Assignments - Topic Proposal and Outline

Your Topic Proposal Should Include the Following Five Elements

  1. A descriptive statement of your TOPIC
    1. "I will study…"
    2. One paragraph.
  2. Explanation of your CONCEPTUAL QUESTION
    1. "Because I want to find out what / why / how..."
    2. At least one paragraph.
  3. Explication of the CONCEPTUAL SIGNIFICANCE of your topic
    1. "In order to help readers understand whether..."
    2. I.e. an answer to the question "So what?" or "Why should I care?"
    3. At least one paragraph.
  4. Provisional OUTLINE
    1. Indicating topics you plan to cover.
    2. Indicating as fully as possible the ancient sources relevant to each topic.
    3. At least two pages.
  5. Annotated BIBLIOGRAPHY
    1. At least five modern works (a total of ten is a good target).
    2. Your assessment of what each work will contribute to your study.
    3. One or two sentences for each item.

Assessment Criteria

  • Is the project viable?
  • Is the project interesting? (Is the question critically minded and sufficiently probing?)
  • Does the proposal reflect a rigorous effort to find relevant scholarly bibliography?
  • Is the proposal well written and generally polished?

The format for the topic proposal and outline is adapted from the Prospectus Writing Tips of the Department of History at Brown University.

The topic proposal and outline is due during Session 17.