Proposal Essay Essay #3: Proposal Argument You will identify a problem and propose a solution. Looking to the future,

Proposal Essay

Essay #3: Proposal Argument

You will identify a problem and propose a solution. Looking to the future, preparing a proposal argument is something that will be required of you in your personal and professional life. Any questions you ask—What should be done? or How should we solve this problem?—are inquiries for a proposal. In your industries, your employers or project managers will expect you to research potential impacts and consequences along with your proposal’s originality and feasibility. A thorough proposal argument will address these issues.

Purpose: To persuade your audience that:

1) something is wrong, and change is needed 

and 

2) your proposed solution is effective and realistic

General Guidelines for Developing a Proposal

• Identify the problem you will address (this should be related to the problem you addressed in your Evaluation Essay). Convince the reader that this problem is important and solvable.

• Research what’s already been tried, what has worked and not worked, and why. Tip: nonprofit organizations and advocacy organizations are great resources when researching problems and solutions. There may be organizations that have experience with the topic you are working with, including ideas about ways to address the problem. 

• THEN, develop your own solution to the problem, propose a combination of solutions you’ve learned about, OR argue that someone else’s proposal is the best solution (but give them credit, of course!). 

From the Rubric:

Structure: Introduction clearly lays out problem/solution and "hooks" the reader, making him/her interested in reading more. 

Body paragraphs feature logical, consistent (e.g. PIE/PEEL-style) paragraphs help the reader understand each step of the evaluation argument. 

Analysis: The essay presents an in-depth argument for the existence of a problem and/or the superiority of a given solution. 

Reasons go beyond the obvious and require argumentation. Essay does not only lay out facts that most readers are likely to already know or understand. 

Writer persuasively uses rebuttal (either counterargument, refutation, or both) 

Essay is at least 3 written pages (not including bibliography) 

Works Cited Page

In-text citations

Frequently asked question: Can I use material from Essay #2?

Yes, it’s okay to use material from your Essay #2 but only in your description of the problem. Your description of the problem should not be more than ¾ of a page. 

Frequent Mistake: LA207 students frequently identify well-known problems (like tobacco smoking, alcoholism, or obesity) and then offer well-known solutions (“People need to quit smoking/drinking/overeating”). These do NOT represent realistic solutions. If you want to change people’s behavior to solve a problem, think about things that can be done to influence people. In other words, “How can I get a person to stop or start doing something? Will the solution be educational? Financial? Legal? Political? Technological? Artistic? Or some combination of these?” Please do not tell your reader that smoking is bad and that people need to stop doing it. These are well-known facts, and not a matter of opinion. The question of how to get people to stop smoking, on the other hand, is a well-known problem that has yet to truly be solved (all you have to do is hang around the entrance to 79 New Montgomery to see lots of people who know it’s unhealthy but do it