of inadequate, defective, or inoperable plumbing or heating. There were 34 instances of serious infestation by rats and roaches. (William Ryan in Troyka 98) Classification is likely to be required most in the Need segment. Process Analysis explains “how something is done, how something works or how something occurs” (Doyle). The writer separates a process into its parts or stages. Process Analysis Example Making chocolate isn’t as simple as grinding a bag of beans. The machinery in a chocolate factory towers over you, rumbling and whirring. A huge cleaner first blows the beans away from their accompanying debris– sticks and stones, coins and even bullets can fall among cocoa beans being bagged. Then they go into another machine for roasting. Next comes separation in a winnower, shells sliding out one side, beans from the other. Grinding follows resulting in chocolate liquor. Fermentation, roasting and “conching’ all influence the flavour of chocolate. (Ruth Mehrtens Galvin in Troyka 96) You will probably need to employ this pattern of development particularly in the Management segment of the essay. Works Cited Doyle, Barbara S. “Patterns of Organization.” Lecture Notes. Arkansas State University. 9 Nov 2007. http:www.clt.Astate.edu/bdoyle/Patterns%20of%20Organization%20Notes. Htm Ebert, Roger. “Star Wars.” Movie Reviews: rogerebert.com 1 Jan 1977. 21 Feb 2008. Troyka, Lynn Quitman. Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2002. Walters, F. Scott. Comparison and Contrast Paragraphs TOEFL-Prep Writing Practice Site University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 16 Mar 2000. 21 Feb 2008. http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/compcont.html English 213 1. List three areas with which you are regularly concerned, e.g., health, gender, youth affairs, politics, education, the environment. 2. List three major things that you have wanted to see occur either at the University, at another institution, in your community, in your country as a whole, etc. 3. Why is each important to you? Be as detailed as you can. 4. Who has the authority and/or the funds to make the changes you want to see? In other words, what body will you have to address? 5. How feasible is each of your visions? 6. List the sorts of sources that you might have to consult to get the necessary information on the feasibility of each. 7. List the sorts of sources that you will have to consult to get the necessary information on the implementation of each. 8. Are you aware of similar ventures or projects that have been successful either in the same context or in other contexts? E.g., if you are looking at SGU, perhaps you know of a similar project that succeeded at another tertiary institution. 9. List three areas with which you are regularly concerned, e.g., health, gender, youth affairs, politics, education, the environment. 10. List three major things that you have wanted to see occur either at the University, at another institution, in your community, in your country as a whole, etc. 11. Why is each important to you? Be as detailed as you can. 12. Who has the authority and/or the funds to make the changes you want to see? In other words, what body will you have to address? 13. How feasible is each of your visions? 14. List the sorts of sources that you might have to consult to get the necessary information on the feasibility of each. 15. List the sorts of sources that you will have to consult to get the necessary information on the implementation of each. 16. Are you aware of similar ventures or projects that have been successful either in the same context or in other contexts? E.g., if you are looking at SGU, perhaps you know of a similar project that succeeded at another tertiary institution. The Proposal Essay: Peer Editing Has your peer o indicated to whom the proposal is addressed? o Indicated at the outset what is being proposed? It may be done on a cover sheet in this manner: Proposal to purchase MRI technology at St Luke’s Hospital, Sunnybrook. Presented to o provided an introduction giving background information that establishes the need for what is being proposed? Can you suggest any additional details that might be helpful? o provided a review of literature? Do you think a review of literature is necessary? o established the need for what is being proposed? o indicated who it will benefit? Does the introduction make you want to read on? Why or why not? Has your peer given a helpful description of how he or she envisions the final “product”? Do you get a sense of how this product will effect change? Will these potential changes be worthwhile? For whom? Will the benefits of the project be short-term or long-term? Is your peer aware of similar programmes or endeavours? Does his/hers still stand out? Has your peer o conceived of how the proposal will be implemented? Have the steps been laid out chronologically and clearly? Does the process seem feasible? o addressed possible concerns that might be raised regarding the implementation of the proposal. Do the sources used appear to be worthwhile ones? Can you suggest any alterations to the structure? Is the voice engaging? Is the tone appropriate? Is it too stiff or too casual?
Format Other
Volume of 3 pages (825 words)
Assignment type : Thesis Proposal
-All instructions can be found in attachment below
since you are expected to consult at least three sources.
o that a new course within your own discipline be developed at SGU
o that something be funded , e.g. a piece of medical equipment, or a specific project
o that a regulation be passed
o that a research study be carried out
II. The Need: a thorough and clear description of the need that exists. Use some or all of the 5 W’s to help the reader gain an appreciation for what you are proposing (who, what, when, where, why, how). Explain the need thoroughly.
III. Establishment of Uniqueness: Have there been any similar programs? How does what is being proposed differ from what already exists? Discuss how benefits would differ from any benefits obtained from similar “products”.
IV. Management: a description of the steps that would be taken once the proposal is approved: How will it be instituted? What will be the procedure or development process?
V. Feasibility: a practical and honest look at how easily the proposal can be carried out. If there are limitations, you should raise them and explain why the project would still be worth pursuing. Is there any supporting evidence or real-life example(s) that lends strong support for the carrying out of your proposal, even in the face of possible difficulties?
VI. Description: a description of what the final “product” will be like, both concretely and abstractly (i.e. As a physical item and in terms of its power to effect change). What kind of changes will be realized if your proposal is approved? Describe the changes in detail. Make sure that the reader will be able to truly appreciate each positive effect that will result if your proposal is approved.
VII. Future Success: Why is this proposal expected to be beneficial in the future? Consider any related trends. Why should the reader be convinced that approving your proposal will lead to lasting benefits, as opposed to wasted resources or only a short-lived effect? What will be incorporated into your procedure that will guard against future losses?
VIII. Conclusion
Roger Ebert
In this pattern of development the writer uses
examples and details to illustrate his or her point. It usually opens with a general statement which is followed by examples and/or illustrations. This mode of development allows the reader to understand general or abstract ideas. You will definitely need to employ this mode of development since it is through exemplification that your statements become clear. For example, if you are trying to persuade the Grenada government that they need that piece of medical equipment, you can give them examples and illustrations of how its absence affects the success rate at the hospital or how its presence has saved lives or prolonged lives at other hospitals.
(Melissa Greene in Troyka 96)
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19770101/REVIEWS/701010315/1023.
Preparing for the Proposal Essay
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