AP/POLS 3540

American Government and Politics

Essay Proposal (20% of final grade)

Writing a paper proposal can be a challenging task, but it is an excellent instrument both to accelerate your progress and get your ideas organized, albeit in preliminary form.  The first thing to remember when writing a proposal is that it is not the paper itself.  The objective is to propose a topic of research, not to have it entirely sorted out before you ever get to the paper.  That said, the greater the sense you have of where you are going, the better organized you will be when you get to the actual writing of the paper.

*The length of the proposal should be no more than two pages (500 words), excluding the short bibliography.

A good proposal contains the following elements:

1) Problematique

What is the general problem you are considering in relation to American politics?  Usually a good problematique points to something that doesn’t have an obvious answer in the subject area you are exploring.  It signals that there is some dilemma (conceptual or otherwise) out in the world of American politics that requires an analytical investigation to understand.  Of course, the more specific your problematique is, the more specific will be your thesis in your paper, and that is never a bad thing!  One hint, writing a good problematique gives you a boost in writing your paper, because the problematique can be used to open your introduction.  The thesis of your paper (not your proposal!) will effectively supply your argumentative answer to the problematique you have highlighted.

2) Brief background

Supply a short background of the area that you are exploring.  Again, this does not need to be the paper itself.  But you do need to give some indication that you have thought a little about the subject area, and that you have some idea of the empirical terrain into which you are entering.  This section might include some historical or factual discussion which makes clear that the problematique you suggested above really does have relevance and salience for American politics.  It should also make clear why the area of study is important.  What is its significance for studying politics or American politics?

3) Approach/Method

Say something about the way you will approach the paper.  Is there a particular theoretical or conceptual approach that you think will be helpful in addressing the subject area you have chosen?  Will you take a theoretical, historical or strictly empirical approach?  Or will you combine these?  Is there a particular time period you’re investigating, or a region, or a case study?  If there are particular ways in which you hope to approach the problematique, this is the section to make that clear.

4) Short Bibliography

You need to demonstrate that you have accessed this topic through a reasonable consideration of literature.  For the proposal, I ask only that you provide a minimum of five sources, at least three of which must be strictly academic.