Assignment Showcase: Proposal Argument: Responding to Jonathan Kozol’s Invitation to Resistance (Paula Patch)

In Chapter 9 of The Shame of the Nation, Jonathan Kozol issues an “invitation to resistance” to his readers. He asks, “What do we need to do to alter these realities?” (215). The specific reality Kozol refers to in this chapter is that of segregated—or apartheid—education in the United States. For Kozol, this is the root of all of the problems he writes about in chapters 1-8; solving the big problem of segregated schools would go far towards solving the problems found in those schools.

For this assignment, I invite you to propose a solution to one of the many problems with the U.S. school system. These problems can be ones identified by Kozol (from large to small) or ones you’ve identified as a participant in the U.S. educational system (and this applies even to private schools).

The best way to proceed through this assignment is to remain focused on Kozol’s question: What do we need to do to alter these realities?

1. 1. Conduct an analysis of your rhetorical situation:
   1. What is the specific “reality” you’re suggesting should be altered? What is the problem or need? You need to be able to describe it in your essay. You may also need to spend some time defending that it is, indeed, a problem (this would be an argument of fact, see Ch. 7 in Everything’s an Argument).
   2. Who is “we”? How will you position yourself as an authority? As someone who’s “been there” or who can speak partially from personal experience? As someone who has become an expert on the issue by conducting thorough research? What is your stake in the topic; in other words, how does exploring this issue serve your interests?
   3. Who is your ideal audience? Who needs to hear what you have to say? Who could benefit from the implementation of your solution? Who could help you implement the solution?
   4. What evidence should you collect? Where will you find details to support both the argument of fact and the validity or feasibility of your solution?
   5. What should be done? What is the hypothetical solution? Your thesis or claim will propose a practice or policy that will address the problem/need.
   6. Research all aspects of your topic. While your research should focus mostly on finding information that establishes the problem and supports your proposed solution, you may find that you need to research your audience to determine what information they may require to believe and act according to your argument.
      1. Consult (and ultimately include in your essay) at least 5 appropriate (scholarly, reliable, relevant) sources. See Ch. 16 and 19 in Everything’s an Argument for a discussion of sources.
      2. List and analyze these sources in an Annotated Bibliography, due Fri., Oct. 17. The Annotated Bibliography will be worth 10% of your course grade and will be independent of the grade for this assignment. See the Annotated Bibliography assignment for full instructions.
      3. Write a 8- to 10-page essay that presents your proposal. Follow the Guide to Writing a Proposal on p. 346-350 in Everything’s an Argument.

Proposal Argument’s relationship to course objectives

The Proposal Argument meets all course objectives, including the third: the development of an appreciation for the capacity of writing to change the world. This assignment also will provide you with the experiences of conducting library and online research, and—by analyzing, interpreting, researching, synthesizing, and evaluating a wide variety of sources—using this source material to support an argument.

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Annotated Bibliography for Proposal Argument

Due Fri., Oct. 17       10% of grade

A bibliography is the generic title of the list of sources included in an essay. An annotated bibliography includes two elements: the publication information for each source (author, title, date, etc.) plus a description and, sometimes, an interpretation or evaluation of the contents of the source.

Annotating your sources is useful for several reasons: you get an overview of the topic; you see connections between ideas presented in each source; you can see where holes may exist in your research, and consequently where you may need to conduct more research; you have a record of what you read, so that it’s easy to instantly see which source will be appropriate for supporting particular claims in your essay; and your summarize or paraphrase of all of part of the source can sometimes be used directly in your essay. Professors typically assign annotated bibliography assignments to determine the following about your research process: you are able to choose high-quality sources that are appropriate for the assignment; you are able to effectively comprehend and evaluate sources; and you are able to summarize, paraphrase, and analyze ideas presented by others. Audiences (or readers) rely on annotated bibliographies to locate and evaluate potential sources for their own arguments.

Assignment: Create an annotated bibliography for each source you selected to use for your Proposal Argument (You are required to use a minimum of 5 sources. Feel free to read and use more than 5 sources; however, you must include all sources in your annotated bibliography.).

