Director, Environmental Studies
Professor of English

Environmental Studies 390: Bioregionalism

Research Proposal

Purposes

1.  The research proposal is an opportunity for you to clarify your topic early in the process.
2. It is also an opportunity for me to give you feedback and suggestions, and thus avoid starting a project that is inappropriate.

Two stages

1. The first stage of the proposal is an informal and tentative statement of interest emailed to me (see syllabus for due date). It should
>> State general topic
>> State the case study (or studies) you are thinking of examining
>> State "theoretical" aspect of the paper as you see it now.

2. The second stage is a brief but formal research proposal. It should include four sections:
a. Topic. Be specific.
b. Issues: List the questions you plan to raise and the issues you plan to wrestle with. Each item should be put in terms of a question with a question mark at the end. This is the most important part of the proposal.
c. Sources that you know of at this point.
d. Concerns you have about doing the project.

>> Review a sample research proposal

Other information

The research proposal should show both
>> deep thought about what topic you want to explore, and
>> an understanding of the research project assignment.

The proposal should be efficient and in outline form. It should be 3/4 to 1½ pages long.

Send an electronic copy to me as an email attachment. See syllabus for due date.

The grade for the proposal will be part of the grade for the research paper as a whole. .

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