In two or three paragraphs, your proposal should introduce your topic, identify your genre, and articulate the intellectual or scholarly motives for the project. (See Gordon Harvey’s “Elements of the Academic Essay” on motive.) Your proposal might include a hypothesis, but that’s not necessary.

Be sure to include the following (in whatever order is logical within the framework of your proposal):

1. A list of texts you plan to discuss in the project.

2. A description of the methodology you plan to use–and why you plan to use it. You might want to name works whose methodologies will be models for you.

3. A practical research plan–how you will find the material you need: academic databases, bibliographies of works on your topic, course readings, readings for other courses, useful online materials, etc.

Research Databases

The Graduate Center has subscriptions to a variety of electronic databases that will help you with your research.

Three databases will be especially helpful for your projects: The MLA International Bibliography (which will help you find articles about literature), PsychInfo (which will help you find articles about psychology), and EBSCO (a general database that encompasses many fields of study).

The second is the library’s collection of electronic journals. Project MUSE and JSTOR will be especially helpful, but you might also find PsycArticles and Psychology Collection useful.

Of course, you should also use the library’s online catalog to search for books.

Logistics

You’ll submit a draft of your proposal to me and to your writing group by Friday, October 18 (via email). We’ll workshop these proposals in class on October 23. Based on the feedback you receive, you’ll revise and submit your final proposal to me by Wednesday, October 30.