CONTENTS: Research Proposal Guidelines, Student Sample, & Peer-Review Questions.
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Purpose: The research proposal is designed to orient you to your research focus by asking you to articulate the trajectory your investigation; it also introduces you to the genre of proposal writing & establishes the relationship between sophisticated use of sources & strong research writing.
Subject: You are free to choose your own subject matter for this research project (excluding those previously restricted), & it should be one that interests you or appeals to you in some way. The proposal is a promise of sorts, for you’ll develop your subject matter into your major research-based argument. Realize, however, as you work with your primary source, that the specifics of your research may cause you to modify your subject matter. This is perfectly acceptable &, in fact, normal. Research & writing are processes of discovery.
What is a research Proposal: Research proposals are commonly used in a wide variety of disciplines & professions as a means of developing agendas for research communities, securing funding for a study, publicizing plans for inquiry & field research, & testing the interest of potential audience in a given project. Therefore, the genre, organization, and contents of the research proposal differ in many important ways from other kinds of popular & academic writing. In the proposal itself, you need to explain your interest in your chosen subject & establish a set of questions to guide your inquiry. You also need to delineate the timeline for your research & writing process. Although this part may seem obvious, it is crucial to time management & in helping to shape the scope & range of your research.
Format & Length: For the actual research proposal, please compose a 1700-2000 word document to propose your research ideas. The proposal should meet pre-ordained formatting standards, be spell-checked & proofread. Be sure that your proposal is more polished than a stream-of-consciousness free-write. If you are dealing with visual rhetoric appropriate images should be incorporated.
As you can tell, this assignment asks you to try out real-world standards for the length, format, & contents of the research proposal so you will have mastered this genre to use in future academic & professional contexts.
Content & Process: After completing your brainstorming using the research sketch & other suggestions for getting started, complete the questions below to help you structure this genre of writing. Create a plan for your research and include the following components.
· Come up with an intriguing title for your research proposal. This title will be different from the one for the research paper, & in the spirit of inquiry should appear in your choice of a title.
Subject: You are free to choose your own subject matter for this research project (excluding those previously restricted), & it should be one that interests you or appeals to you in some way. The proposal is a promise of sorts, for you’ll develop your subject matter into your major research-based argument. Realize, however, as you work with your primary source, that the specifics of your research may cause you to modify your subject matter. This is perfectly acceptable &, in fact, normal. Research & writing are processes of discovery.
What is a research Proposal: Research proposals are commonly used in a wide variety of disciplines & professions as a means of developing agendas for research communities, securing funding for a study, publicizing plans for inquiry & field research, & testing the interest of potential audience in a given project. Therefore, the genre, organization, and contents of the research proposal differ in many important ways from other kinds of popular & academic writing. In the proposal itself, you need to explain your interest in your chosen subject & establish a set of questions to guide your inquiry. You also need to delineate the timeline for your research & writing process. Although this part may seem obvious, it is crucial to time management & in helping to shape the scope & range of your research.
Format & Length: For the actual research proposal, please compose a 1700-2000 word document to propose your research ideas. The proposal should meet pre-ordained formatting standards, be spell-checked & proofread. Be sure that your proposal is more polished than a stream-of-consciousness free-write. If you are dealing with visual rhetoric appropriate images should be incorporated.
As you can tell, this assignment asks you to try out real-world standards for the length, format, & contents of the research proposal so you will have mastered this genre to use in future academic & professional contexts.
Content & Process: After completing your brainstorming using the research sketch & other suggestions for getting started, complete the questions below to help you structure this genre of writing. Create a plan for your research and include the following components.
· Come up with an intriguing title for your research proposal. This title will be different from the one for the research paper, & in the spirit of inquiry should appear in your choice of a title.
· Craft an effective introduction to engage the audience’s interest. Proposals will be shared in class, so your audience is your fellow peers as well as your instructor. An introduction should describe your topic & identify the conversation you’ve decide to join; state your research question & your working thesis; describe your purpose; and identify your readers and describe their needs and interests.
· Identify & underline your tentative thesis (hypothesis). This will greatly help your time management & navigation of resources. But remember: be prepared to change it as often as an honest interpretation of the data demands.
· Give some background on your primary source or what you know so far. You should have completed some preliminary research which you should incorporate & properly site into this section.
