Introduction:
Create a proposal for a piece of original and meaningful research based upon the following research prompt. Please note that we are not writing a research paper. We are writing a research proposal. This semester, our proposal will be on a topic of our own choosing inspired by a few readings readings from this semester.
Required References:
At least two works from the following list:
“Allegory of the Cave”
The Communist Manifesto
King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
The Matrix (film)
Newman’s “The Idea of a University”
Kafka’s “A Little Fable”
Machiavelli’s The Prince
Prompt:
Conduct a comprehensive critical analysis using your works from the Required References section of this assignment, ultimately demonstrating how your sources clarify or illuminate a recent event, crisis, or just modern society in general.
Requirements:
The proposal project should include the following 3 sections:
Introduction:
This section should be a 250 word (minimum) description of your proposed research topic, including your hypothesis. Why is your research important? How does it expand/extend current research? What do you suspect the outcome of your research to be?
Methodology:
This section will be brief, likely one page only (250 words, perhaps even less), and will detail your approach to this topic. What types of sources will you seek? Why is your approach the most appropriate way to go about your research?
Annotated works cited:
This will be a list of potential sources for your proposed research. The list should be at least 10 sources long. Your selections from the required texts will be among these 10 sources. In other words, you only need to find 8 additional sources, which need not all be from our periodical databases. For each works cited entry, you should include a brief (3+ sentences) summary of the source and another brief (3+ sentences) explanation of how you expect the source to be useful to your research.
This alternative assignment definitely entails a good deal of work, but I believe you will find it fun as well as a nice break from the usual drudgery of writing papers (although I enjoy writing papers).