English 102
Proposal Argument Paper Instructions
Overview
For your third paper this semester, you’re going to write a Proposal Argument on the same
topic you wrote about for your Causal Argument paper. This time, instead of writing about the
causes and effects of this problem, you’re doing to propose a solution to the problem.
Ideally, you’ve come across some possible solutions to this problem as you conducted research
for your Causal Argument. If not, you should start researching possible solutions now. It’s very
important to note that the solutions must be researched. You are not simply coming up with
your own solutions. You need to find experts who believe the solutions that you propose are
feasible or find examples of solutions that have been implemented in certain communities. For
example, if you are writing about plastic pollution, you will find that many communities have
outlawed plastic grocery bags. If you are writing about America’s prison population, you will
find that many experts believe that rewriting our nation’s drug laws will reduce the number of
people we are sending to prison. These are the kind of ideas you need to include in your paper.
Depending on your topic and your approach, you may find that you will want to propose one
rather complicated solution or several simpler solutions. If you take the latter approach, make
certain you are still going in depth and truly exploring the solutions.
To get a much more in-depth understanding of this assignment, it’s very important that you
read Chapter 12 in Everything’s an Argument.
Minimum Basic Requirements
• 5-6 FULL pages* (not including works cited page). Note that full length means full, all
the way-to-the-bottom-of-fifth page.
• 5 sources minimum, 2 of which must be from the MCC databases.
Students who don’t meet the minimum requirements will receive a zero for this paper with
no opportunity to revise.
Every successful paper will:
• Contain a thesis that makes an assertion.
• Support the thesis with valid claims found in high quality sources.
• Propose intelligent, realistic solutions to the problem.
• Propose solutions that can be implemented by communities, governments, and groups
of people.
• Explain how the solutions will help to correct the problem.
• Rely on a research to find and support solutions.
• Counter argue any opposing views.
• Be coherently structured.
• Synthesize sources seamlessly.
• Quote appropriately, providing context and signal phrase each time a quote is used.
• Be written only in third person.
• Demonstrate an understanding of MLA documentation and format.
• Be written in a style appropriate for a college-level paper.
Potential mistakes:
• Writing about solutions that are not feasible.
• Addressing the reader and encouraging them to make personal changes to fix the
problem. Remember, this paper needs to be about what society can do to fix them
problem. This isn’t paper should not be written as though you are giving advice to an
individual.)
• Proposing solutions that you think of entirely on your own. This is a research paper. You
need sources that support your ideas.
• Writing about too many solutions. Your goal is depth. You must go beyond listing
possible solutions.
• Ranting and raving. Don’t fall victim to this. Check yourself. Are you angry at the group
you’re writing about? If so, revisit your approach.
• Plagiarizing.
• Repeating the same ideas several times instead of going into depth and expanding
ideas.
Important Note
You cannot change topics. You must write about the same topic you wrote about for your
Causal Argument paper. Students who change subjects will receive a zero for this paper with no
opportunity to revise.
Below you’ll find the list of topics from the previous paper assignment and some tips for
researching and writing each one:
Low voter turn-out in the U.S.
Americans turn out to vote in much lower numbers than other countries. You might look at
what other countries to do inspire voter turn-out. Domestically, there are groups and
organizations that are working to address this problem. Research those groups and find out
what is working or what approaches have the most potential to work.
High Incarceration Rates
American has the highest incarceration rate in the world. What can we do to address this? If
you guessed that this solution is not an easy one, you’d be right. You’ll find lots of ideas out
there about how to address this issue. Your job is to find the best, most intelligent solutions.
Choose your sources carefully.
Plastic Trash
After doing your research, you know that we have a lot of plastic out in the world, and we are
continuing to make more. With this paper, you could take a couple of approaches: 1) Research
what can be done to address the plastic that is already out there, or 2) What can be done to
curb production of plastic now. Either approach is fine, but keep in mind that the best papers
on this topic will address broad, societal solutions to this problem. For example, you’ll probably
read lots of articles that recommend taking reusable cups with you when you get coffee, and
that’s fine to mention, but to truly affect change there will probably need to be a change in
laws and business practices.
The (New) Rise of White Nationalism
This is a complicated problem and finding a solution is tough. In fact, you won’t find one
perfect solution, and you can’t expect racism to go away quickly. The roots of racism are deep,
but you will find people who are working to address this problem. Some of the more
substantial solutions involve law enforcement and better monitoring of violent groups. Some
of you kind and gentle people will be tempted to propose programs that teach love and
understanding in elementary schools, but it is really hard to prove that these kinds of programs
affect meaningful change so you’ll want to avoid writing about those kinds of solutions. The
Southern Poverty Law Center is a good place to start for some ideas about how to address the
new white nationalism in a meaningful way.
College Students and Hunger
Many colleges and universities are working on this problem. Some schools now have food
banks, for example. Other experts believe we need to take a broader approach like offering
better financial aid packages to students or make government-subsidized food benefits more
widely available to college students