· Identify a series of questions that will inform your research & explain them in your proposal.
· Delineate the methods you will use to conduct your research. Will there be library investigation of primary & secondary sources? Interviews with experts on campus or in the community? Field research with students or community populations? Be specific as possible, providing the names of key sources & potential interviewees as well as the rationale for why these methods will serve your needs (Present the names of specific databases you will utilize). Also, you should identify useful sources found during your exploration of your subject matter & explain why you’ve found them useful. After reading this section, your readers should have a general understanding of the conversation you’ve decided to join & the key voices—or sources—contributing to that conversation.
· Set up a timeline for your research. You can use the syllabus to help you in this endeavor, but be sure to identify the intermediary steps within the process. This aspect is the one common denominator in all research proposals, no matter what the disciplinary or professional field.
· Determine & articulate the purpose or goal of this research: Why are you researching this particular subject matter? Why do you feel compelled to study this subject matter further? Whom do you hope to persuade? What is the significance of this work? This last aspect is the most crucial one, & it often makes or breaks the decision of a governing board, financial establishment, or other evaluative audience when judging various proposals of their merit, feasibility, and contribution to the field. You might decide to use this aspect for your conclusion.
· A working bibliography lists the sources you’ve collected so far. Your working bibliography should conform to the documentation system (MLA) specified by your instructor, supervisor, or funding agency.
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STUDENT SAMPLE
************************************************************************************* Maybe you were ten or twelve when the thought crossed your mind, when your hands first passed down your stomach with intention. Perhaps you were excited or ashamed to explore, teeter-tottering between intense feelings of desire and overwhelming self-consciousness. Just as erratically as a pre-teen might view it, this subject matter has taken some daunting shifts in the public eye. Our culture has drawn a very fine line, vaguely distinguishing the “acceptability” or “normality” of this act. Its masturbation and it’s been a part of each of our lives in some form or another.
The word alone makes some waver uneasily in their seats. Moreover, if one directly references a woman engaging in self pleasure, the topic manages to take on a more brazen connotation. Super-taboo, if you will. What constitutes a relatively normal male behavior has been somehow interpreted differently for females. Historically, it has been considered sinful, abnormal, and even detrimental to health. Still, in the face of so much inconsistency, women have made steps to emancipate their sexual beings.
Similar to the orgasmic effect it yields physically, masturbation seems to wash over our culture in waves. Climactic moments of celebration contrast sharply to somber lulls of indifference, even aversion. These highs and lows are influential in diverse circumstance. Times of revulsion create hostile clashes, religious leaders vs. feminists vs. liberal feminists vs. radical feminists; all carry with them their weighty opinions on censorship and suppression. Within the context of this debate, moments of endorsement have generated art and literature praising the power of “self love”. These moments encourage our daughters to be fulfilled sexually without relying on another, gracefully sidestepping STDs and unplanned pregnancies. This inconsistency I believe is a homeostatic mechanism society has, perhaps without intention, put into effect. The constant waxing and waning of sexually explicit media creates a system of checks and balances wherein neither extreme can reach fixation. As cleverly exhibited in the photograph “Delicate Touch” by Laura Hamilton, contemporary art incorporates this harmonizing ideology.
US history has revealed some incredibly narrow views on the subject. Widespread belief supported masturbation as being the primary source of illness and disease, there was even “a sort of death by orgasm” (Maines 57) cited in medical texts. Preventative measures ranged from unsettling to outright cruel; esteemed surgeons began performing clitoridectomies to “cure” illness caused by masturbation, while others advocated the use of pure carbolic acid as an alternate method (Blackledge 262).
This generated fear seems to be inconsistent with other cultures however. Some religions (for this example, Taoism) view female sexuality, in particular female orgasm, as a positive and necessary occurrence. It is believed to be a resolution of two forces- expansion and contraction resulting in cosmic harmony. Some teachings go as far as to say nirvana resides in the vagina (Blackledge 265). An incredible dissimilarity to our Western culture, female sexuality has been something to be celebrated not hidden.
