ProposalAssignment Define A Problem Affecting A Community That You Be
Proposal Assignment: Define a problem affecting a community that you belong to and research the causes of that problem. Then, propose a specific solution, taking care to define the parameters of your proposal and explain how it can be implemented. Finally, defend your proposal by discussing how it will address the problem and outlining any additional potential benefits. Your proposal should:
- Provide adequate background information regarding the problem you intend to solve. This may include a description of the problem, a discussion of what makes the problem significant, and an enumeration of some of the solutions already proposed by others.
- Propose your own solution in a clear thesis statement.
- Discuss how your solution will be implemented.
- Provide support for your proposal by explaining how it will alleviate the problem and by enumerating any additional benefits.
- Account for and respond to possible objections.
- Conclude by summarizing your proposal, discussing its significance, and offering a powerful emotional appeal.
Learning Objectives:
- To provide experience in utilizing the rhetorical strategies of argument to make real change in the world.
- To provide experience synthesizing different genres of argument in a single text.
- To provide experience with engaging an on-going conversation conducted in and through written texts.
- To provide practice with the strategies of academic writing, including critical analysis, crafting thesis statements, crafting supporting paragraphs, responding to objections, and incorporating sources.
Audience: MTSU Academic Community. Do not assume the audience has read the essays you are discussing. Provide enough details about the author and the essay for the reader to understand both their positions and your own. Tips: Review Chapter 12 of your textbook for help thinking through the kinds of claims and strategies of support typical of proposals. Try framing your proposed solution as a call to action in the thesis statement: o E.g. If we really want to solve problem X, we must do A, B, C. Use a range of evidence types (facts, statistics, examples, authorities, analogies) as support in order to engage all the rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos). For help organizing your essay, refer to the sample proposals included in your textbook on pages 307-17. Requirements: 3-5 typed pages. Double Spaced. Include the standard assignment block in the upper left-hand corner (i.e. Your Name / Class Name / Instructor Name / Type of Assignment / Date). Use MLA style and formatting throughout. Use the appropriate tone for an academic essay, as well as correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This essay requires a minimum of three outside sources. All sources should be cited both in the text of your essay and in a separate works cited page. Due Dates: See Schedule. Essay Evaluation Sheet Student ___ Final Grade This evaluation sheet serves as an indication of where your essay is strong and weak. Use this information as a guide when you write, revise, and edit your papers in the future. Remember: you can come in and talk to me about your papers at any time during the process of writing them or 24 hours after they are returned to you. Each category uses the Very Good to Weak scale; 100 total points are possible. Your grade is based on the points you receive out of those possible 100 points and your final point score is calculated by applying the percentage of points out of 100 to the total number of points possible for the specific assignment. AREA SCORE OVERALL QUALITY SCORED CRITERIA CONTENT _____ Very good
Interesting topic/title 5…4…3…2… points _____ Good Clear significance 5…4…3…2…1 _____ Average
Meets the assignment 5…4…3…2…1 /30 _____ Needs improvement Attention to Audience 5…4…3…2…1 _____ Weak
Strong support 5…4…3…2…1 Vivid detail 5…4…3…2…1 ORGANIZATION _____ Very good
Introduction 5…4…3…2…1 Conclusion 5…4…3…2… points _____ Good
Development/control of ideas 5…4…3…2…1 /30 _____ Average Logical sequencing of ideas 5…4…3…2…1 _____ Needs improvement
Transitions 5…4…3…2…1 _____ Weak Unified paragraphs 5…4…3…2…1 Style _____ Very good
Accurate, precise word choice 5…4…3…2… points _____ Good No wordiness 5…4…3…2…1 _____ Average
Tone/Voice 5…4…3…2…1 /20 _____ Needs improvement Sentence variety 5…4…3…2…1 _____ Weak GRAMMAR _____ Very good
Misplaced or missing possessive apostrophes 3…2…1… points _____ Good Comma Use 3…2…1…0 _____ Average
Sentence fragment 3…2…1…0 /15 ----- Needs improvement Agreement (s/v, p/a, tense) 3…2…1…0 _____ Weak
Run-on sentences 3…2…1…0 MECHANICS _____ Very good Spelling/typos 2…1… points _____ Good * MLA style/Formatting 3…2…1…0 _____ Average /5 _____ Needs improvement _____ Weak TOTAL /100
