1. Presented by the UTA English Writing Center
Issue Proposal
Presented by the UTA English Writing Center
Updated 11/25/2014 TW

2. Hosted by English Writing Center www.uta.edu/owl
A Division of the Department of English
Sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts

3. Jeffrey Marchand, Undergraduate Programs Coordinator
Workshop Leaders
Jeffrey Marchand, Undergraduate Programs Coordinator

4. What is an Issue Proposal?
Basically, an Issue Proposal is making a proposal about a potential issue that you want to study/research for the semester.
By “proposal” we mean that you are going to be presenting your pitch in an effort to convince your audience that your issue is worthwhile and important, and that you should be able to use it for future assignments (I.e. the entire semester).

5. The Issue Proposal Essay
“For this paper, you will take stock of what you already know about the issue you select, organize and develop your thoughts, and sketch a plan for your research. Your audience will be your classmates and me.”
This essay is completely coming from YOU. No outside research is required—instead, you are going to be “researching” your own mind and thoughts.
The audience is your teacher and your classmates, so keep this in mind as you think about your writing style and you language.

6. Finding an Issue
The first step is finding your issue. Issues are different than topics, and they are arguable. In other words, people disagree about them.
Use the “Twelve Tests of an Arguable Issue” table on pg. 36 of First-Year Writing to make sure you have an issue that will work.
Avoid large, universal issues that you cannot do justice in 3-4 pages; i.e. abortion, gay marriage, etc.
However, these 'issues' are not necessarily ruled out in all classes/sections.

7. Invention
Once you have your issue, you then need to work on completing inventions steps 2-4 on the assignment sheet.
Go through each of these steps and complete them fully. Don’t worry about grammar or structure yet—this is the time to get your thoughts down on paper. The time for making it look and sound good is later.
Cover all of the bullet points and questions from the assignment sheet—this is important! They are there for a reason!

8. Arrangement
Once you have completed all of the Invention steps, then you can start thinking about how you are going to arrange your information.
The ordering/structure of the paper is up to you (unless your specific instructor has said otherwise). As long as you get all the info in there, there are lots of options for arrangement.
However you choose to do it, the key is to make sure that it is arranged in a manner that your reader can follow, understand, and keeps their interest.
In this example, the nouns cat, fence, and mouse take an indefinite article, but only when they are introduced for the first time. After they are introduced, we use the definite article in every instance. This pattern, or rule, covers a lot of basic instances of concrete nouns, especially in story telling. This rule can extend over long periods of time and interrupted dialogue so that I can ask you to buy a pen and then several hours later I can ask you if you bought the pen.

9. Basic Argumentative Essay Structure
The structure of the argumentative essay is held together by the following:
A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph.
Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion.
Body paragraphs that include evidential support, whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal.
A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.

10. Style
Don’t forget that your audience is your instructor and your classmates!
Keep this audience in mind when you consider the language you use and the style you implement.
A very formalized, high-level style might not be as appropriate for this audience as it will be in your future papers.
Don’t get carried away, though. Don’t use texting or inappropriate language.

11. Logistics
Final product should be 3-5 pages long. Don’t stray from this! That means at least 3 full pages of typed material, and no more than 5! Your teacher knows all the tricks, I promise you.
Use correct MLA formatting for your paper (heading, margins, etc.).
Participate fully in Peer Review, and make sure you turn in each draft on time and completed.

12. Common Issues / Mistakes
Make sure it is an argument! Many students forget this. Remember, you are convincing your audience that your issue is worthwhile and that you should be able to focus on it for the rest of the semester. This means you need a MAIN CLAIM and SUPPORTING REASONS.
This is personal! While many of us are scared to incorporate “I,” it seems hard to write this essay without it! Make sure you create a product based on YOUR thoughts, YOUR knowledge, YOUR ideas, etc.
This exception also applies to ordering (ordinal numbers used as adjectives) where it is presumed that the ordering is unique: the second time, the third example, the fourth person to call. In other words, once you place an order on objects they hold a unique position in that order. This exception applies to named things (which through naming become unique): The Rocky Mountains (a mountain range)The New York Islanders (a sports team)The Amazon River (a river in South America)The Pacific Ocean (an ocean)The Steelworkers Union (an organization)The Great Plains (a geographic locality)The Washington Monument (a statue)The Number Four Bus
However, this application is imperfect as some things such as named lakes and islands take no articles (Buttle Lake, Skull Island) except in plural instances (the Great Lakes, the Galapagos islands).

13. Common Issues / Mistakes (continued)
3) HAVE AN ARGUABLE ISSUE! Although by this point you should already have gotten this checked and approved by your instructor, make sure you do in fact have a clear, arguable issue! Without it, you can’t do this or future assignments. 4) Complete ALL OF THE INVENTION STEPS! Do not leave any of them out—they must all be incorporated fully.

14. Other Bits of Advice
Take revision seriously! Moving from a first draft, to second draft, to final draft is the heart of the Writing Process, and your instructor is going to be grading you essay based in part on how well you participate in this process. However solid your paper might be, there is always room for improvement. So spend adequate time in the revision process.
Get lots of feedback! This comes from your instructor, your peers and friends, and also the Writing Center. Visit the WC for more help.

15. Other Bits of Advice (continued)
Double-check the Evaluation Criteria listed at the end of the assignment sheet. This is what you instructor will be using to assess your essay and to build their grading rubric.
Also, if your instructor has provided you with his/her rubric, make sure you use that to check your essay! If you want to, self-grade your paper or have someone else do it—this sometimes helps in finding areas that need improvement.
Important

16. Make an appointment with the Writing Center @
What else can I do?
Make an appointment with the Writing

17. Other Resources htttp://uta.edu/owl
Check out our resources for writers page on the Writing Center
htttp://uta.edu/owl

18. Upcoming Workshops
Finding Resources: Wednesday 17, noon, and Thursday 18, noon
Annotated Bibliography: Wednesday 24, noon, and Thursday 25, noon
Mapping the Issue: Tuesday 8, noon, and Wednesday 9, noon
Research Position Paper: Wednesday 6, noon, and Tuesday 12, noon