You will write four mock proposals over the course of the semester. As part of your portfolio, we would like you to submit three of those for consideration.
I have introduced the notion that one of them is primary in some way. It is hoped that one of these proposals might serve as the basis for your senior thesis proposal. While no one proposal is necessarily worth more than the others, I will generally provide feedback at two levels:
- Primary : If the proposal is your primary proposal (meaning it is most likely to lead towards your senior comp topic), then I will encourage you to edit and reflect more on the document. This is to help you refine and improve the proposal as much as possible this semester, so that the start of your senior year is easier, and you can get into your research quickly.
- Secondary : If the proposal is unlikely to lead to your comp, it still represents an important exercise in writing and revision. However, we should also acknowledge that it is not likely to be your topic of research, and therefore spend less time towards the end of the semester obsessing over the document. These proposals should be clear in conception and well-written, but perhaps not obsessed over in the same way as your primary proposal.
If none of your proposals are likely to become your senior comp, you should say so. However, this does not lift from your shoulders the onus of good writing.
