Your proposal will be composed of three paragraphs, written in response to the prompts below.

First paragraph: Name and describe your primary sources—a text or set of related texts that will be your central focus—and explain two to four research questions they raise.

Second paragraph: Identify possible secondary sources that you will need to explore your research questions. Name the sources you have already identified and describe other sources you hope to find.

Third paragraph: Describe your motive or purpose for writing. What do you want to contribute to ongoing intellectual or scholarly conversations about the texts and questions you’re writing about?

Dates and Process

You should publish it on your commonplace book by Tuesday, March 29. Once you have all posted your proposals, I will organize writing groups so you can work with people writing about related topics. Writing group members should post feedback on each other’s proposals by Friday, April 1. I will also post feedback.

Keep in mind that a proposal is just that. Your project will continue to evolve after you’ve written your proposal. That’s just fine. In fact, it’s a good thing. Your ideas can only percolate and coalesce as you work through your sources.

I will post a PDF of these guidelines on our Documents page.