Four to Six Pages Proposal Argument

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Assignment 4: Proposal Argument Proposal Due: Tuesday, July 31st; Annotated Bibliography Due: Thursday, August 2nd

Rough Draft Due: Monday, August 6th Final Draft Due: Wednesday, August 8th

Prompt: In the Evaluation Argument, you engaged with a larger conversation and clearly expressed your position on an issue. In this Proposal Argument, you will build on those skills as you identify a problem and advocate for a way to address or solve that problem to an audience who can benefit from and participate in the solution your proposal addresses. You may need to convince your audience that a problem does, indeed, exist, if that is not obvious. Your starting point, then, is to identify something you feel, with good reason, should be changed. Next, argue that a certain, concrete action should be taken to respond to or resolve that problem. Your proposed plan of action should be both possible and desirable. Explore the costs and benefits of your plan. Most of the paper should be devoted to advocating your plan for addressing/resolving the problem. Process: As you are brainstorming, consider your local communities, practices, and investments (national or international problems are mostly off the table for this assignment, as they are difficult to address in the space of this essay). What real-life problem might benefit from a concrete solution you can identify? You will write your proposal in two stages, first answering the questions your instructor assigns, and second composing an annotated bibliography of five sources you may consult for information about your topic. Your list of sources can be specific articles or books, titles of relevant publications, groups you could survey, or names of individuals you could interview. As you are drafting, carefully consider issues of feasibility and audience acceptability. Think about how you are explaining the time, money, labor, resources, etc., that would be necessary to put your solution into action. Describe your plan to show that it is feasible. Consider how you might establish common ground and build consensus to make it acceptable. Understanding that not everyone will agree that your plan is best, address competing solutions and consider any concessions your audience might need to make. Do your best to convince them that your solution is the most effective option available to them. After drafting, revise and edit. Consider the tone you should establish and pay careful attention to precision and punctuation. The one-page cover letter should explain your rhetorical decision-making, and specifically for this paper, it should include: (1) a brief overview of your audience, their values, and their relation to your proposal and (2) several supporting examples, with analysis, of how you influenced your audience. Format: Your final draft should be four to six pages (double-spaced, TNR or Calibri font, 1” margins). When citing your outside source(s), follow MLA format (see NHG Ch. 19 and/or the PSU Libraries’ Citation Guide: guides.libraries.psu.edu/mlacitation). Grading Criteria: Your essay should

(1) identify and describe the problem clearly and include a cover letter; (2) address a limited audience who can help you achieve and/or benefit from your solution; (3) present a concrete proposal for change that is feasible and acceptable; (4) explain how and why your solution will address the problem you have identified; (5) fairly assess and fully explore the possible costs and benefits (feasibility) of your solution; (6) use research that is credible, appropriate, and properly cited following MLA guidelines.