Term papers: Proposal

Please see these sites to see sample proposal and general guidlelines on how to write research papers:
Dean's Book w/ Prof. Connie Griffin, U of Mass
Purdue University OWL Center

A proposal must include the following: 

  1. The tentative title of your paper
  2. The thesis statement: Formulate it as an assertion ("statement") that you will defend and demonstrate through your research. A thesis statement takes a position on an issue and it provides an answer rather than a question.
    Example: "The female characters in The House Mango Street find a space in the novel to speak from a place of silence"
  3. A brief description of what you plan to research/write about (100-150 words)
    Include the following:
    • 1. The name(s) of the work(s) you will study
    • 2. One or two sentences summarizing what other scholars have studied about this work, if applicable.
    • 3. Mention your critical approach, in general (feminism, gender roles, anthropological, subaltern studies, ideology, narrative techniques, film studies, etc.)
    • 4. Why do you want to embark in this research project? What does the idea appeal to you?
  4. A working bibliography of academically reputable sources that you plan to use to write the paper.