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Housekeeping

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Sources for avoiding errors in your paper:

• Supporting a Thesis
• ORGANIZING A PARAGRAPH
• Making an EVALUATION (two sides to everything)  
• Using Support Effectively
• Citing Your Sources (avoiding plagiarism)
• Fitting the Format   
• Author's Note  
• Your author's notes should explain WHY you made specific rhetorical choice, not just tell me WHAT you did. WHY is it significant that you used certain words or certain images? HOW do those choices impact your intended audience? ... 
  
• And remember to return to the basics - look at Introduction to Rhetoric   

Introduction To Proposal Arguments

Project Four Revision Minute Paper

Proposal Arguments

How do we invent Proposal arguments?

Much like evaluations, proposals are created based on specific criteria and follow a basic structure: "We should (not) do X."  Proposals are typically arranged in a three part structure:

1. Convincing the audience that a problem exists 

2. Showing the particulars of your proposal (your solution to the problem)

3. Justifying why your proposal should be enacted (that your proposal is feasible and will have positive outcomes).

Priorities: Is the real challenge convincing your audience that a problem exists or is it convincing them of a viable solution to a problem they already know exists?

• Prioritizing the Problem: Depending on the particulars of your topic, one or more of these items may be prioritized over the others. For instance, if you are proposing a fairly straightforward change that requires little detail - say, convincing an audience to ban stem cell research - you might spend the majority of its times on item one (convincing the audience that stem cell research is a problem), with items two (it should be banned entirely in the US) and three (negative consequences if the ban is not enacted) relegated to the final few paragraphs.
• Prioritizing the Solution: Conversely, often your proposal might be addressing what the majority (if not all) of your audience will agree is a problem; in this case, the challenge is providing a viable solution (if the finding the solution is not a problem, presumably the problem would have already been solved). For instance, most WSU students would agree that parking on campus is a problem; however, providing a feasible solution to this problem is difficult.

   

Building Blocks for Proposal Arguments

Showing the problem to be a problem

• "Coal...":
• "Let's Make...""

In proposals with simple solutions, showing why the solution has not been enacted

• "Let's Make...":

In proposal swith complex solutions, showing why other proposed solutions have not/will not work:

• "Coal...":

Stiff-Arming potential objections to your proposal (i.e., your proposed solution)

• "Coal..."
• "Let's Make..."

Emphasizing the positive consequences that will come from your proposal:

• "Coal"
• "Let's Make"

Other Stasis Arguments (beside evaluation and Definition) that often Appear in Proposals:

Proposals often make use of both Categorical and Resemblance arguments. Both work by putting the item in question in relation to another item for which the audience already has strong feelings (for instance, Lee compares the restrictions against foreign-born presidents). Proposals also almost always make use of Cause/Consequence arguments, as a rhetor needs to account for both the positive and negative consequences of a planned proposal.

Consider for instance several claims that might be use to argue that WSU should abolish its fraternity and sorority system: (This is a "Priority Problem" proposal - it would not be hard to abolish the system - the hard part is convincing necessary stakeholders that it should be abolished):

• Example from Evaluation Arguments: "WSU should abolish fraternities because..."
• Example from Categorical Arguments: "WSU should abolish fraternities and sororities because..."
• Example from Resemblance: "WSU should abolish fraternities and sororities because ..."
• Example from Cause/Consequence: "WSU should abolish fraternities and sororities because ..."