What’s included

1. A title that reflects your proposal argument.
2. A statement of scope: An introduction of about two paragraphs that explains your topic.
3. Complete MLA-style publication information for each source.
4. A description of each source: A one-paragraph, unbiased summary of the major claim(s) presented in the source.
5. Relevant commentary on each source: A one-paragraph rhetorical analysis and evaluation of each source that indicates some discussion of how the source relates to your topic and/or purpose, what the author’s stance on the subject is, how credible the source is, and other relevant information about the author and audience, or the effectiveness of the source’s appeals, claims, and/or evidence (see Ch. 5 in Everything’s an Argument).

Organization: The annotated bibliography is organized alphabetically by the last name of the author or editor of each source.  Parts 3, 4, and 5 will be grouped by source in the following manner: Source 1: Publication information [space/new paragraph], description [new paragraph], and commentary [new paragraph]; then do the same for Source 2, and so forth.

The role of careful reading: Reading your sources carefully ensures that you will create a good annotated bibliography; reading carelessly will ensure the opposite outcome. Be sure you fully understand the source’s argument or claim. Take notes as you read, for two purposes:

• Locate and “save” ideas that you can use as evidence in your essay.
• Indicate parts of the text that will help support your evaluation and rhetorical analysis of the source.

In other words, be aware that you are reading both for information for your annotated bibliography and for evidence for your Proposal Essay.

Annotated Bibliography’s relationship to course objectives

The Annotated Bibliography should help you develop a more sophisticated understanding of the relationship of purpose, audience, and voice, and an awareness that writing expectations and conventions vary within the academy and in professional and public discourse. The assignment also will provide you with the experiences of analyzing, interpreting, researching, synthesizing, and evaluating a wide variety of sources, as well as writing to an academic audience.

Annotated Bibliography Grading Rubric

	Does Not Meet Assignment Requirements	Poor	Average	Above Average	Excellent
Statement of Scope Explains your proposal (your reason for conducting research) Describes the problem and the tentative solution At least two paragraphs
Annotation: Description Describes or summarizes each source, including information about argument, purpose, or relevant evidence At least one complete paragraph
Annotation: Evaluation/Analysis Discusses how the source relates to proposal topic and/or purpose, what the author’s stance on the subject is, how credible the source is, and other relevant information about the author and audience Evaluates the effectiveness of the source’s appeals, claims, and/or evidence At least one complete paragraph
MLA Documentation Includes complete and correct MLA-style publication information for each source. Sources/annotations are listed in alphabetical order
Research Quality and Sources Sources are reliable and relevant (and, if not, this is made clear in the annotation) Includes at least 5 sources
Spelling, Grammar, Style, Formatting, and Other Details Uses third-person perspective and formal tone Diction is precise and appropriate Syntax is clear and correct

Annotated Bibliography and Initial Research – Taking Stock of What You Learned

*in-class activity completed on day the annotated bibliography is turned in

Like any other type of writing—or invention/planning for writing—conducting research is a type of learning. Research is not simply a means to an ends (in the form of a writing assignment); more importantly, it is a chance to learn something new or clarify what you think about your subject. If you can learn to approach research as a learning activity, rather than simply an information-gathering activity, it will seem less burdensome and much more engaging.

Now that you’ve collected 5 sources for your proposal, it’s time to step back and think about what you’ve learned—about both your subject and about writing. To do so, please answer the following questions:

1. What did you learn about your subject?
2. How and why has your topic changed based on what you learned?
3. Is there anything that you still need to learn about your subject in order to complete the proposal essay? If so, try to frame this missing information in the form of a question (this will help you figure out how to proceed with more research).
4. What did you learn about conducting research, in general?
5. What did you learn about working with different types of sources material or evidence?
6. What else do you need to know about conducting research or working with source material in order to complete the proposal essay?
7. What resources did you rely on to help you with parts of the annotated bibliography assignment that you did not understand or know how to do? These resources might include your textbook, a website, the writing center, a peer reviewer, your past experience with a similar assignment, etc. How helpful were these resources?

Proposal Reflection

*submitted with completed assignment

Please answer each question below thoroughly and honestly. Submit the reflection with your Proposal Essay.