The intolerance encountered in our society is often presumed to be a male induced issue. It is “the man” who has allegedly placed women in their sexual roles generation after generation. There is assorted theory behind the foundation of these roles, one of which highlights the underlying social conception that males are inherently more sexual than females. It is this increased drive which leads to earlier and more continual masturbation, “training” the men to take initiative in sexual encounters and inadvertently placing females in their submissive roles (McCormick 16). Whether this is the case or not, it seems men aren’t the only ones guilty of this type of sexism. Feminists bicker incessantly about female sexuality as well. Some ultra extremist liberal feminists go as far to suggest that “any woman who wasn’t comfortable with bondage and discipline and all forms of pornography had limited herself to vanilla sex” (McCormick 10).
So where then, does that leave us? It leaves us searching for a happy medium, somewhere between mutilation as a masturbatory deterrent and using bondage to evade uninspiring coitus. Masturbation has yo-yoed from gruesome to mainstream, even hanging in limbo as it grew too popular. Now, it is a prominent fixture in art, writing and film but has it lost its punch? Has it lost its appeal for being revolutionary? The fickle nature of pop culture would almost insist that this ‘fad’ go out of style as quickly as is swooped in, but still it lingers. It seems this “illness” isn’t going anywhere fast. How are we propelling or inhibiting this source of social turbulence? In this technologically obsessed culture, media has an incredible power over its consumers: What America is fed is generally what America buys into. Now that we are being served a conflicting blend of information, at a never before seen rate, how does society view it? When we are left to formulate our own inferences, which have the greatest affect on us? Certainly, conservative views still have an incredible bearing. Religious organizations interjecting morals criticize and combat ‘liberal ideals’. These antagonistic pressures help shape modern views, attributing to the still swaying perceptions.
Over the years female masturbation has become more accepted, but still, there remains a double standard to our male counterparts. How did this double standard come to be? Female sexuality is considered appropriate when women are being objectified, in advertisements, music videos and film. When women take the lead though, they are racy, promiscuous, dirty, immoral (take your pick). Is there any validity to this rationale?
I, myself, being a young woman of the 21st century could sing the praises of someone comfortable in her own skin, someone unafraid to take initiative, someone who wants to simply feel good. But are there negative repercussions to this pleasure? Could self-exploration, awareness and fantasy have detrimental consequences? It is the issue that is to this day being ruthlessly argued. If the truth remains that masturbation is a damaging behavior, then some of us may be in a world of trouble. It is something that would literally affect millions, but how?
The love/hate relationship we have created with this act seems to be associated too, with the type material in which it appears. In contemporary art, how does this wavering attitude present itself? At its best masturbation can tastefully make a statement, a declaration even. Used in a tactless manner however, and it is no wonder there is so much objection.
It is through the analysis of my primary source, “Delicate Touch”, that I will establish the modernity of this field of interest. By spending time with this photograph, discussion with the artist and utilization of secondary sources in the form of books, periodicals and interviews, I hope to develop a strong argument for the role and relevance of masturbation today. Discourse specific databases including Kluwer Online, Project Muse and Medicare (U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services) will be employed in my research. I intend on speaking with a psychologist, particularly someone in a sex-related field to discuss backlash issues associated with masturbation being exploited as well as repressed. I have made a preliminary contact with Ms. Evelyn L. Green MA, LPC, and Cert. Sex Therapist of Denver via email explaining my research and my interest in an interview.
Over the next two weeks I will continue seeking out secondary sources; in particular, I will focus on peer-reviewed articles. Until now, I have focused on books borrowed from the library. Through my readings thus far, I have been maintaining an annotated bibliography which I will continue to supplement. The week of Spring Break (March 18th through March 24th) is when I intend on speaking with Ms. Green. After the interview, I hope to begin synthesizing my sources. The last week of March will include organization of material and potential layout for the paper’s order. Beginning April 1st, 2007 I will weed out unnecessary sources from my annotated bibliography which will be due April 9th. By mid April, I intend on having all needed material organized and ready to go, so April 11th I will begin the assembly process. The following week, the 18th, I will have peers read through the paper, followed by the proper revisions. Through this entire process too, I plan on meeting with my instructor as needed whether it be during class or office hours. The final two weeks of April should be simple housekeeping; fine tune editing and small revisions should be all this is required before the due date of May 2nd.
