Essay Requirements
Your proposal must define a problem for a real group of people and put forth a plan of action for resolving this problem.
The proposal needs to be directed to a specific individual or group of people who you name in the proposal and whose interests, values, priorities, and abilities shape your appeal.
The body of your proposal should use rhetorical techniques and relevant research to persuade readers that a problem exists and that your solution is feasible.
You are required to use a minimum of three sources in your proposal and cite these sources properly both in the body of your text and on the Works Cited page.
The final length of the proposal is approximately 1,300-1,600 words. (This is the equivalent of about 5-6 pages without special formatting. Ask me if you have questions about the length requirement based on formatting and/or use of visual elements in your document.) The document should be word processed, with 1-inch margins on all sides. Please use 12-point, Times New Roman font.
Suggestions for Organizing Your Proposal
Because a key to this assignment is identifying a clear problem and then offering a solution to that problem for a specific audience (while convincing your audience that this is a feasible solution), you may want to consider writing this as a report with the following format. What follows is an outline for a proposal report. However, you’re not obligated to use this format; you can also think creatively about other genres or formats for proposals, including an open letter, a letter to the editor of your local paper, a letter addressed to local or school officials, etc. Choose the formatting, tone, organization, and genre best suited for your audience and your purpose.
Section I: Front Matter
Title page:
Provides the title of your proposal, to whom the report is submitted, who wrote the report, and the date. Type each of these items on a separate line, and center each line.
Executive summary:
Provides the title of the proposal and name of the writer at the top. Then, states in one paragraph the problem and describes the solution.
Section II: Text (Body)
The final draft of your proposal should include each of the following sections. Create your own descriptive sub-heading for each section.
Statement of the problem: Introduces the problem. Establishes the relevance of the problem for your intended readers.
Description of the solution: Describes the solution and the steps needed to implement it.
Explanation of reasons: Provides your reasoning (your evidence) in support of your proposed solution. Also, in this section you will need to consider the available alternatives, as well as likely counterarguments to your solution and to what length you need to address them.
Conclusion: This is a short section that summarizes and reinforces your main points.
Section III: Works Cited Page
Start this portion of the document on a new page. Make sure to follow exactly the citation guide in your textbook when working on each citation. The works cited list is never numbered but is always alphabetized. Every reference on the list should match a clearly labeled in-text citation in the body of your proposal.