Proposal Argument Assignment
Due dates:
- Proposal (250 words): 22 March to the wiki
- Draft: 24 March, bring two copies to class
- Final version: 29 March, 11:59PM to the wiki
Proposals recommend a future course of action; their aim is to get something done. Consequently, proposals must be attuned carefully to audience, for such arguments only succeed if the audience agrees to carry out the proposed action. Convincing one's audience is a multi-pronged affair--there must be a need, the proposed action must answer that need, and finally the action must be feasible. Our discussions in the coming week will focus on these three components.
Assignment Objectives
For this assignment, advocate that something should be done to address or alleviate a problem. Your aim is first to convince your audience that a situation is a problem (if that's needed) and then to propose that a certain action should be taken to respond to that problem. What action is possible and desirable? Your starting point might well be something that bothers you and that you feel should be changed. (Of course, you might have to convince your readers that it is a problem for them too, if that is not obvious.) Then devote the balance of the paper to advocating your plan for dealing with that problem.
Issues to consider? Here are some ideas:
- You might want to consider some issue that concerns you as a student--one of the issues targeted recently by The Daily Collegian. Do you have a realistic solution or alternative to argue to those responsible or able to change the situation? Do you have suggestions to improve dorm policies, admissions policies, testing policies, course policies, other academic policies?
- Are there issues which concern you as a citizen, issues for which you have a solution? The threats to the environment? The censoring and banning of certain textbooks in some schools? Competitive imbalances in major league baseball? Or consider some more local issues particular to your town or school district--e.g., should your town build a community center to give young people a place to gather? should the school district make hockey a varsity sport?
- You may want to consider issues related to entertainment. Should movies be rated separately for violence and sex? Should they be rated at all? Should CDs be rated like movies are? Would you propose some restrictions on bands with offensive lyrics? What should be done about violence on TV? Should federal funding for the arts or for Public Broadcasting be cut?
Conceptualizing and Accomplishing Your Task
As you work out the rhetorical situation for this assignment, pay particular attention to audience. You should be able to specify an actual audience and forum for which you will present your proposal. Consider what your purpose is--to convince someone directly to take action; or to create grass roots support for an action that someone other than the audience would take. Your audience should be asked either to undertake the action proposed or to support the action proposed.
Consider carefully how differences in audience and forum will influence the specific kind of thesis and support you need to present. That means, first, assessing whether your audience agrees with you that a problem exists. If there is no question about it, then you can spend your time on your solution. But if it is not clear that a problem exists, or if your audience does not necessarily appreciate the magnitude of the problem, then you must first concentrate on establishing the problem. That might mean employing the tactics of evaluation that we have discussed in class.
See especially, EA, pp. 248-252.
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