Proposal: Topic Choice, Guidelines, Sample

Choosing Your Topic

1. Research Artifact
2. Research Question

or

1. Research Question
2. Research Artifact

You can start with either an artifact (or an area of interest) or a research question; in the end you need both to be formulated for your topic

Research Question

Ultimate goal: Unpacking the underlying messages in popular culture texts.

Values? Norms? Expectations?

What does popular culture have to say about an issue or theme in society?

Narrow down! - 6-8 page paper; not 2 pages nor 40 pages

Research Artifact

• An argument or discussion (political, scientific, cultural)
• A work of literature (story, play, novel)
• A film, TV show, animated feature, etc.
• A song, album, music video, podcast, etc.
• An interactive multimedia artifact (website, video game, DVD menu, etc.)
• An advertisement, poster, public service announcement (TV, web-based, radio, etc.)
• A product design or package, a fashion item or trend, a logo

Topic Examples

1. Scope too broad:

Barack Obama's rhetorical appeal

Violence in Video Games

Origins of sexism in popular culture

Major themes in Harry Potter series

Death metal

Ads that make us buy Coke

Problem:
> poorly-defined research question
> little effort to think of an initial answer

2. Still too broad (but better):

Obama's use of ethos

Violence in First Person Shooters

Sexist stereotypes in Sitcoms

Coming-of-age themes in Harry Potter

Progressive melodic death metal

Why Coke's Christmas ads are effective

Problem:
> missing either concrete research questions or artifacts, no definite approach

3. Specific but perhaps too ambitious:

Obama's use of ethos to propose jobs plans in Sept 8^th speech to congress

Narratives rationalizing causes of war in current-generation FPS games

Social norms of gender vs. female characters in Modern Family

Harry Potter as flawed role model for teen-to-adult emotional transitions

Progressive melodic death metal and alternative views on grief & mortality

Penguins and polar bears: emotional appeal of animated animals in Coke marketing

Problem:
>research question or artifacts too broad, approach too complex

4. Not ambitious enough:

Obama's use of ethos through appeal to democratic authority in BBC interview

Why Modern Warfare 2's “No Russian” level caused a media uproar

Gloria and Latino female stereotypes in Modern Family

Harry vs. Voldemort – hero and villain stereotypes

Opeth's “Bleak” (song) and alternative views on grief & mortality within death metal

History of polar bears in Coke advertisement

Problem:
>research question or artifacts too narrow; conclusions too self-evident

5. Good topics:

Obama's use of bipartisan appeals in Sept 8^th speech as example of effective ethos

Dramatistic analysis of justification for war in Modern Warfare 3 (single player)

Social norms of marriage vs. female characters in first season of Modern Family

The character of Harry and dramatistic absolution of flaws through self-sacrifice

Opeth's “Blackwater Park” (album) and alternative views on grief & mortality

Coke's penguins vs. polar bears – emotional appeal through recognizable narratives of overcoming difference

Checklist:
>specific research question, well-defined artifact(s), approach identified

Essay Proposals

A proposal is meant to convince your audience (me) that your chosen topic is acceptable for credit in this course

You do so by demonstrating a specific research question, artifact(s) and approach

Not set in stone!

Topic can be adjusted and even changed later (in consultation with me)

Proposal Structure:

1. Introduction

-Should include a statement of intent like: “For my final essay, I would like to conduct a rhetorical analysis of...” or “I propose to analyze [x] using [y] approach”

-Should include your main research question

-Convince me (as your reader) that your research question is (a) interesting and original; (b) answerable and practical

-Should include a quick preview of your main points/possible areas to explore

2. Primary Artifact(s)

-Should include a brief description of the content and interesting features of the artifact(s) you plan to analyze. Note any arguments that your artifact seems to be making.

-Provide a brief description of the context for the artifact

-Be realistic and remember to choose a specific enough artifact, text, or features of several texts that you will analyze. Convince me (as your reader) that this is a manageable, interesting and culturally-valuable artifact – not merely something you like!

3. Methodology

-Describe which rhetorical approaches and methods you plan to use. Refer to your textbook chapters for possible options. Remember that you can choose more than one approach, but don't take on too many!

-Explain how/why your methodology works for the artifact(s) you chose, and how it will help you answer your research question and draw practical conclusions

-If you are not fully familiar with the research method, mention what else you might need to learn to complete your methodology!

4. Additional Sources

-Describe any outside sources that you think may be useful for your project. I encourage you to do at least some outside research.

-If you already consulted some sources (e.g. articles online; reference sources; readings on rhetorical methods), list them and explain how these may be valuable

-If you do not have external sources yet, note the kinds of research you might consider as you write your paper.

5. Conclusion

-Summarize what you expect to discover or argue through your paper. If you already have a tentative argument to make about your source, be sure to mention it!

-Consider the implications of what your conclusion about your artifact(s) might have

-Restate why you believe this will make an interesting, original, convincing paper

Your Essay Proposal:

500-1000 words, formal text, Due Oct. 13th

PROPOSAL SAMPLE

To help you get an idea of what a proposal should look like, I wrote one myself, using one of the topics I used in my first journal example.

Don't pay too much attention to the content here - I realize the topic is a bit esoteric (I won't say how true it is, either!), but note the format and the rhetorical moves made here, in particular what type of information is included in each of the sections.

This sample is at the maximum length and complexity of what I expect (so don't worry if your proposal is simpler and less definite). There are two sections here that are optional. The first is Paragraph 3 on page two ("These songs represent..." etc.) is actually providing a little bit of preliminary analysis of artifacts, which I don't expect everyone to have done - but if you do have some, please include it, it helps strengthen your proposal! The second optional section is the Appendix - which again, you do not need to have, but can be very helpful, because it lets me see your artifact(s) and assess your proposal better.

Otherwise, please pay close attention to the formatting, which is standard MLA here. You should consult MLA guidelines provided here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

I also expect you to have a reference section even if you are not using outside sources, which should include your artifact(s) and the course textbook.

Good luck and remember the essay is due this Thursday!