English paper (The price is all i can afford)

English 112

Proposal Argument Assignment

While the first two phases of the assignment (the Exploratory Essay and the I Search Essay) taught you how to generate significant and problematic questions and how to engage with your research, the third and final phase will ask you to respond to those questions in the form of a proposal.  In your essay, you will propose a solution to the issue that you are considering in order to convince your instructor and your classmates that your tentative issue has good potential, is timely, and is important.

As Ramage, Bean, and Johnson note in chapter 15 of your text, a policy proposal is an essay, “in which the writer offers a broad plan of action to solve major social economic, or political problems affecting the common good”(313). This is the type of proposal I am asking you to write for your final essay. You have spent time thinking through a particular problem and reading about other people’s solution to the problem. Now it is your turn to enter the conversation with your proposed solution.

The goal of the “Proposing a Solution Essay” is to make an argument that calls an audience to action.   You’ll make a claim that some action should or ought to be taken.  You will offer a solution to the issue you explored in your Exploratory Essay and/or researched in your I Search Essay.  Your solution will be a positive step in the larger problem you have been grappling with all semester.  By focusing your argument on one specific public problem, you will be responding to the frequently asked questions: But what can we do and why should we do anything? 

This part of the assignment calls for a proposal argument that will contain the following four parts:

1. A description of the problem (summarize what is going on and why it is important to your targeted audience, appeal to your readers pathos).

2. A proposal for a solution (Here you will need to gather from your preliminary research to help you consider possible solutions and appeal to your readers logos).

3. A justification for the solution (assert your position, make your claim; your thesis). Your justification should include at least 2 of the 3 argument approaches; Argument from Principle, Argument from Consequence, Argument from Resemblance. (see pages 320-321)

4. A response to objections or to alternative proposals.

Some Helpful Tips:

Toulmin Analysis

Consider all parts of the Toulmin anaylsis (see example on page 315) in your prewriting stage to be sure you have thought through the validity of your argument.

Audience

When determining your target audience you want to analyze specific characteristics by identifying and answering the following questions:

· How would you define them in terms of age, economic and social class, gender, education, etc.? What typical attitudes, stances, or biases about your topic does this audience hold?

· What in their background or daily experiences helps explain their point of view?

· What are they likely to know about your topic?

· How might they be uninformed or misinformed about it?

· How would they like to see the problem, question, or issue resolved, answered, or handled? Why? That is, what personal stake do they have in the topic?

· In what larger framework--religious, ethical, political, economic--do they place your topic? That is, what general beliefs and values does your audience hold?

Problem

· Begin with background information; where does the problem show up? Who is affected? How long has it been around? Is it getting worse?

· Analyze the problem; what are the elements? What are the causes? Why hasn’t it been solved?

· Describe the problems significance; what are the negative consequences of not solving the problem?

Proposal for Solution

· Describe solution and show how it will work; demonstrate step by step how it would solve the problem and at what cost.

Justification

· Persuade your audience that your solution should be enacted.

· Demonstrate the benefits outweigh the costs.

· Demonstrate why your solution is better than alternatives.

Length/Format

Your proposal should be approximately 5-7 pages and include no fewer than 4 sources . The essay is to be typed in Times New Roman, 12pt, and according to MLA format. A works cited page must also be included.

You should consider organizing your proposal using headings and bullets. All items on the list above should be addressed in your proposal; therefore, think about how you can clearly organize your material to convince the reader that your topic is timely and important.

Finally, you will be writing a reflection about this essay in the last week of the course. Be prepared to justify the techniques you are using in a later assignment.

**Be sure to avoid first person pronouns in your writing as this a formal proposal, not a narrative of your thought process (as in the Exploratory and ISearch essays).

**Avoid the statements- “I think/feel/believe” “In my opinion,” as they weaken your argument. Again, avoid “I.”

Step 1: Finalize your topic. You have researched at least one problem facing your region, country, or world already. Now it is time to choose an angle you would like to take on in your proposal. Perhaps you would like to take on the entire problem, or perhaps you would like to take on a smaller, more manageable portion of the problem.

Step 2: Prewriting. Using one or two prewriting techniques, generate ideas for your proposal as you consider the above questions that fall under each of the four categories you are to include in your essay.

Step 3: Use the guidelines on pgs. 328 to help you write a draft of your essay. Do NOT worry about adding researched information at this point.

Step 4: Submit your first draft to the discussion board forum for peer review by midnight on Thursday, December 3.

Step 5: Complete two peer reviews on your classmates’ essays by 12 NOON Monday, December 7.

Step 6: Read through the MLA PowerPoint presentation about incorporating quotes, paraphrases, and summaries smoothly.

Step 7: Add appropriate researched information to you proposal and revise your arguments.

Step 8: Submit a second draft of your proposal to the discussion board forum titled, “Proposal, 2nd Draft” for further peer review by Monday, December 7 at midnight(or soon after- obviously we need a little wiggle room here).

Step 9: Complete 2 more peer reviews on your classmates’ second drafts by Thursday, December 10.

Step 10: Submit your final drafts by Monday, December 14 to the assignments link. **As this due date falls close to the end of our session, please understand that I CANNOT accept this assignment late for any reason.