Proposal

Kochis/BIS 353a/Au10 The Policy Research Proposal * The policy research proposal is a competitive request for support to carry out a major research project. The proposal must convince the person or group giving the support that your idea for research is worthwhile and credible. You can imagine it as an application for a $15,000 grant to carry out your research for the next three months and you must convince the granting agency that your research matters and is worth funding. * Students are free to choose any current human rights case, subject to approval by the instructor. In choosing a case, the following apply: 1) the case must engage at least one country other than the United States; 2) the case must be specific, i.e., a specific person or incident, and not just a topic, 3) the case must be within the last five years, and 4) each student must have a different case. * Your proposal should be 5 pages (maximum) and conform to the rules of Writing Guidelines found elsewhere on this web site. On the specifics of writing a research proposal, you might want to consult the following: Creswell, J. 2003. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; which can be found in the library, or the following web site which gives excellent step-by-step instructions: http://www.nrf.ac.za/yenza/research/proposal.htm * Your proposal must follow standard guidelines for research proposals; it must be detailed, and set up a serious research agenda for a specific human rights case. For the purposes of this class assume that the final paper, if you were to write it, would be a 30-page research paper, i.e., the case should be sufficiently complex that you would need some space to spell out the issues and controversies. * You can use APA or Chicago style. Use subheads, but each section should be in narrative prose format, not bulleted lists or outlines. * There are many accepted formats, but any one you choose should contain the following elements. I have included a rough estimate of the length of each section but different cases and issues will create some variations. * Description of the case and statement of the problem You will select one specific case—a purported human rights violation or success story—and describe it in sufficient detail to establish that there is a problem in what we know and a need for further research. (½ page) * Literature review Here you summarize what others have said, both theoretically and specifically, about the argument you are using. The literature review must identify the specific human rights instruments that apply. (2 pages) * Research question You identify exactly the question you will be asking and which could be answered in the time (i.e., three months and 30 pages) and with the resources you will have at your disposal (the real access you will have to the appropriate information). (½ page) * Methodology You identify exactly how you plan to investigate the issue and answer the research question to the satisfaction of experts in the field. This should include the relevant data bases and sources. (½ page) * Limitations and challenges You frankly state what are the weaknesses in your approach and what are the limitations to your research. (½ page) * Conclusion Do a short summary of why this case matters. * Conclude with a References page that lists the major resources you used in writing the proposal (½ page).