http://www.glenview.il.us/glen/Download%20Thumbnails/Request-For-Proposals-Cover.jpg∞

Working Through Proposals

Some samples:

• Final Paper Music∞
• Film Papers∞
• Your Curriculum∞
• EschaTon Abstract∞ (this is an abstract for a paper I'm writing in another class)

Some articles that may help:

• How to write an abstract∞ (Another word for a paper proposal, especially in the Humanities, is a paper abstract)
• How to not write an abstract∞
• Research Proposal Guide∞ (This is a little more in-depth than you guys need to go, but it does offer a lot of helpful advice)

Point out the flaw and fix it: From Evaluation to proposal

One reliable way to generate a proposal is begin with an evaluative argument. Consider your daily life and your courses. What could be improved? How? The first question will lead you through an evaluative argument. The second will push you toward a proposal. When you have an idea for improvement, ask yourself if it is feasible. Remember that the definition of "feasible" depends on your audiences.

Proposals and causality : What should be done in Iraq∞?

The Proposal Narrative

Another way to jump start a proposal is to narrate the story of trying to write a proposal. How did you come to be interested in anything at all? Telling that story might help you figure out how you want to act on your interest.

Priming the Pump with Analogy

Find somebody else's proposal and try out analogies on it. It's not poker∞ I am interested in, but the economics of gambling∞. Do casinos really produce value in the economy, or do they just drain already existing value and move it around?

Assignments:

• Draft Project Proposal Text Due to wiki; What problem or question are you going to address? Why does it matter? To whom?

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