you examined how a face-to-face discourse community functioned. Now it’s time to take what you’ve learned about those concrete interactions and apply that understanding to a more abstract academic community. For the rest of the semester, you’ll be focusing on one research topic. Your purpose in this proposal essay is to propose an issue to write about in your final research essay and to explore how the topic’s research community is interacting.

You are free to choose any topic to write about, but your topic should in some way relate to an issue in your major. Remember that this is just the start of your research journey, so your plans do not have to be completed nailed down. The idea is that you will start researching and thinking about what you want to write about.

Your proposal essay should include the following:
Title : A good title forecasts the topic of your essay and catches your reader’s attention.
Introduction: Use your introduction to identify your topic. Be sure to explain why this argument is timely (kairos) and how it is connected to your major.
Find the Research Gap: Your final paper will need to be more than just a summary of research. Instead, you’ll need to find the research gap where your argument will make a difference. Your challenge in the final paper is to propose an idea or solution that is new. Take a stab at your research gap in the proposal essay.
Research Community: Use this section to demonstrate where the research gap exists. You can engage with your topic’s research community. You need to talk about at least 3 credible sources that you’ve come across in your preliminary research. How do they seem to be interacting? Summarize why they’ll be helpful for you.
Conclusion/Concerns: End by articulating your research question or a preliminary thesis.
Also tell me what kinds of concerns you have about the topic. Do you foresee any problems or difficulties? What kind of feedback do you need from me at this point?

When you turn in the essay, I’ll give you feedback for your topic and plan. You will also have the chance to revise this essay if you want, but revisions are not required. As I read the essay, I’ll be looking for these criteria:
o Well-developed introduction
o Well-thought out research gap
o Discussion of the overall topic
o Clear discussion of research
o Articulation of research question/thesis
o Proper documentation (in-text citations and works cited page)
o Clear grammar and syntax
o Meeting minimum requirements of length and scope