Controversy and stigma envelop this topic. It is rare to include masturbation in conversation, thought or action without getting some sort of response, whether it’s physical or emotional, whether its disgust or pure bliss. It occurs as a phase or a moment in every person’s life. The choice of whether to embrace or repress this time shapes who we are as people, as artists, writers, mothers, daughters, and lovers. We can ensure that we are educating and guiding new generations with the right lessons. First, we must be open to the possibility that there are lessons to be learned. Expanding expectations of what is right or proper or beautiful can lead us down an incredible path of discovery, if only we allow it.
*************************************************************************************
This generated fear seems to be inconsistent with other cultures however. Some religions (for this example, Taoism) view female sexuality, in particular female orgasm, as a positive and necessary occurrence. It is believed to be a resolution of two forces- expansion and contraction resulting in cosmic harmony. Some teachings go as far as to say nirvana resides in the vagina (Blackledge 265). An incredible dissimilarity to our Western culture, female sexuality has been something to be celebrated not hidden.
The intolerance encountered in our society is often presumed to be a male induced issue. It is “the man” who has allegedly placed women in their sexual roles generation after generation. There is assorted theory behind the foundation of these roles, one of which highlights the underlying social conception that males are inherently more sexual than females. It is this increased drive which leads to earlier and more continual masturbation, “training” the men to take initiative in sexual encounters and inadvertently placing females in their submissive roles (McCormick 16). Whether this is the case or not, it seems men aren’t the only ones guilty of this type of sexism. Feminists bicker incessantly about female sexuality as well. Some ultra extremist liberal feminists go as far to suggest that “any woman who wasn’t comfortable with bondage and discipline and all forms of pornography had limited herself to vanilla sex” (McCormick 10).
So where then, does that leave us? It leaves us searching for a happy medium, somewhere between mutilation as a masturbatory deterrent and using bondage to evade uninspiring coitus. Masturbation has yo-yoed from gruesome to mainstream, even hanging in limbo as it grew too popular. Now, it is a prominent fixture in art, writing and film but has it lost its punch? Has it lost its appeal for being revolutionary? The fickle nature of pop culture would almost insist that this ‘fad’ go out of style as quickly as is swooped in, but still it lingers. It seems this “illness” isn’t going anywhere fast. How are we propelling or inhibiting this source of social turbulence? In this technologically obsessed culture, media has an incredible power over its consumers: What America is fed is generally what America buys into. Now that we are being served a conflicting blend of information, at a never before seen rate, how does society view it? When we are left to formulate our own inferences, which have the greatest affect on us? Certainly, conservative views still have an incredible bearing. Religious organizations interjecting morals criticize and combat ‘liberal ideals’. These antagonistic pressures help shape modern views, attributing to the still swaying perceptions.
Over the years female masturbation has become more accepted, but still, there remains a double standard to our male counterparts. How did this double standard come to be? Female sexuality is considered appropriate when women are being objectified, in advertisements, music videos and film. When women take the lead though, they are racy, promiscuous, dirty, immoral (take your pick). Is there any validity to this rationale?
I, myself, being a young woman of the 21st century could sing the praises of someone comfortable in her own skin, someone unafraid to take initiative, someone who wants to simply feel good. But are there negative repercussions to this pleasure? Could self-exploration, awareness and fantasy have detrimental consequences? It is the issue that is to this day being ruthlessly argued. If the truth remains that masturbation is a damaging behavior, then some of us may be in a world of trouble. It is something that would literally affect millions, but how?
The love/hate relationship we have created with this act seems to be associated too, with the type material in which it appears. In contemporary art, how does this wavering attitude present itself? At its best masturbation can tastefully make a statement, a declaration even. Used in a tactless manner however, and it is no wonder there is so much objection.
It is through the analysis of my primary source, “Delicate Touch”, that I will establish the modernity of this field of interest. By spending time with this photograph, discussion with the artist and utilization of secondary sources in the form of books, periodicals and interviews, I hope to develop a strong argument for the role and relevance of masturbation today. Discourse specific databases including Kluwer Online, Project Muse and Medicare (U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services) will be employed in my research. I intend on speaking with a psychologist, particularly someone in a sex-related field to discuss backlash issues associated with masturbation being exploited as well as repressed. I have made a preliminary contact with Ms. Evelyn L. Green MA, LPC, and Cert. Sex Therapist of Denver via email explaining my research and my interest in an interview.
