Description
The goal of a research proposal is to convey
what you’re interested in researching, why
it’s important, and that you can actually
accomplish it. For your first draft, you’ll lay
out your ideas regarding your topic, the way
you'll address that topic, why it's important,
and how you'll present it in the end.
First Draft Components
Question / Topic. Explain the topic that you
want to investigate. Really good topics tend
to combine two areas that aren’t often
considered together. As a general rule of
thumb, the narrower the topic the better.
For example, video games and Greek
mythology is a bit broad. A comparison
between ancient source descriptions of
mythical creatures and their visual and
thematic depiction in the God of War series
is more appropriately narrow. Phrasing your
topic as a question that can be answered is
even better - this leads to good, analytical
research.
Methodology & Sources: How are you
going to go about answering your research
question? Is the methodology clear?
Feasible? It's important to show that you can actually accomplish your proposed
research project. At this stage, I would like
you to have at least 2 secondary (modern)
sources and 1 primary (ancient) source that's
relevant to your research project. You don't
need to go into depth about them, but do
mention how and why they might be useful
for your investigation.
Significance. How does it help us better
understanding the ancient world? How about
human experience in general? This is your
opportunity to show why it matters.