1. What about your work on this assignment are you most proud of?
2. What audience did you identify for your proposal? Why? How?
3. How did you attempt to address this audience in your essay?
4. How did you decide what evidence (from sources or from personal experience) to use?
5. What kind of feedback did you get on your essay (peer review, review by Prof. Patch, a friend, the writing center, etc.)? How did this feedback help you in the process of writing this document? What advice from your reviewers did you use? What advice did you not use? Why?
6. What part (s) of the writing process do you think helped you the most (pick as many as apply)?
   1. Invention (coming up with a topic, collecting sources, deciding on an audience)
   2. Drafting (organizing the ideas and elaborating on them by writing)
   3. Reviewing (giving and receiving peer review, feedback from Prof. Patch or Writing Center)
   4. Revising (refining ideas, incorporating peer or other advice)
   5. Editing (fine-tuning)
7. Why and how did this part (or parts) of the writing process help?
8. What did you learn during the process of writing the proposal—about your subject or about writing, or about both?
9. Optional: What else do I need to know about your experience creating this assignment?

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Proposal Essay Peer Review

*Italicized questions should be answered within the text using Microsoft Word’s Comments or Track Changes functions

Introduction:

Does the introduction define the subject, provide context, and engage the reader in some way? What are the strengths of the introduction? What would you suggest to improve the introduction?

Body:

• Has the problem been clearly defined? If not, what information is needed?
• Is the problem specific and focused? If not, what do you suggest the author do to make it more specific or focused?
• Is there enough evidence to support that the problem does, in fact, exist and that it needs to be addressed with a solution? What is the best piece of evidence (highlight this in the document)? If more evidence is needed, what do you think needs to be added?
• Is the proposed solution clearly stated? If not, what information is needed or how should the solution be reworded?
• Is the solution specific and focused? Does it clearly address the problem defined earlier in the essay? If not, what suggestions do you have for the author to make it more specific and focused?
• Is there enough evidence to support the solution as being feasible, practical, or the best out of several alternatives? What is the best piece of evidence (highlight this in the document)? If more evidence is needed, what do you think needs to be added?
• Is the essay organized effectively? Does the order of the information make sense? Are there clear transitions between claims/ideas? Does it build up to the solution or to the conclusion? Check to see that the author has organized his or her evidence around ideas/claims and not by piece of evidence. If the organization seems ineffective, indicate where the problems are and what suggestions you have for improvement.

Evidence and documentation:

• Is the evidence for both the problem and the solution (stories, quotes/paraphrases from sources) introduced and fully explained?
  • Remember: Introduce the evidence>Provide the evidence>Explain how the evidence supports the point being made in the paragraph.
  • If the evidence does not include all of the above, indicate this to the author and offer suggestions for ways he/she can fix it.
• Are all quotations introduced with signal phrases (“Smith argues,”) and ended with in-text citations? Do the quotes blend smoothly with the author’s own words? If not, try to fix them for the author.

Conclusion:

• Does the conclusion discuss the implications of implementing or not implementing the proposed solution (if this problem is/is not solved, then ­­­­_______)? If not, suggest ways the author can add this.
• Does the conclusion include a call for action (a statement of what the audience should do)? If not, suggest ways the author can state this.

Overall:

Mechanics and form aside, what do you think of the author’s proposal idea? Write your answer in a note at the end of the draft.

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Proposal Essay Grading Rubric                                                                                                       Grade:

	Does Not Meet Requirements	Poor	Average	Above Average	Excellent
Introduction Defines the subject Provides relevant context Engages the reader
Conclusion Discusses implications of implementing the solution Calls for action
Argument/Thesis Thesis centers on the solution, not on the problem Solution is clearly defined and focused (not too broad)
Problem Discussion Problem is clearly defined and focused (not too broad) Provides evidence that problem exists and should be addressed
Solution Discussion Solution clearly addresses the problem Provides evidence that solution is feasible, practical, or the best of several alternatives
Organization Problem>Solution Organized by claims (ideas) not by evidence Clear transitions between claim (paragraphs) and ideas (sentences) Ordered logically
Use of Source Material Source material integrated smoothly into sentences and paragraphs Source material introduced and fully explained Source material documented correctly in MLA style
Spelling, Grammar, Style, Formatting, and Other Details Uses third-person perspective and formal tone Diction is precise and appropriate Syntax is clear and correct
General Expectations Includes at least 5 sources   ____ Includes essay reflection     ____ Sources are reliable and relevant ___

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