Final Thoughts

Introduction

When I entered this class I wanted to learn more about proposal writing, but more specifically, I wanted the motivation to write my thesis proposal. What I found was a supportive environment that allowed me to explore my ideas on a topic, to express these ideas in an organized form and in such a way that my audience would expect and appreciate them, and to think about my research from different perspectives. I gained the ability to write proposals in any situation, as long as I take the time to evaluate it first, and I’m ending the class with an eloquent thesis proposal. Honestly, what I’ve accomplished in this course is beyond what I imagined possible in a five-week period.

As stated in the other three progress reports, my MAPC thesis proposal explores the connections between organizational narrative and strategic communication through the genre of profiles. I will conduct a textual and visual analysis of profiles used by universities on their websites or in print publications. While this study is the culmination of my master’s degree program at Clemson, I’m not certain I would have been able to flesh out my ideas in such detail had I written the proposal on my own. All the pieces were there, but the class continually pushed me to focus on each part of the proposal with a purpose and finally to look at the parts as a whole design.

Work Completed

I’ve written my thesis proposal following the MAPC guidelines, but I’ve also gone beyond these suggestions. My thesis proposal package includes the 10 page proposal with front matter of a letter of transmittal, cover page, table of contents, and abstract, and back matter of an extensive bibliography and biography. I’ve also created my first film – a five minute presentation that highlights the connections between silhouettes and viewpoints, texts and their contexts, and profiles and strategic communication. Thought this film assignment was quite a challenge, I am very proud of my work, and I appreciate the opportunity to explore my topic in a more creative medium that the traditional written proposal. Essentially, this film allowed me to focus on a very visual part of my topic and to see my proposal in a completely different way. I never expected to create a film to supplement the required thesis proposal, but now my proposal would seem incomplete without it.

Next Steps

The next steps include submitted my proposal to my course instructor and committee chair for comments and revisions. I realize that the proposal is only the beginning of a long process of research, but thanks to this course, I’ve created a strong foundation. The next steps also include reflected on this journey in the final report, where I will describe the decisions I made; however, because of the rhetorical focus of the class, I feel able to justify each choice. I also feel confident in my ability to use technology to persuade and connect with my audience. I may use InDesign in the future to give my papers a more professional look, and I will definitely keep Audacity and Jing on my computer for future use. I also plan to teach MovieMaker to my students in English 103 in the fall.

Conclusions

I’m leaving this course with a better understanding of the rhetorical situation of proposal writing and with the knowledge and technical skills to create written and visual proposals. I enjoyed working with other students in the course, and I appreciate the support of the MATRF staff, particularly their software training. The short time period, almost daily meetings, and working environment made this class successful, since it simulated other proposal situations. Upon reflection, I realize that this situation was the most conducive way to write my thesis proposal. I had to decide on an idea; convince myself and my classmates that it was worth pursuing; learn more about it through research; cull down this research into three pages; explain my plan for studying the topic; delineate the schedule for this research; persuade my primary audience from the introduction through the conclusion, and present my ideas in an appealing form. I can’t imagine anything else I would want to add to this course, except to say that it should be offered every summer.