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Coursework Proposal

Required Project, 1 of your 5 major projects

Calendar IconImportant Dates

  • Sept 27: Rough Drafts for Peer Review, due by 11:59 PM
  • Sept 29: Feedback on Classmates’ Work, due by 11:59 PM
  • Oct 3: Proposal due by 11:59 PM
  • Oct 10: Grace period ends at 11:59 PM

Goals

Hand-drawn icon of a page in a report, showing two graphs, on a clipboard learn the characteristics of proposals and how to incorporate graphics in a document Hand-drawn image of a graduation capthink about the writing you will do after you graduate as you choose the tasks you will complete Hand-drawn image of a calendar with a clockplan and schedule the work that you will do for the rest of the term and explain your choices

The Project Assignment

Write a proposal that outlines the three major projects you will compose to complete the requirement for five major projects in this course. The three projects you choose can be any combination of the following options:

If you choose to complete more than three major projects, lower grades will be dropped. For instance, if you take the midterm and don’t pass, you can complete an alternative project and the midterm grade will be dropped.

Step-by-Step Details

Step 1: Decide on the major projects you will complete.
Read through the assignment for the Genre Analysis Report and the details on the Midterm Exam on Readings, and review the information in the table you created for your Analysis of Writing in Your Field project.

Think about your career goals and the kinds of writing that are critical to your future plans. If there are particular kinds of writing that you know will be important to your success, they may be your best choice(s) for the work you will complete. Remember that the Pass/Fail grading system means that you can always try again if you have trouble with a more challenging kind of writing.

 

Step 2: Read Chapter 11 of Markel closely.
Chapter 11 of Markel (“Writing Proposals”) is your road map for this project. For our purposes, you are working on an internal proposal, as described in Markel. Your proposal should include the following sections and information:

  • summary (Markel, p. 301)
  • introduction, which explains your career goals as they relate to the projects (Markel, p. 301)
  • proposed program, that is what you propose to create (Markel, p. 301)
  • qualifications and experience (Markel, p. 304)
  • task schedule (Markel, p. 305)

You can include additional sections and information. You can skip the budget section. Use the example proposal in the textbook to make decisions about the design and formatting of your own proposal (as well as the content and tone).

Additionally, you may review the information in Chapter 7 of Markel (“Designing Print and Online Documents”) for details on how to choose appropriate layout and design for your proposal. Review Chapter 8 of Markel (“Creating Graphics”) for advice on visual elements you can add to your proposal to increase its effectiveness.

 

Step 3: Write your proposal.
Create your project in your word processor.
Your project should meet the following criteria, which are included on the rubric:

  • includes an explanation of three major projects that you will complete.
  • explains the detailed plan for each project.
  • identifies the specific audience(s) and purpose(s) for each project.
  • points to the chapters in our textbook and any other resources you will use to complete each project.
  • addresses any ethical/intercultural and global issues or other concerns that may impact each project.

Think of your audience for this project as me, Traci. Your goal is to convince me that the kinds of writing you choose to focus on for your remaining three projects will best prepare you for writing in the workplace when you graduate (or during future internships or jobs).

You will post your draft for peer review by 11:59 PM on September 27. If you do not post your draft on time, you will not be assigned peer review partners.

You will send feedback to your partners by 11:59 PM on September 29. Use the advice you receive from your readers to revise before the due date. There are no rewrites or revisions after the grace period ends.

 

Step 4: Write your cover memo.
Write a cover memo that tells me whatever information I need to know to understand the work you did on your proposal. This memo should be the first page of your project. The cover page for your proposal will be the second page. Both documents should be in one file.

Your memo should use standard memo format, with the headings of To:, From:, Subject:, and Date. See Chapter 9 (“Writing Correspondence”) of Markel for more details on writing memos.

Include this kind of information in your cover memo:

  • Explain a bit about your field and career so that I have some context for your proposal.
  • Tell me what you did to make your work stand out.
  • Discuss anything you have questions about or are unsure of.
  • Tell me anything else you want me to know before I read your proposal.

Be sure to explain the background on your piece fully. This cover memo is where you tell me about the work you put into the project and provide some self-evaluation of your work. The cover memo is the first thing I will read, so it is your opportunity to make sure that I have all the information that I need to understand your project.

 

Step 5: Submit your project in Canvas.

Compare your project to the requirements in the rubric to make sure you have fulfilled that assignment.

When you are finished with your cover memo and project, you will turn in your work in Canvas, following the submission instructions. Remember that there are no rewrites or revisions after the grace period ends.

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