Milestone Proposal

Week 2 Milestone: Proposal for Argumentative Essay
Assignment Weight: 5%
Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Click here to review an annotated example student submission. Please review the rubric prior to submission as well.
In week one, you selected a topic for the Final Persuasive Essay. Now, it is time to formalize your proposal and begin to explore and analyze your topic in order to build a foundation for the essay to come. A strong proposal promises success for the project, while an ill-conceived or incomplete proposal can bring poor results. This proposal is your opportunity to set your sight on success and begin to advance to a higher level of academic writing skills.
Helpful Resources
Norton Field Guide to Writing Chapter 36 Guiding your Reader (pp. 386-391)
Little Seagull Handbook Section W-3, “Writing Processes”
Harvard College Writing Center: Counterargument
The proposal should consider all aspects and criteria of the intended project and demonstrate understanding and competence in the ability to complete it. Generally, a research proposal should contain all the key elements involved in the research process and include sufficient information for the reader to evaluate the proposed study.
Generally, the proposal will address the following three areas:
What you plan to accomplish, why it is important and how you are going to persuade you audience.
Remember, your topic must have
two logical sides to the issue (your viewpoint and an opposing viewpoint),
must be researched-based
must be relevant to your career or degree.
Your proposal needs to include the following six paragraphs and a title:
Working Title (Find help on title writing by clicking here)
Section One
Introduction
Describe the issue (2-3 sentences)
Define your position (1-2 sentences)
Thesis statement (1 sentence)
Follow this example:
While many feel that defunding the police would endanger society, redistributing funds would increase the number of public health workers, provide more targeted support, and refocus efforts to retrain existing law enforcement personnel.
Section Two
Counterargument
Anticipated questions or resistance (2-3 sentences)
Response to questions or resistance (2-3 sentences)
Section Three
Audience (2-3 sentences) Consider demographics, background, relevance, knowledge of topic and beliefs.
Goal for your audience (how should the audience think or act differently? 1-2 sentences)
Section Four
Strategy for convincing your audience including goal, purpose and challenges, Consider tactics (ethos, pathos, logos) (2-3 sentences)
Section Five
Research (preliminary) describe your approach (refer to your readings thus far)
Keiser University Library Database(s) you are most likely to use
Potential articles cited in 7th edition APA (at least 2, final paper will require 4)
Be careful to avoid a faulty use of authority, or identifying a source written by author who claims to be an “expert” but is only moderately familiar with the topic.
Potential key terms (Minimum of 5)

Description: Rubric Used only for Week 2 Milestone: Proposal
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List View
Proficient Approaches Standard Needs Improvement Not Acceptable
Section One:
Introduction
Points:
5.6 (20.00%)
Describes topic and argument with relevant details that communicate direction of essay. Clearly states position on argument.
Points:
4.76 (17.00%)
Describes topic and argument with some details that communicate direction of essay. States position on argument. May be somewhat general or need minor clarification.
Points:
3.92 (14.00%)
Describes topic and argument with limited details. Argument and/or position on argument may be unclear.
Points:
0 (0.00%)
Submission did not meet requirements or non-responsive.
Section One: Thesis Statement
Points:
4.2 (15.00%)
Thesis statement is a single declarative sentence that argues clearly and concisely the main point and presents three distinct supporting claims.
Points:
3.57 (12.75%)
Thesis statement argues clearly and the main point and presents three distinct supporting claims. May be slightly wordy or have minor omissions.
Points:
2.94 (10.50%)
Thesis statement presents argument but lacks three supporting claims. Thesis may be overly wordy or need stronger focus.
Points:
0 (0.00%)
Submission did not meet requirements or non-responsive.
Section Two: Counterargument
Points:
4.2 (15.00%)
Identifies opposing point(s) in a clear and logical manner. Responds effectively refuting counterargument with valid relevant reasoning or evidence.
Points:
3.57 (12.75%)
Identifies opposing point(s) with some detail. Refutes counterargument with valid reasoning or evidence. May have minor gaps.
Points:
2.94 (10.50%)
Identifies opposing point(s) but may lack clarity or need further explanation. Responds with opposition to counterargument but lacks specific reasoning or evidence.
Points:
0 (0.00%)
Submission did not meet requirements or non-responsive.
Section Three: Audience
Points:
2.8 (10.00%)
Defines audience that has relevance to topic. Considers some of the following criteria: background, demographics, knowledge of subject and political or social beliefs. Describes goal and desired outcome.
Points:
2.38 (8.50%)
Defines audience with relevance. Considers some of the following criteria but may be general or limited in scope: background, demographics, knowledge of subject and political or social beliefs. Describes goal, desired outcome. May be vague or missing some elements.
Points:
1.96 (7.00%)
Defines audience with some relevance to topic. Lacks specific consideration of the following criteria: background, demographics, knowledge of subject and political or social beliefs. Goal or outcome may be unclear or missing.
Points:
0 (0.00%)
Submission did not meet requirements or non-responsive.
Section Four: Strategy
Points:
2.8 (10.00%)
Defines purpose, goal, and challenges with relevant details. Identifies tactics such as rhetorical strategies, organization, and overall approach.
Points:
2.38 (8.50%)
Defines purpose, goal, and challenges. Identifies some tactics such as rhetorical strategies, organization, and overall approach but may be general in nature or scope.
Points:
1.96 (7.00%)
Defines purpose, goal, and challenges but may have some gaps in description or clarity. Limited consideration of tactics such as rhetorical strategies, organization, and overall approach. Response is general, cursory.
Points:
0 (0.00%)
Submission did not meet requirements or non-responsive.
Section Five: Research
Points:
5.6 (20.00%)
Describes research method and process with details including databases to be used. Lists search terms (5 minimum), and two potential sources are listed in APA format with no major errors.
Points:
4.76 (17.00%)
Describes research method and process generally. Databases may be missing. Lists search terms (more than 3 ), and two potential sources listed in APA format with minor errors.
Points:
3.92 (14.00%)
Describes research method and process including databases to be used. Lists search terms (3 minimum), and two potential sources are listed in APA format with few errors.
Points:
0 (0.00%)
Submission did not meet requirements or non-responsive.
Writing and Mechanics
Points:
2.8 (10.00%)
Proposal has no major errors related to grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format.
Points:
2.38 (8.50%)
Proposal has minor errors related to grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization with no impact on readability. Proposal is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format.
Points:
1.96 (7.00%)
Proposal has errors that have some impact on readability. Attention is needed in the areas of citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization. Use of Writing Studio or Online Writing Lab (OWL) is recommended.
Points:
0 (0.00%)
Submission did not meet requirements or non-responsive.
Name:Week 2 Milestone: Proposal
Description:Rubric Used only for Week 2 Milestone: Proposal

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