Short Assignment #4 - Research Paper Proposal

Much like the first sequence working towards Major Project 1, we begin the next sequence in a similar fashion by doing a few short assignments leading towards Major Project 2, the research paper. As such, the assignment due this week is a project proposal. 

The genre of the project proposal is a common one you'll find in business sectors, STEM fields, and other professions and occupations that include working with others. With the practice we've done in class with this genre, your goal, then, for this assignment is to turn in a project proposal for your Major Project 2. 

I'll be looking for a few things specifically:

• Overview
  • A general summary of your project: what is it about? How did you decide on this project? What about this issue made you want to explore it? 
• Goals
  • What do you intend to accomplish with this project? Be specific, and name at least three. Do you wish to learn more about this topic? Do you intend to build this paper throughout your undergrad career? Are you looking to improve your research skills with this project? 
• Specifics
  • How will you accomplish this project? What modes will you work in? Will you use Docs, or MS Word? Where will you gather your sources? Online most likely, but what outlets and databases will you use? Like your goals, get very specific. 
• Timeline
  • How long will it take for you to finish this project? What are some important milestones for this project?

For this short assignment, you'll be turning in a short 2-3 min. video proposal, as opposed to a traditional written document. This'll be a way to practice producing something rhetorically but in a different genre/mode than usual. Additionally, you'll have to explain the project to someone other than me. 

As in, imagine you got stuck in an elevator with a faculty mentor or a celebrity and they asked you what you're currently working on. Your response should be the proposal. Consider how much info you need to include depending on who you're explaining it to, and why it matters to you to begin with. For example, if you were explaining your project about something in the STEM field to a fellow classmate, you probably don't need to include too much background; but if you were explaining it to Julio Rodriguez, you might need to go a little more in depth. Conversely, if you were researching something about baseball, J-Rod probably doesn't need too much background compared to someone who isn't familiar with the sport, for example.