Describe the research project you plan to pursue for the rest of the semester in a formal proposal. This proposal comes from the topic that you have already started to develop from the ‘trace an event’ assignment. The proposal should be divided into sections with the following subheadings:
Section #1 -? Introduction. Interest your reader in your topic and proposal and provide some historical/cultural context for your project. How did your interest in this topic come about? What in the current world (community, state, nation, etc.) makes this a relevant time to pursue this topic? At the end of your introduction, include two tentative research questions, related to your topic, that will guide your inquiry. Your research questions should be open-ended, such as How has the Black Lives Matter movement changed over time? Youll choose just one of your questions to pursue for projects 2 and 3. You have one to choose from that I have given you. Develop one more research question based on the same topic. From these two questions, you choose one.
Section #2 -? Research methods and sources. Discuss the methods and sources you will use to conduct your research. You can start by thinking about what you found in your Trace an Event assignment that youd like to explore further. Include specific references to websites, databases, key texts or authors. Include here also any other possible research methods you might try-?-? fieldwork, interviews, surveys, visits to chatrooms, observations -?-? as applicable to your topic.
In this section, you should also list several sub-questions that you plan to investigate further in your research to develop your inquiry. List at least 20 sub-questions.
Section #3 -? Timeline. Include a timeline for your project, keeping in mind the end date for this class. In addition, set up certain milestones (by day or by week) that you will accomplish to keep yourself on track. Be sure that your timeline is more than a simple reiteration of the assignment deadlines Ive given you; it should reflect how youll use your time outside of class, as well as the different stages in the process of research (such as going to the library, taking notes, going to the writing center, reviewing sources, etc.).
Section #4 -? Conclusion. Address the “So What?” of this research. Why should your audience want to read it? Why does it matter?
