Armbruster
WRIT 2072
Spring 2006
Assignment 4: Community Proposal
For this assignment, you will write a proposal addressing some problem in your local community.
Learning Objectives: Researching and writing a proposal will give you the opportunity to conduct research on a local level and allow you to practice the proposal format, which is quite common in many organizations and workplaces. Also, keep in mind that a proposal is another form of persuasive writing; you should be able to practice many of the strategies for persuasion that we have addressed so far this semester in your proposal as well.
Definition of Proposal: A proposal is just what it sounds like -- it proposes something to someone who has the power to buy it, fund it, approve it, or otherwise make it happen. "It" could be a product or service, a research project, an educational program, or really just about anything. Almost all proposals follow a problem/solution format. We will discuss proposals in more detail on Thursday, March 2nd . For that discussion, please read the attached handout (part of "Writing with the Community," from Writing and Community Action )
Schedule
Thursday, March 2: Read attached handout ("Writing with the Community," from Writing and Community Action) for class discussion.
Tuesday, March 7: Deadline for practice interview (see p. 2)
Thursday, March 9: Problem Analysis Due (see p. 4)
Tuesday, March 21: Rhetorical Analysis Due (see p. 5)
Tuesday, March 28: Rough draft of proposal due
Thursday, April 4: Final draft of proposal due
Step One: Choose a Topic
Your proposal should address a problem in your local community by proposing a solution. You may want to use the topic of your letter to the editor/op-ed. Keep in mind that the problem should be a manageable size (sticking to local issues will help, but some local issues will still be too large for a simple proposal -- revitalizing downtown St. Louis, for example). If there is a large, complex local issue that really holds your interest, though, think about ways to break it down into smaller chunks and view your proposal as the first step of the solution or just a small part of the solution.
Step Two: Investigate the Problem
In order to propose a convincing solution, you need a good understanding of your problem. To help you manage the process of investigating your problem, please answer the attached problem analysis questions (p. 4) and bring your answers to class on Thursday, March 9 th . Also, see the section on research on p. 3.
Step Three: Develop a Solution
The solution is the most important part of your proposal. By the time you finish investigating your problem, you will probably have a good sense of the solution you want to propose. But you will (in most cases) need to conduct further research in order to devise a feasible solution. Once you have the bulk of the information you need, it will be time to think about how to present your solution as persuasively as possible to your audience. Please answer the attached rhetorical analysis questions (p. 5) and bring your answers to class on Tuesday, March 21 st .
Interview
Your sources of information should include at least one interview . Read over pp. 53-55 in Public Literacy and pp. 102-103 in "Examining Solutions" (attached) before planning or conducting your interview.
General guidelines for interviewing:
· Be polite and considerate in setting up the interview. Give your interviewee plenty of advance notice and consider his/her preferences in setting up the format and day/time of the interview.
· Prepare ahead of time. In most cases, you should conduct research before the interview in order to show the interviewee you are serious and to make the most of your interview opportunity.
· Write interview questions carefully, but be flexible when using them. Consider asking a few simple questions first to warm up the person you're interviewing, but don't leave your most important questions until last. You may never get to them. When conducting the interview, keep your overall goals in mind and adapt your questions as needed in order to accomplish your goals.
· Don't count on electronic equipment. Use a tape recorder if you prefer (and if it is all right with the person you're interviewing), but don't count on it! Take notes as well.
· Ask open-ended questions and, within limits, encourage tangents. These can yield some of the most interesting information and quotes.
· Thank the person you've interviewed afterward; you may want to offer to send him/her a copy of your finished proposal.
In order to prepare for your real interview, I will pair you up with a partner from class to practice. These practice interviews should last roughly 15 minutes, and your goal should be to find out simple background information relevant to this class: where the person is from, what experiences with writing and/or activism she has had, what he/she hopes to accomplish in college and after graduation, etc. Please complete this practice interview by Tuesday, March 7 th .
Resources for General Research
All proposals require sound information in order to be convincing; however, the types of information you need will vary depending upon your proposal topics. The attached handouts and Chapter 5 in Public Literacy provide helpful discussions of using various resources:
Public Literacy , Chapter 5 ("Research in the Public Interest")
· How to find out demographic information for your community
· How to use online sources of information
· How to use academic information in community proposals
Handout from Community Writing , Chapter 3 ("Examining Solutions")
· How to find sources of information within the federal government
· How to find relevant organizations
· How to understand statistics, graphs, and charts
· How to find out about how an issue affects other communities (through
online and library research)
· How to conduct your own survey and/or interview
· How to sort out competing claims
Don't forget to cite your sources of information at the end of your proposal! You may use MLA or APA style.
For APA style: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html
For MLA style: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html
Problem Analysis Questions
Please answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper and bring to class on Thursday, March 9th.
1) What is the problem your proposal will address?
2) Who is affected by the problem?
3) What is causing the problem? What is its history? Who (if anyone) is benefiting from the situation as it is now (the status quo)?
4) Has anyone tried to address this problem before? How? What happened?
5) How do people in the community feel about this problem?
6) What might some possible solutions be? Weigh the pros and cons of each.
7) What information do you need to evaluate the possible solutions? To propose a single (possibly partial) solution?
8) List the questions you need to answer to write this proposal.
9) List the sources of information you will/might use to answer these questions.
Rhetorical Analysis Questions
Please answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper and bring to class on Tuesday, March 21st.
1) Audience. Analyze your audience. You may want to break the audience down into the categories of initial, gatekeeper, primary, secondary, and/or watchdog. Describe the defining characteristics of each segment of your audience: How much do they already know about this subject? What aspects of the topic or information will they be most interested in? What is their attitude likely to be? What questions are they likely to ask while reading what you've written?
2) Purpose. Define your purpose. Exactly what are you trying to accomplish with this specific audience? What do you want this piece of writing to enable them to do? What are you trying to convince/persuade them to do or believe? How will you try to ensure that your final draft accomplishes these purposes?
3) Ethos/Persona. How should you present yourself in order to best accomplish your purpose? Is there anything about yourself or your attitude that you need to downplay or edit? Is there anything you should emphasize?
4) Information. What information do you need to include to accomplish your purpose(s) with your audience? If you do not already have all the necessary information, how will you obtain it?
5) Overcoming Obstacles. What obstacles might get in the way of your message accomplishing your purpose with your audience? Will any readers have objections to what you have to say? If so, how can you overcome them? Is there anything about your message which will seem negative to readers? If so, how can you de-emphasize the negative aspect or help readers see it in a more positive light? How else can you influence readers to be open to your message and purpose?
6) Context. Analyze the context within which you are writing (and within which your audience will read your writing). Context could include the amount of time you have, the time of year, current events that affect your audience's perspective on various issues, etc. What constraints may limit your ability to accomplish your purpose? What aspects of your overall context may affect the way you go about accomplishing your purpose?