Writing tip: Proposals as a genre have interesting features and characteristics. For example, their main purpose is to establish credibility for the writer — you. In the case of our Contextual Analysis Projects, we already assume that you have a genuine interest in your topic, that you have generated at least one inquiry question, that you have done some thinking and rethinking, that you have done some preliminary research. Your readers will already assume all of that. Your proposal, then, should be written in a confident tone, should establish credibility for you, and should inspire confidence in your readers: is she ready to do this project? Is he capable of taking this on? After your reader has considered your proposal, you want the answer to be yes.
Contextual Analysis Project Proposal Format:
I propose to do my Contextual Analysis Project on _________________________________________________________ (fill in the blank either with your inquiry questions(s) or topic.
Paragraph #1:
Subject heading: Why this project is important and relevant
Write one paragraph in a persuasive tone: why is your project important and relevant?
Paragraph #2:
Write one paragraph on to whom the inquiry question(s) or topic is important and relevant, and accompany the paragraph with a visual representation of those people, 
which you can brainstorm in the manner we did with reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone Park.
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3 (map)
Rhetorical Précis
Include three rhetorical precis from sources you find during your initial research. Initially, before our library instruction workshop, you can find some good, credible sources on your own. (Hint: NYT archives: http://query.nytimes.com/search/alternate/query?.)