General Instructions: Write a proposal of your research essay in formal and grammatically correct English. The style should be serious and academic in tone. Use the standard academic format of Times New Roman, 12-point font. Provide a bibliography with at least three scholarly sources that you think you will use in your essay (the final copy of your essay needs at least four scholarly sources). You should, of course, expand the bibliography beyond four sources. I do not require the bibliography to be annotated. However, within your proposal, you should explain how specific sources will prove useful for your research.
Length: The proposal should be 250-350 words, excluding the bibliography. Most proposals will be 2-4 paragraphs, but the length of the paragraphs really depends on the structure of your topic sentences.
What you should include: In the first paragraph, indicate the following:
The broad topic of your essay
A short explanation of how the topic has been narrowed to a specific problem or research question (see Mods. 2 and 3 for examples and strategies. Also, watch Mish Boutets presentation for a few more ideas).
The working title of your essay (which you can change as you edit your work later in the term).
The hypothesis or probable thesis statement that you anticipate the essay will defend, illustrate, or prove. Dont worry: YOU WILL LIKELY REVISE YOUR THESIS AFTER DOING MORE RESEARCH AND WRITING YOUR ESSAY. This modification is normal; we will not require you to abide by your projected thesis statement.
In the next paragraph(s), explain how you will organize your argument:
Will you first provide descriptions or examples of an illness or of a phenomenon? Indicate how your essay will progress from exposition (explanatory writing) to an argument that defends your position or central claim.
In this section, which may be a couple of paragraphs, explain which sources will assist you with your research. Brief summaries of at least three of your prospective sources will clarify how your research will make use of academic books or peer-reviewed articles.
Conclude by indicating how this research will address a valuable question or problem that deserves your time and reflection (this part shows your motivation and purpose).
Bibliography: On the last page of your document, provide a Works Cited (MLA), References (APA) or Bibliography (Chicago) that includes a minimum of three scholarly sources. Remember, the final copy of your essay should have at least four scholarly sources.
Topics: (CHOOSE ONE ONLY)
1) [Very broad topic] Explore the challenges facing Canadas health-care system, and suggest strategies for improving the delivery of care.
2) [Very broad topic] What are the possible causes and/or prevention of ONE eating disorder?
3) Was Pierre Elliot Trudeau justified in invoking the War Measures Act during the October Crisis?
4) [Narrow topic, but one with a range of possible responses] Should Canada compensate the victims of wrongful conviction? How and why? Support your argument by reference to at least two specific cases of wrongful conviction in the past fifty years.
5) [Broad topic] Fashion in history: research a fashion trend that was popular before 1900. Discuss what this trend was, who followed the trend, and why it was so popular. Most importantly, analyze how the trends popularity is culturally revealing.
6) [Broad topic] Argue for or against the position that individuals in sport are often marginalized based on physical characteristics, self-identity, and personal beliefs (i.e. gender, race, sexual orientation, or religion).
7) [Broad topic] Does exercise provide an effective means for reducing all-cause mortality, morbidity, and disease (type 2 diabetes, or cancer, or other serious ailments)?
8) What factors prevented Quebec from voting for secession in 1995? (This is a Common Topic suggested by ENG 1100: Handbook for Instructors.)
9) [Broad Topic] What is the profile by gender, class (income bracket) and language or ethnicity of the average first-year university student in Canada? How is this profile changing, and what are some of the implications of this change? (This is a Common Topic suggested by ENG 1100: Handbook for Instructors.)
10) [Broad topic] What is the current outlook for development in Africa? (This is a Common Topic suggested by ENG 1100: Handbook for Instructors.)
11) [Broad topic] Which nations have prospered most in the last decade, which have fallen back, and why? (This is a Common Topic suggested by ENG 1100: Handbook for Instructors.)
12) [Broad topic] What challenges do current trends in populism and polarization present to Western democracy?
13) [Broad topic] What measures should governments take to seek reconciliation with Indigenous groups?
**Use MLA for ALL in paragraph**
Last Completed Projects
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