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CollegeWriting.info
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CollegeWriting.info |
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Sample Proposals by Students |
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These
are sample papers by students. They are
examples of "A" level undergraduate writing and entry-level
professional work. To get a better idea of how this type of paper is
written, you will want to look at all the samples. Then compare the samples to each other
and to what the "Basics" part of this
chapter says.
The authors of all sample student papers in this Web site have given their permission in writing to have their work included in CollegeWriting.info. All such samples remain copyrighted by their original authors.
Sample papers do not necessarily meet all requirements
an individual instructor or work supervisor may have. In addition, they are
single spaced, whereas a proper manuscript given to an instructor or
supervisor normally should be double spaced unless another format has been
requested.
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Sample One: Rough Draft Academic Proposal |
SPECIAL NOTES: This is a rough draft of a proposal for an academic program.
Inver Hills Community College
Eng 1108-03, Composition I
Rough-Draft Academic Proposal
© 2002 by Ashley Shankland
Academic
Proposal for an Independent Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls
by
Ashley Shankland
Introduction
Problem/Need
In recent years, literature and essays have been published on the Dead Sea Scrolls because information on this great archeological find now is available. For years the contents of and history surrounding these ancient relics were kept under cover. However, now that the information about the scrolls has been brought to the public life and laypeople can obtain works about them, most people are no longer interested in this information. Interest has been quelled by the long delays in the availability of information and by the lack of works that the average person can enjoy reading. A need for literature that the average person can read about the Dead Sea Scrolls is in high demand.
Solution/Proposal
I
propose an independent study program that would examine the works written on
the subject of the Dead Sea Scrolls written between the years 1990 and 2001. I
will examine these works
specifically because of their recent publication dates and the fact,
therefore, that they have the probability of being the most accurate. By
examining these works, I can compile information on the Dead Sea scrolls into
a book that can be read and understood easily by the everyday person, a book
which will, hopefully, make the subject of the Dead Sea Scrolls come alive for
more people.
Plan/Schedule
I propose that my independent study course run for five semesters: two fall
and spring semesters and one summer semester. This is an estimated amount of
time for accomplishing a project like this. With three semesters in the first
year and two in the second, my time will be divided as follows:
Beginning in the fall, in the first two semesters I will research and compile information.
The third semester, the summer semester, I will start the beginning of the rough draft of the book.
In the final two semesters, I will revise and edit the final draft of the book.
Results/Outcome
The results of this independent study course will be a book about the
Dead Sea Scrolls that will be appealing to the average layperson.
Such a person will then have a book about the Dead Sea Scrolls that is
not garbled with scientific lingo of which most people have no working
knowledge. Another outcome will be that once people have read my book, more
will be interested in reading other, more scholarly books that now exist.
As a student with an archeology major at Inver Hills Community College, I would find this independent study ideal because it would help me in this field of study. It also would help others who may be thinking about going into the field of archeology. With more people interested in this field, more discoveries can be made and our understanding of our history can be made clearer. And if our understanding of the past is improved, then we can better prepare for tomorrow.
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Sample Two: Short Research Proposal Letter |
SPECIAL NOTES: This is a professional proposal with research. It uses a letter format, rather than a standard essay format. For citation and documentation, the author uses APA style (which is different from the usual style in English, MLA).
University
of Minnesota
EngC
3015-2, Writing in the Social Sciences
Short Research Proposal in Letter Form
Anoka-Hennepin
Independent School District No. 11 School Board
6050 109th Avenue North
Champlin, MN 55316
SUBJECT: Proposal for the Encouragement of Girls in Math and Science
Dear members
of the Anoka-Hennepin School Board:
Introduction
Statistics show that there is still a lack of women in the fields of
math, science, and engineering. For
the sake of their financial security and for the advancement of our economy,
we need to encourage girls to continue the study of math and science.
This is why I am proposing that members of the scientific community,
including men and women in scientific professions and college students seeking
degrees in math and science, come to speak on a consistent basis to the girls
in your middle schools and high schools.
Need
It has been argued by some educators that the number of women entering
the fields of math and science is increasing, but studies show that this idea
is flawed. Research shows that
women still tend to avoid these fields. According
to Marsha Lake Matyas in the Proceedings of the National Conference on Women
in Mathematics and the Sciences [NCWMS] (1989), "The increases in the
number and percentage of science and engineering degrees earned by women are
due to increases in the number of women GOING to college . . . .They are NOT
due to changes in women's choices of college majors" (p. 7).
The number of women in scientific professions remains unimpressive,
despite the fact that women make up half of the workforce.
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology [CSST] (1994) states
that "women constitute only 16% of employed scientists and 8% of employed
engineers in the U.S." (p. 6).
It is becoming particularly dangerous for women to avoid math and
science with all the rage over technology.
Many of the new jobs created in the United States will require
technical skills, which will demand a math and science background.
The lack of women obtaining this background poses a threat to the
future of technological advancement in our country.
If the United States is to become the world's best innovator of
technology, then it first needs to implement changes in its educational
system. As CSST states, "If,
as a nation, we choose to pass over reforms which could provide young women
opportunities in math and science, we run the risk of losing one‑half of
our human potential and jeopardize the future competitiveness of our
nation" (p. 8).
Unfortunately, somewhere along their K-12 education many girls lose
interest in math and science. This
disinterest leads them to avoid taking advanced high school courses in these
subjects. This is a concern because, as Matyas states,
"Differences in high school math courses completed also mean differences
in college math the student is prepared to take . . . and that means
differences in salaries and job offers" (p. 8).
Women not only give up career opportunities, but they also give up
potential financial security. As
Matyas says, with poverty being so prevalent in our society, especially among
women, girls cannot afford to sidestep the opportunities provided by a math
and science background (10).