Over the next two weeks I will continue seeking out secondary sources; in particular, I will focus on peer-reviewed articles. Until now, I have focused on books borrowed from the library. Through my readings thus far, I have been maintaining an annotated bibliography which I will continue to supplement. The week of Spring Break (March 18th through March 24th) is when I intend on speaking with Ms. Green. After the interview, I hope to begin synthesizing my sources. The last week of March will include organization of material and potential layout for the paper’s order. Beginning April 1st, 2007 I will weed out unnecessary sources from my annotated bibliography which will be due April 9th. By mid April, I intend on having all needed material organized and ready to go, so April 11th I will begin the assembly process. The following week, the 18th, I will have peers read through the paper, followed by the proper revisions. Through this entire process too, I plan on meeting with my instructor as needed whether it be during class or office hours. The final two weeks of April should be simple housekeeping; fine tune editing and small revisions should be all this is required before the due date of May 2nd.
Controversy and stigma envelop this topic. It is rare to include masturbation in conversation, thought or action without getting some sort of response, whether it’s physical or emotional, whether its disgust or pure bliss. It occurs as a phase or a moment in every person’s life. The choice of whether to embrace or repress this time shapes who we are as people, as artists, writers, mothers, daughters, and lovers. We can ensure that we are educating and guiding new generations with the right lessons. First, we must be open to the possibility that there are lessons to be learned. Expanding expectations of what is right or proper or beautiful can lead us down an incredible path of discovery, if only we allow it.
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Works Cited
Blackledge, Catherine. The Story of V: A Natural History of Female Sexuality. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2004.
Maines, Rachel P. The Technology of Orgasm "Histeria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction. Ed. Merritt Roe Smith. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.
McCormick, Naomi B. Sexual Salvation: Affirming Women's Sexual Rights and Pleasures. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 1994.
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1) Does the proposal lead with an interesting title that concerns the subject matter & incorporates the spirit of inquiry? If not, suggest an alternative.
2) Does the proposal beginning with an introduction that captures the audience’s attention? In other words, would you as a reviewer & audience member continuing reading this proposal if it was not a mandatory assignment? If not, make some suggestions as to how this portion of the proposal could be altered. If it does capture your attention, suggest an equally compelling alternative.
3) Does the proposal contain a tentative thesis or hypothesis? What is it? If it does not, discuss possibilities with the writer. If there is a thesis, does it contain specific information that answers questions such as who, what, why & how? If so, what are those specific elements? If not, suggest some ways in which the thesis can be added to or altered.
4) Does the proposal contain background information? Is the information pertinent to the writer’s thesis? Does the background section contain 2-3 sources integrated into the text? Are the citations properly formatted? Does the writer incorporate information that is not cited? THIS IS IMPORTANT. IF ANY INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM ANY EXTERNAL SOURCE & NOT CITED IT IS PLAGARISM. If the proposal does not contain background information, what would you, as an audience member, like to see incorporated?
5) Does the proposal contain a series of research questions? Does each question contain a corresponding detailed explanation of why that particular question needs to be asked? Suggest at least three additional questions you think the writer should ask.
6) Does the proposal contain a research methods section? Are there discourse specific databases listed by name (i.e. not general databases or a mere list of discourses)? If the methods section contains interviews, are there specific interviewees named with corresponding questions? If there are specific books, statistics, or articles, does the proposal explain in detail why these sources will be necessary?
7) Does the proposal contain a detailed week-by-week research timeline written in prose form? If it does, are the target dates reasonable for the assignment parameters & semester deadlines? If interviews are present in the previous section, does the timeline thoroughly map out when first contact will be made with interviewees, when questions will be formulated, & when the interviews will actually take place?
8) Is there a conclusion that answers the “so what” question? Does the conclusion adequately address why this subject matter has been chosen & what are the reasons we, as audience members, should be interested? Does the conclusion properly end the document, as opposed to simply summarizing what was just read? Either way, suggest at least one alternative.
9) Is there a properly formatted working bibliography (works cited & consulted) page?
10) Suggest at least 10 words or phrases where a hyperlink to further information could be utilized throughout the Research Proposal.
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