group work of a proposal essay

RWS 305W Collaborative Proposal Project

Many San Diego State University students get involved with the campus community by forming

student groups. According to SDSU’s website, there are over 300 student organizations on

campus that “cover a wide range of interests—recreation, honors societies, cultural groups,

professional development organizations, multicultural societies,” etc. To access this list of

groups, go to SDSU’s Home Page and from the Camus Life drop-down menu, select “Get

Involved” and then select “Student Organizations.”

The ability to produce work collaboratively is a skill that is highly valued in today’s workplace.

Working as a group, write a 1500 word proposal that seeks approval from Associated Students to

form a new student group at SDSU. The purpose of your organization should be to fill a need,

solve a problem, or provide growth opportunities for students on campus. While you do not have

to follow through on forming this group, what you are proposing should be realistic and feasible.

You will need to do some research on your issue. Explain how funding will be obtained, such as

fundraising activities or appeals to organization for donations or sponsoring. Be sure to address

the issue of sustainability. How will this organization be able to exist after your group graduates?

This is usually accomplished by incentivizing students in particular majors to become volunteers

and carry on the mission of the organization—either through class credit or professional

development opportunities.

You will use the title page of your report to supply the Title of your proposal, an image that is

relevant to your topic and adds to its persuasiveness, and the names of your group members.

Organize your report around the following three main sub-sections.

Problem or Need

Provide background information to introduce the issue you plan to address or the

need you plan to fill. Keep it local. Keep your goals realistic and feasible.

Solution

Explain in detail what you propose to do and how you would go about doing it.

You might propose a group whose purpose is to empower individuals, increase

awareness about an important issue, increase public safety, help SDSU students

gain real-world experience, etc. What incentives will you provide so that students

will be encouraged to volunteer for this group in the future?

Benefits

Explain the benefits of taking this course of action in a way that is specific and

persuasive. Provide compelling reasons for your reader to accept the proposal.

Explain who will benefit and how. Be persuasive! Use the appeals—Ethos,

Logos, and Pathos. Counter possible objections as you did in the editorial.

The Proposal and Presentation will be evaluated using the following:

Criteria for Evaluation

1. Overall, does the proposal justify the formation of a student group that fills a need on campus or provides growth opportunities for students.

2. Does the proposal provide enough background information to inform the reader of the seriousness or scope of the issue?

3. Does the proposal present a solution or plan of action that is realistic and feasible? 4. Does the proposal provide its intended audience with compelling and logical reasons to

take the suggested action?

5. Has the proposal been edited for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors to the extent that it would be acceptable in a professional environment?

Note: This is a collaborative assignment. The entire group will earn the grade that is assigned to

the proposal. However, at the end of the process, group members will be asked to fill out an

anonymous survey in which they respond to questions about each other’s participation in the

project. I reserve the right to adjust individual grades if evidence arises that one or more group

members did not contribute equally to the project.