Unit 2 Essay: Topics in Morality, Research Proposal
Good research is driven by analytical questions. However, in order to know what questions to ask, it is necessary to learn what research already exists on your topic. What are the gaps in the literature? What conflicts exist? Why do these questions matter? How will you manage to insert yourself into the larger conversation on your topic?
Therefore, in preparation for the draft of the multi-source research paper, please prepare a research proposal. As noted on the syllabus, the research proposal is not graded for quality, but on completion. If you fully execute all requested components of the proposal, you will receive full credit (10% of the final grade).
Your proposal should include the following sections, preferably in this order:
-
Introduction to the project (~1 paragraph)
Provide an introduction to your chosen topic. Attempt to frame for the reader what you’re planning to explore and why this topic is interesting. There likely will not be a thesis yet, since your research will not be complete (but there could be a preliminary thesis).
-
Preliminary literature review (~1-2 pages)
Based on your preliminary foray into the literature, synthesize for the reader what you have learned about your topic. What does the initial literature seem to show? What questions are unanswered? What conflicts or contradictions exist in the literature (e.g., many cultures find infidelity to be immoral – though not all – but some evidence suggests humans are predisposed to cheat)? Don’t be afraid of complications – messiness is an opportunity to intervene. NOTE: you should be citing the literature at the sentence-level in this section.
-
Library research method (~1 page)
How will you research this topic? What types of searches will you want to do? What information will you seek out? What keywords might you use? Are you interested in exploring sources outside of the sciences? Don’t rush past this section – really consider your plan for your research.
-
Significance / motive (~1-2 paragraphs)
What do you hope to accomplish with your research? What is the larger motivation for exploring this topic? Why does the research matter? Think about why a reader might want to know about this topic.
-
Weekly timeline (~1/2 page)
In order to facilitate your research over the remainder of the semester, please come up with a week-by-week plan for how you will approach your research. What do you plan to do each week? Be specific.
March 22-28: (Conferences this week)
March 29-April 4:
April 5-11:
April 11 – Draft due
April 12-18: (Conferences this week)
April 19-25: (Spring break this week)
April 26-May 2:
May 5 – Revision due
Annotated bibliography (minimum of 3-4 sources)
In addition to providing a list of the sources you have included thus far (in APA format), please include a sentence or two explaining how each source informs your research topic. For example:
Lieberman, D., Tooby, J. and Cosmides, L. 2003. Does morality have a biological basis? An empirical test of the factors governing moral sentiments relating to incest. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 270: 819-826. This article shows how people have an aversion to sexual interactions with people that they grow up with. This argument conflicts with arguments that people avoid partners that look like themselves.
Due: Thursday, March 21st, by 5 pm (via LATTE)
Student quote: “I feel that this proposal was able to really ground my thoughts pertaining to what I want to do with this essay. Before writing it, I did not have a very good idea of the direction that I wanted to go in, but the proposal really allowed me to think about it in depth and generate ideas for the paper.”
Elissa Jacobs