Important Dates

• Jan 5: Project due by 11:59 PM
• Jan 6: Grace period ends at 11:59 PM

Goals

learn the characteristics of proposals and how to incorporate graphics in a document

think about the writing you will do after you graduate as you propose the genre you will examine

plan and schedule the work that you will do for the rest of the term and explain your choices

The Project Assignment

You will choose the kind of writing (or genre) that you will explore more deeply in your Genre Analysis Report. Once you have made your decision, you will write a proposal that explains your choice, how it will help you in your career, and what you will include in your research as you work on your report. I will review and approve your proposal (or suggest some changes).

Step-by-Step Details

Step 1: Decide on the genre you will focus on for your project.
For this project, you need to propose the kind of writing that you will examine in your Genre Analysis Report. Look back over the table of writing in your field you created for the previous project to identify kinds of writing that you have never written. You can also consider kinds of writing that are not listed in your table. Here are some examples to help you decide what to focus on:

• You want to learn about a kind of writing that is important in your field, but that you would find it hard to write without actually being in the workplace.

• You want to learn more about a particularly long kind of writing that you’d never have time to write now. Rather than writing a 100-page research recommendation report, for instance, you could write a genre analysis report that focuses on research recommendation reports.

• You want to explore how to accomplish a specific goal with a social media tool. For instance, you want to learn how to use Twitter to promote a start-up software company. It would be impractical to create a bunch of fake posts, so you could learn about how the process works by writing a genre analysis report.

Whatever you choose, be sure it is something you really want to learn more about. Let this assignment give you the opportunity to find out more about something you really want to know.

Step 2: Review the rubric for the project.
You can aim for the grade you want to earn for each project in this course. Make sure your work is error-free, fully-developed, and ready to share with a professional audience. Any work that is incomplete or that contains multiple errors will not earn an A or an A-.

The Report Proposal Rubric outlines the specific requirements for the project. There are several mathematical scenarios for each grade level. Generally speaking, however, you can follow these guidelines:

• To earn a C, turn in work that meets the satisfactory rating for criteria 1, 2, & 3, and earns at least a C-level rating for criteria 7.

• To earn a B, turn in work that meets the satisfactory rating for criteria 1, 2, 3, & 4, and earns at least a B-level rating for criteria 7.

• To earn an A, turn in work that meets the satisfactory rating for criteria 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6, and earns at least a A-level rating for criteria 7.

Step 3: Read Chapter 11 of Markel closely.
Chapter 11 of Markel (“Writing Proposals”) is your road map for this project. For our purposes, you are working on an internal proposal, as described in Markel. Your proposal should include the following sections and information:

• summary (Markel, p. 301)
• introduction (Markel, p. 301)
• proposed program (Markel, p. 301–304)
• qualifications and experience (Markel, p. 304)
• task schedule (Markel, p. 305)
• appendix, including your resume (Markel, Chapter 10)

You can include additional sections and information. You can skip the budget section. Use the example proposal in the textbook to make decisions about the design and formatting of your own proposal (as well as the content and tone).

Additionally, you may review the information in Chapter 7 of Markel (“Designing Print and Online Documents”) for details on how to choose appropriate layout and design for your proposal. Review Chapter 8 of Markel (“Creating Graphics”) for advice on visual elements you can add to your proposal to increase its effectiveness.

Step 4: Write your proposal.
Create your project in your word processor.
Think of your audience for this project as me, Traci. Your goal is to convince me that the genre of writing you have chosen to focus will help you prepare for writing in the workplace when you graduate (or during future internships or jobs).

You can share your draft with your writing group for peer feedback. Use the advice you receive from your readers to revise your project before the due date. There are no rewrites or revisions after work is graded.

Step 5: Write your cover memo.
I want to be sure that I understand your project, so I ask you to write a cover memo that tells me about the work you did on your project. This memo should be the first page of your project. Your proposal will begin on the second page. Both documents should be in one file.

Your memo should use standard memo format, with the headings of To:, From:, Subject:, and Date. Include this information:

• Explain a bit about your field and career so that I have some context for your project.
• Tell me about the work you put into the project.
• Tell me about anything that you had difficulty with in the project.
• Tell me how well you met the rubric requirements and what grade you believe your work will earn.
• Tell me anything else you want me to know before I grade your project.

Be sure to explain the background on your piece fully. This cover memo is where you tell me about the work you put into the project and provide some self-evaluation of your work. The cover memo is the first thing I will read, so it is your opportunity to make sure that I have all the information that I need to understand your proposal. The cover memo is a part of your project so check it carefully for basic errors before you submit your project.

Step 6: Submit your project in Canvas.
When you are finished with your cover memo and proposal, you will turn in your work in Canvas, following the submission instructions.