Outline of Paper Proposal and Reading/Video List
(What yours should look like)
Date:
To: Dr. Christine James
From: [name and email address]
Subject of my paper: [The subject is the broad topic]
My thesis: [The thesis is generally a sentence or two, which comes after the introductory material and states the main
point/s in your paper. It is NOT a question. If your subject is family comedy, just as an example, your thesis might be
"The portrayal of children in family comedy reflects a heightened attention to children’s safety and psychology, related to
an increased attention on child abduction in the media since the 1980s.”]
Approach to the subject of my paper: [Try to envision a logical way in which to present your material. In what order will
you present your material to best address the issues? Will you have to define any terms? If so, which ones? Will you have
to clarify terms and concepts? Address specific comedy examples you will cite to help your reader understand your
argument. Will you show opposing viewpoints? Will you be comparing and contrasting? Will you be categorizing some
information? Perhaps you will be using a number of these approaches in your paper. Let me know the direction you want
to take.]
Intended audience: [Assume that your readers are not specialists in your field. Assume that your readers have, in
general, your level of education, but are not necessarily majoring in the same subject. You will have to define terms and
explain concepts, use direct quotes from the class texts. But beyond these obvious ground rules, discuss what people or
group of people might benefit from reading your paper. For example, in the child safety example, might prospective
parents benefit from your paper? Perhaps a political action group, one that is either in favor of family-safe television, or
one that is against censorship of television?]
Documentation Style: [As you prefer, as long as it is consistent, and gives a separate Works Cited or References page
at the end. Many campus departments prefer APA style, but if you want to use another scientific style, such as Chicago,
CBE, or Number, Date style, you may.]
Kinds of sources I will use and why they will benefit my paper: [Do you have a balanced variety of sources? What
strengths will they lend to the paper? How will they help clarify points you want to make? Use a combination of sources.
Be sure to use the class texts and their terminology as we have used it in our class notes. Internet sources with full
citation and reference information are acceptable.]
Tentative List of References including both Text and Video/DVD examples: [You should have at least ten (10)
separate sources listed in the proper citation format. This information should also be included with the paper itself later, on
a separate page called References or Works Cited. The sources should be varied - not all Internet sources, for example
- and be appropriate for a college level research paper. Show me that you know how to find and can analyze data from
different sources, and that you can write about video/dvd examples as well. Your final reference page in the Paper itself
should have a minimum of 7 to 10 sources, each of which must be used as a source in your paper. Do not put any
sources in your references that you have not used in your paper. “Use direct quotes.” It is possible for some of your
sources to change as you become more deeply involved in writing your paper. Let me know about your changes in
references.]
Note: I am also open to creative writing, performance, film, etc. But, remember that these approaches are most relevant
for the second paper and its related class presentation time. Please see me if you have any questions.