Reader and Context Analyses

As identified in a previous evaluation, my thesis committee will be the primary audience for this proposal. They will push me to explore a topic in-depth based on the program’s values of high quality research, concise writing, good organization, correct citations, etc. In addition, I believe the primary audience will have both positive attitudes and emotions toward the proposal. Secondary readers for the proposal include professors from other departments with whom I might consult for more insight into my subject of study, as well as colleagues for whom I’ve written profiles for in the past. As experts in the field or in the workplace, these readers also will want to advance knowledge about the subject. In addition, they will hold me to different standards and may have invested interest and emotions in what I hope to study.

The tertiary readers include my peers in the graduate school, the MAPC program, and most specifically this proposal writing class. They will be able to evaluate my proposal in comparison to other proposals, so I think they hold me to the standards we share for graduate-level work, while challenging me to persuade them about my research. Their attitudes may range from ambivalent to interested, though I think the readers from class will have more emotional attachment since we are all working though the same process.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the gatekeepers even at this initial stage of the process with the hope of reducing my stress level later. In particular, I believe my thesis adviser or committee chair will be the gatekeeper for the content of my proposal and of my thesis. He will be the first reader of the material and approve it before I submit it to other members. Later in the process, the graduate school will serve as a formatting gatekeeper, since I must be aware of and comply to certain formatting instruction for all graduate theses. With these gatekeepers in mind, I know to meet program and graduate school requirements, most specifically concerning citation style and formatting, so that I can make my thesis adviser and school proud.

The physical constraints, such as formatting, also factor into the contexts surrounding the proposal. As a writer, I face a limited time frame to complete the proposal and the project. For my primary readers I believe digital copy would be the easiest in terms of delivery and review, though print and bound copies will be the final deliverable. I also want to think of the industry/community context as I explore a research gap, analyze data which is publically accessible but still linked to universities and a larger social context, and possibly deal more specifically with my work in publications. Finally, I might encounter the economic context through a lack of funding though I do not anticipate this issue; the ethical context through the Institutional Review Board, should I decide to conduct interviews; and the political context as I narrow down my topic and choose a compatible committee.