Gender-Gap in CEOs in the United States. Research Paper Proposal.

Research Paper Proposal
2-3 pages

In preparation for your research project, you will submit a proposal in which you outline your research question and provide an overview of your topic and its significance. In other words, tell me how your research question fits into a larger conversation about this topic and why the topic matters. Do not use useless filler to make ends meet; everything should work to explain your topic thoroughly.

I strongly encourage you to email me or come see me during office hours if you have questions or need help developing your topic or research question.

A strong proposal will:
clearly articulate a meaningful research question.
provide a factually accurate and sufficiently detailed overview of the topic that appropriately contextualizes it (and cites any and all sources if used).
describe how and why the topic and research question are important.
concisely explain what you plan to add to the existing larger conversation.
use appropriate academic language that has been proofread/edited and is free of grammatical or spelling errors.

Based on your proposal, I will either approve your topic or advise you to revise or reframe your research question.

Note: your topic needs to be more complex than a simple yes/no question, either/or statement, moral/immoral definition and so on. Avoid writing on legalization or criminalization of things like marijuana, abortion, gay marriage, gun control, &c. Not only do these pro/con papers tend to be the most common topics, but they tend to be discussed in very reductive ways on both sides. Be creative in the selection of your topic, and focus on a more complex issue than this type of argumentation.

Possible research topics:
Gender representation in culture, advertisement, &c.
Environmental or health impact of electronics, consumerism, &c.
Cultural impact of a given device, practice, or object
Technology and its effects on culture (A note: if you plan to argue about social media and its detriments OR cyberbullying, your topic will have to be rather unique and well beyond the obvious/surface.)
The significance of a subculture for a given society
The use of varying rhetoric in journalism and news
You are more than welcome to explore topics that are not on this list.

Some questions to get you started:
What is the larger conversation you are taking part in?
What is the argument or hypothesis behind your research?
Why does your research question matter? How is your research unique or otherwise an addition?
Does your research propose a solution to a problem?
Is your research intended to analyze a situation and explain its significance?
How might your research affect culture at large?

Standard practices of citation are required. Do not use someone else’s summary/argumentation as your own.