Proposal
To encourage girls to continue taking courses in math and science in high school, I propose upgrading the amount of exposure girls get to people in the scientific community. First of all, I recommend that both women and men who have careers in scientific fields speak to middle school and high school girls. Women role models are important in that they allow girls to see first-hand that women can be successful in math and science. In addition, women role models can help dispel the myths of who become scientists. They can let girls know that contrary to what the media says, scientists are not gawky males, eccentric and socially inept. Also, just as important as women role models, if not more so, are male role models. Men who present themselves as open and accepting of the idea of working with women increase young women's comfort level with the idea of being in male-dominated fields.
Another important group that would be effective in encouraging girls in
middle school and high school is college men and women seeking degrees in math
and science. Since these people
are relatively close in age to high school students, I think their words of
encouragement will make a big impact. High
school students are particularly interested in this group of people because
they too will be in college shortly. College
students can help with any questions or concerns students may have about the
college experience.
Plan
SCHEDULE: The proposed plan would go into effect at the start of the 1997-1998
school year. Up until that time I, with the help of my fellow members of
the University of Minnesota Society of Women Engineers (SWE), will put
together a fist of possible contacts for your school district. The list is proposed to include the names, addresses, and
phone numbers of people from the local scientific community who believe in the
cause of encouraging girls in math and science.
To get the plan started, members of SWE would be the first speakers for
the four middle schools and four high schools in your district.
These speakers would be scheduled for the fall of 1997. The school district would be contacted in August, 1997 by SWE
to confirm a convenient date to come to your schools. Also in August, each school would be presented with a list of
those in the scientific community who would be willing to speak at the schools
in the Anoka-Hennepin district.
After the first meeting, it would be up to faculty members to make
further contacts. Whether it be teachers, principals, or deans who become the
responsible party for this task, hopefully all will find the cause worthwhile
enough to make the effort to get in touch with some of the suggested people.
I recommend that speakers are invited to come to each school at least
once every fall and once every spring, so that the encouragement is consistent
and frequent for girls throughout their schooling.
BUDGET
AND PERSONNEL:
This proposal calls for no extra fees to the school district and only a
small time commitment by members of your faculty.
Even though the initial personnel for this proposal are the members of
SWE, the most important personnel who will factor so greatly in the survival
of this program are the faculty members in your school district who will
continue to make the contacts in the future.
If this plan is to be effective, then the faculty members in charge of
contacting the speakers should be people who take this proposal seriously.
They should be people who believe in the cause of motivating girls in
math and science. As previously
stated, all services provided by SWE and the school faculty will come at no
extra charge to the school district.
The other personnel involved in this proposal are men and women in
scientific professions and college students studying math or science.
These people will also work on a volunteer basis, and there will be no
fee for their time. I think that
members of the scientific community would be happy to support any attempt to
encourage girls in math and science, because from their own experiences they
know that there is a need for such programs.
As CSST states, "Role models volunteer, and are effective and
enthusiastic doing so, as least in part because they wish someone had done it
for them when they were younger" (p. 92).
Results
There will be many benefits if this proposal goes into action.
First of all, more young women will be motivated to further their study
of math and science in high school. By
taking advanced courses such as calculus and physics, they will prepare
themselves for college math and science courses.
This is important, because as Matyas states, without high school math,
"students eliminate 3/4 of all college majors" (p. 8).
By taking advanced classes in any discipline, whether it be math,
science, English, or history, students better prepare themselves for the
rigors of college coursework. Improving
study habits in high school will make for a more disciplined and successful
college experience.
Even if these girls do not choose to pursue careers in math or science,
they will have a more balanced educational background.
Over all they will have more choices, including more options as to
which field to pursue in college. Girls
who go beyond the basic math requirements will better their scores on college
admittance tests such as the SAT and ACT.
Increasing their scores on such tests will give them a better variety
of colleges and universities from which to choose.
Although this proposal is a small step to improving education when
considering all the school districts in our nation, Anoka-Hennepin would be
able to say that it made the effort to motivate young women to continue the
study math and science. As the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1996)
states, we can teach girls that "mathematics has become an economic
necessity" (p. 5). We will
end up with more self-sufficient women in our community who see the link
between education and financial safety. Also
as a society, we can utilize the talent which is so often wasted.
Conclusion
I am a junior mathematics major at the University of Minnesota.
I plan to graduate in the fall of 1998 with a degree in mathematics and
a specialization in actuarial science and a minor in statistics. I am well aware of the lack of women in math and science, as
each day I sit in classrooms where as a woman, I am in a minority.
Even though I am in the minority, I feel no discomfort, as the men and
professors that I deal with on a daily basis are more than open and accepting
of my, and other women's presence. With
a little help from your faculty, members of our scientific community could
provide similar words of encouragement to the girls in your school district. Motivating girls to continue their study of math and science
will not only open up career opportunities for them, but it also will limit
our community's waste of talent. By
encouraging the diversity of people in math and science, we will get an
enriched set of ideas and methods that could be vital to our future.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
Amy Votruba
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References
Committee
on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives.
(1994). Women and K-12
science and mathematics education. Washington,
DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Matyas,
M. L. (1989, November 10-11). Keynote
address: Cultivating a new generation of women in science and engineering.
Proceedings of the National Conference on Women in Mathematics and
the Sciences, pp. 5-13.
National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1996).
A perspective on reform in mathematics and science education. Columbus, OH: Eisenhower National Clearinghouse.
Additional
References
Chipman,
S. F., Brush, L. R., Wilson, D. M. (Eds.).
(1985). Women and
mathematics: Balancing the equation.
Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Gibbons, A.
(1996). Facing the big chill in
science. Science, 271, pp.1902-1905.
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