Assignment: Write a 300-500 word research paper proposal that identifies the critical problem you wish to address, that sketches the various approaches others have taken to resolve the problem, and that articulates your primary claim.

Format: Use the MLA Handbook, of course. You must submit a properly formatted manuscript that includes a bibliography of relevant critical literature.

Contents: These guidelines are not a recipe. They are designed only to tell you what rhetorical "work" the paper must do. You should organize the material so that it is as effective as you can make it.

I. Opening Paragraphs

• Identify the object of study
• Identify the critical problem(s) you wish to address
• Note the significance of the problem(s)

II. Survey of Critical Literature

• Sketch current critical approaches and resolutions to the problem (cite critics and works)
• Note (briefly) the logical strength and weaknesses of each approach

III. Sketch Your Claim

• State as clearly as you can now your claim or assertion
• Note how you think the claim will resolve the critical problem
• Note the primary method (or means) of demonstrating the validity of your claim